This 'n That

OR ........... the proverbial bouncing ball post...............

My "to do" list is growing............ and so is my stress list............

School starts next week - did you hear me NEXT WEEK!!!  ARRRRGHHHHH I am so not ready....... and getting less ready with each passing day.........

Ok - starting at the beginning and moving forward from there........ 

Ordalie asked in my post on Worry Wart........ what teacher and why a meeting?? I have talked about this before........ but it may bear repeating seeing as a new year is beginning.. seeing as a lot of my stress is due to the school year starting.... and seeing how at least one reader has missed old posts about school............ 

Many many moons ago I started an early learning program at the school I was teaching in.........  It was given the seal of approval by the school board......... I actually switched from teaching Kindergarten - to teaching the first class in the Early Learning Program - a mixed class of  special needs kids and regular kids.  Almost immediately we discovered there just wasn't room to expand this program to include children under the age of 4.  So my one lil class of 4 year olds continued..... (and continues to this day) .  Fast forward a few years - and the Board in  it's infinite wisdom - in NOVEMBER - decided that there couldn't be a 4 year old class in the school.  I had to take it private. (stick with me here folks ...... I promise it will all pull together and be very relevant to today and my stress)
 
So I had 4 weeks to take this one lil class private - turn it into a private Preschool Program.  (which I managed to do in 3 weeks!!! which included getting TWO different government licenses and an accountant) 

Fast forward again - about 10 years and now I am running umpteen programs within the school and was offered a brand spanking new position of Daycare Responsable - which basically means pencil pusher for all the programs that I ran.  I then had to hire a teacher to take over my lil Preschool Class........ which I did.

Now fast forward to this year........... it is a new year ........ and like with every new year I meet with the teacher of this lil Preschool class that I own........ to discuss the program for the upcoming year.......... present her with her contract for the year..... and dump off the supplies for the year.  (ok Ordalie - do you understand now why I am meeting with my teacher??)


In the past this start to the new year has been relatively smooth.  After so many it is hard not to have it down pat and running smoothly. 


ONLY


Last week I got an email from my accountant.  The man - god bless him - who took over all the bookkeeping cause trust me when I say math was never my strong point and bookkeeping and accounting was wayyyyyyyyy over my head.  For a pittance this man did my piddly payroll every week - did the tax with holdings every month - answered any and all questions the governments had - did my complicated and confusing taxes every year - and did it all with a sigh and a smile.   This email that he sent me said that he was giving up the accounting business due to health reasons.  I knew it was a kind of form letter he was sending to all his clients - I knew it meant - after nearly 15 years of fighting cancer - he was losing the battle.  


I saw him yesterday.  He told me that he has been told by his doctors to put his affairs in order there is nothing more they can do for him.  


To say that that news hit me like a ten ton truck in the gut is an understatement.  This man has been my rock for nearly 20 years.  And - is so often the case - I didn't know what a treasure I had in him until yesterday.  I had to look for a new accountant.


Now - add mega stress !!!  Everyone I have spoken to will charge me 3 times......... 3 TIMES - the amount this man charged me.......... and will do 1/3 of the work.  They won't do payroll - won't calculate the tax with holdings.  I am in panic mode  (remember the line above - about me and math??!! no further questions needed!)

Now one accountant has suggested I "rent" this software from the government which does the payroll and does the with holdings and he will kindly do my taxes - and the government forms that need doing every year......... all for this hefty increase I mentioned.

I am sure this software is as easy as he says it is............. IF you understand math!!  AND I am sure I can eventually learn it............ BUT........... my fees for the year are already set... my budget is engraved in stone........... as it is I take a measly salary from the program - now it looks as though I will be working for free............ hours and hours of working for free ............... (and remember I also hold a full time job at another school) I am thinking that the plan I had to use this lil Preschool out on the Island as a cushion for my retirement just went flying out the window.  I am also thinking IF I can somehow limp through this year I may have to close down this baby of mine............... 


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Ok besides that stress - I have to schedule car maintenance - car rust proofing sometime in the next 3 days that I have free before school starts.  Do ya think they will have appointments to fit MY schedule???!!!  My bet is ............ N O.


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Ok besides that - I have to get into my school - where I work full time - and find out just how bad my staffing situation is for this year.  And despite W saying the Board HAS to find me workers - they don't.  And on the first day of school I will have over 100 children in the in-school daycare - and over 300 children staying for lunch and I don't have the staff to cover it all.


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And on top of all that - I am still "tutoring" middle grandson to help get him ready for Kindergarten.  I am finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel .  Today we will do the letters "Uu, Vv, and Xx"  He grinds his teeth at me now........... told me yesterday he would much rather be playing video games - complained the whole time we were struggling with "Qq, Rr, Ss and Tt" that his tummy hurt.  


Honestly I should have started this project back in July - hell when I was teaching it took 10 months to teach the kiddies how to write the letters (and numbers - which I won't be doing) and how the letters come together to make words (which I have tried this summer but have stopped - wayyyyyyyyyy too much information in wayyyyyyyyy too short a time)


I keep reassuring myself - that pig pen will have more skills on the first day of school than if I hadn't started this tutoring - BUT - I keep feeling I could have done more - done better - done it all differently.


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On the bright side......... cause ya know there is always a bright side.  There has to be or I would run screaming off the edge of the planet.  Tonight W and I are going to see "The Lion King" ......... a brief respite in the midst of chaos.

And that is it for the bouncing ball that is my life.