Hmmm... still busy

So I thought that maybe being graduated, taking a new job during the day and only having class 2 nights a week would make us a little less busy. But, of course, what was I thinking! Life is always busy. Just always in a new way :)
But despite the new things filling up our life, we are still doing well. Austin still works full time and goes to school before and after his 9-5 shift. He is taking his last science credit (yay!) so comes home late late after a lab on Tuesday nights.
But he still beats me home. Tuesday and Thursday I have class from 4:40 to 9:45. Man those are long days! But they are very worth it.
About 3 weeks ago, I started a new job, still in the Chandler district. It was hard to leave, but after 4 years working in the afterschool program at CTA Independence I was offered a position to be a special ed paraeducator at Humphrey Elementary.
I have worked in schools for over 5 years, been taking care of kids all my life. I know how to teach, been doing it for years. I thought, no big deal, I can handle this job. But boy... I sure was humbled.
My students are part of the SpEd "Edge" program. My classroom is full of k-2 grade students struggling with emotional disabilities (bipolar, Explosive Emotional Disorder, ADHD, ect...). I've been there 3 weeks and I've chased down a kid who was running off campus (4 times!), been told I'd be shot with a gun and stabbed with a knife, been called a whole slew of names I won't repeat, found a child hiding from me in a supply closet, and on and on and on. I never dreamed about this side of teaching! But on top of all that, every day I get dozens of hugs, excited "Hi Mrs. Baxter!"s and the joy of seeing a student GET IT when I finally reach him. Working with ED students has been the hardest job I've ever done, but it really is worth it. These poor kids have so much going on in their lives. They are growing up often in broken homes, with troubled siblings or imprisoned parents, and they don't have the same mental capabilities that we have to deal with it all. My heart breaks for them everyday, and even though they can scare me to death and drive me up a wall, I am so glad for this job at Humphrey!