So, here it is...the big news. The first step leading into my dream career has come true. Well, let's back up. My DREAMIEST dream career is to be a whale trainer at Sea World. And I'm not going to lie...my heart just tingled a bit as I wrote that statement and thought about that reality. So maybe it's a good thing that I'm not a whale trainer because that tingle could very easily turn into a full-fledged heart attack if I were to encounter a precious orca whale in person (ouch! my heart just hurt again!).
But back to reality and my really good news...I GOT INTO GRADUATE SCHOOL! Starting September 26th I will be an Eastern Washington University eagle. This has been something I have worked towards since my senior year in college, not to mention all of my prior experience leading up to college. Just a bit of history: I applied to two graduate schools senior year at Linfield, making the waiting list for one school and not even getting a chance with the other school. I was heartbroken and crushed. The "waiting list" school informed me that they took students who had been out of school for a few years with a bit more life experience. They recommended programs like Teach for America and AmeriCorps to gain more expertise and service-oriented experience. So that is exactly what I did. Right out of college I served a year with AmeriCorps - a national service organization. I tutored at-risk elementary students in math and reading and successfully ran a before and after school program. This was a challenging and stretching time for me as an individual and it surely solidified my "dream career." It also concreted my passion for elementary aged children.
Moving over to Spokane was hard because I really wanted a job that aligned with my career goals. So I tirelessly looked and applied for ANYTHING at a school. It took me a year and a half, but I eventually landed a job at the school I am at now: Mountainside Middle School. And I absolutely adore, love, cherish my job! I walked into it thinking, "Eh...middle schoolers. I am scared!" But in all actuality, it is such a fun age! They are still children who are willing to please you and be goofy but they are old enough where you can hold a decent conversation with them. So, my passion has expanded to elementary aged children and middle schoolers. :] I still dread them high schoolers though!
Getting my name and face in a Spokane school district, I know, has been a tremendous help and a huge weight gain on my resume. It is bittersweet that I must leave my precious school nestled in the woods, directly by Greenbluff farms. But the job I hold here is not what I want to do forever. So, I must leave, get my education, and maybe return as a school counselor. I will be starting my Masters in School Counseling (K-12) at Eastern Washington University. It is a solid two-year program: fall, winter, spring, summer, fall, winter, spring 2014 graduation!!!!
It is neat to see how everything is smoothing itself out. We were so excited to move to the lower south hill in February but I grumbled because it was going to be a 30-40 minute commute to Mountainside. But come fall, I will be .5 miles away from my other job and 1 mile away from Eastern's campus here in Spokane. So I will be barely driving, which will save a lot of gas money and time. No more grumbling and a lot more praising! Craig will graduate in December and hopefully find full-time work. It will be interesting to see how Sept/Oct/Nov/Dec go with us both being in school, but it may be fun! Study sessions and homework parties!
It is a comfort to know that we WILL be in Spokane for the next two years. For a while, there had been a lot of uncertainties over what would happen and where we'd go after Craig graduated. And to be honest, the last thing I want to do right now is pick up and start all over again in a new place. It is exhausting trying to find friends, a church, work, a good neighborhood, etc. And we are absolutely HEAD OVER HEELS with our church we have found in Spokane. It is the number one reason we want to stay here for 10+ years.
Thank you friends and family for your support, prayers, and notes of encouragement. It is still hard at times being over here in eastern washington, away from family and close friends, especially when there is hard stuff going on back home that we can't be a part of. But we are slowly discovering that we are over here for a reason...maybe just to live out being an Eastern Eagle! :]
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