Work Now, Work Later

So my practicum experience has been a bit of a slow starter.  My cooperating teacher's kids have been sick the last week, and so he wasn't able to make it in to school.  Because of such, I missed out on two days - or six hours - of my experience.  Little disappointing and now there are some other factors I'm worried about.

Those factors.  Well, I mean, it's not too many.  It's more factors that are concerning me about how I'm going to make my hours for ARTED208.  The full-time manager at my store is going to be putting in her resignation next week.  This lady is amazing as a co-worker and as a friend, and I'm going to miss her dearly.  Where my stress comes in is that she and I had it figured out - my schedule - for my practicum experience all in advance so I wouldn't need to worry about what days I'd have off from work; I'd have it all planned out.

Well, since she's leaving now, and before my hours are filled, I'm concerned my Regional Manager is not going to be able to respect the days I needed, and instead tell me that as the part-time manager, I need to suck it up and take my "manager responsibility" and fill in Michelle's position.  

I'm ready for a talk with her though.  This class is the priority, not work.  That's a little hard for me because work IS how I pay for everything while I'm here at college.  I have an apartment I have to pay for, insurance that needs coverage, WiFi to attend to so I can do homework not on campus, and so while this current job is important, ultimately my FUTURE job is important.  The job where I'm going to be impacting children's lives till I'm sixty or even seventy.  (Yes, that would be so cool to teach art that long).

This will be difficult.  Heck yes, on so many levels.  But, I guess if an agreement cannot be found, I'll need to perhaps leave a current job that I enjoy over any of my past jobs, for the opportunity to make sure I'm 100% prepared for my future job.