Permanent

I was welcomed back today with hugs and huge grins. My little darlings were excited that I was back, and were full of questions, the most frequent one being"Where did you go?" Now in most kindergarten classrooms this would be the norm, but for our class this was a victory.

Until today, the day after every absence I had taken since starting at the end of October (three days), I was met with "You came back!" or "We have a new teacher!" A heartbreaking reminder of how my kids started the year; with instability, a different teacher on any given day. Even when I was formally hired and we talked about and celebrated that I was the teacher for the rest of the year, they didn't quite grasp it. It took them two weeks of constant reminding that I wasn't a substitute anymore, I was the teacher. And yet, they were always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Until today. Today my kids expected me to be there. Today, I became permanent.