Well hey there world!
After 6 weeks of learning, doing, working, planning, sleeping (sometimes), crying (again, only sometimes), assessing, sweating (this happened a LOT), and TRAVELING I made it through institute, came home to Ohio, packed up all of my earthly possessions, loaded a Uhaul (with the help of my WONDERFUL family and neighbors to whom I owe my LIFE) and drove to Memphis to start this thing called my NEW LIFE! I am here. I am in Memphis. And I am thankful.
For those of you keeping tabs on me (and as a *quick* reminder for those of you that aren't), I flew down to Memphis on May 28th and have been engrossed in the TFA induction-institute-bubble ever since. After emerging on July 9th (the end of institute), part of me was oh-so-slightly confused. I had solidified my traveling and moving arrangements: fly home on the 9th. Pack on the 10th. Leave on the 11th. Move in on the 12th. Start living in TN on the 13th. Since orientation (the last part of TFA's training before I move into professional development with my school) doesn't start until July 20th, I found myself in a small dilemma: what was I going to do with myself for 7 WHOLE DAYS? With no one explicitly dictating where and when I was supposed to be at every hour of the day?
...the answer? The most glorious 8-letter words that my ears could hear....
I was going to take a VACATION!
Some of you may have just questioned my ability to lead a group of 20-some children in closing the achievement gap over the next two years, seeing that I had just survived 6-weeks in TFA boot camp but couldn't connect 7 days of nothing to do with vacation. Keep having faith in me...I'm still learning :)
So yes...I am on the tail end of my vacation as we speak. I've tried to balance out getting real world things done (ordering and setting up our cable, grocery shopping, figuring out my cell phone plan, car insurance, etc.) and resting at the same time. I've seen Harry Potter 7.2 (WHICH WAS AWESOME, although I'm not gonna lie I was kind of sad at the end! That was seriously the end of my childhood literary experience). I've laid by the pool and got sunburned (not too terribly, not to worry mommy). I've been on long walks with my friend Tammie on the Mississippi River. I found the Vera Bradley signature store in Memphis (although it is wayyy out in the boonies of Memphis and seriously takes like 20 minutes of highway driving for me to get there). I've watched as many inspirational sports movies as Lauren and my movie collection allows. I've been to Target. Twice. actually, maybe 3 times.
So yes, life in Memphis is going swimmingly. Tomorrow orientation starts, when I will officially plan out my year and how exactly I am going to get my kindergarten or first graders on grade level in all of their subject areas. I'll figure out my big goal, how I will invest students and their families, meet my Manager of Teacher Leadership and Development (MTLD, or ma-tild, also formerly known as PD's to all you alums out there). Orientation is 10 days long, and then I start professional development with Memphis College Prep on August 1st. My kids arrive on the 22nd.
Life is good.
Memphis is good.
I am good.
God is good. :)
