That's a Wrap!

I did it!! 

Although my usual posts tend to be on the long side, I am going to attempt to make this one short and sweet. Today has been a long day and it brings to a close a long month which followed a long month (and year) before that. Needless to say, I am a bit tired and ready for a break. Luckily for me, today brought with it my very last class as a graduate student and I can officially say that I earned a Masters of Education degree in Educational Leadership and will soon possess a “Type B” administrative certificate. This past year was challenging and trying, but today allowed me to reap the benefits of my long year of study! Congratulations to the other 20 members of “C9” (the 9th cohort to pass through this program), it has been my pleasure to study alongside you and I wish you all luck in your future endeavors!! 

Landing in Juneau

In looking back on this journey, I was overcome with an unstoppable stream of memories from the past four years, but specifically memories of my first trip to Alaska and what that looked like. It wasn’t until I was driving down the road today that it really hit me that I’m leaving and closing out this chapter of my life. I had just recently been telling people that I didn’t think it would hit me until August when I don’t return home to my village. However, today I had the emotional release that was a long time coming. Granted, I was in the car with Caitlin and Emily so I didn’t let loose too many tears. Throughout the afternoon and into the evening though, I continued to be struck here and there with little thoughts and memories. What a wild ride it has been! 

Jason's wedding<3

As I finish packing, I look forward to the journey awaiting me in the lower 48. I got a brief taste of home when I made a whirlwind trip to the east coast to attend my brother's wedding last week. I loved seeing family and friends whom I had not seen in over a year. Another exciting thing is that Sam and I just signed a lease on an apartment near Hershey, Pennsylvania and I am so excited to make it feel like home. Our wedding is also coming up quickly and I look forward to celebrating with my family and friends. Shortly after signing the lease yesterday, I got an email notification that my PA teaching certs had finally been granted, and again another puzzle piece fell into place! 

See you later Juneau!

What comes next for me in terms of a job, I don’t really know. As the school year approaches, I feel more and more drawn to subbing for a year or even taking a year to work outside of the classroom. These four years of teaching have meant so much to me and I have grown and learned and have loved so many students. However, I feel that I need to spend some time re-focusing my passions and figuring out what that means for my future. I would love to be in and out of different classrooms in nearby districts throughout the year in order to get back into the lower 48 teaching system and to become familiar with the PA system. Could I jump right into a classroom? Sure, and maybe I will, but I’ve pushed and pushed and pushed myself for what seems like forever and I would love to give my body and brain a rest by easing back into things. Maybe that’s just tired thoughts talking, but these thoughts have been on my mind a lot recently so I felt getting them down on (digital) paper would be helpful in the re-focusing process. If you stick with me in my future posts, maybe I'll figure out just what I really want to be when I grow up;) 

I didn’t feel right leaving Alaska without one more post, and I do promise that I will try to keep up with my blog, but be patient with me as I make this big transition. To you my readers, I thank you for your continued presence and support in my life. Much love to you all, and I am so looking forward to seeing many of you in the coming weeks and months!