I had a lovely summer vacation. I visited six different
cities, spent some great quality time with my sisters, attended two
professional development workshops, found a wedding dress, visited with friends
and family, ate a lot of ice cream, and drank more than my fair share of wine.
When it came time to return to Ecuador, we crammed our suitcases full with all
the delicacies and various baubles we could gather. You would think we were
preparing for a space mission to Mars, or were headed deep into the heart of
the Congo the way we frantically grabbed razors, M&Ms, wing sauce, brooms,
books, and cosmetics from the drugstore shelves to bring back with us. Surely,
much of these items are available (in some version or other) where we live, but
the quality is low and the price is about a 100% markup. So, we seized the
opportunity to take everything we can.
I did feel relieved to be home in Quito, finally done with
traveling and visiting, and done with the endless suitcase shuffle. And I’m
aware of a pervading calm and happiness I feel towards starting this new year.
I don’t think I ever realized until now, that last year was actually pretty
stressful on me. It’s only now, in the absence of anxiety and ignorance that I
realize how much easier this year will be by comparison. We have a fully
operational and even cozy apartment, we know how to buy food and get around
town, I have a clearly defined role at work, and I can even speak a little
Spanish.
I am excited to have some more responsibilities at work this
year. In addition to being the reading interventionist for Grades 3 through 5,
I will also be responsible for analyzing MAP reading and language data and
teaching teachers how to best use this data to guide their instruction. This
makes my inner geek happy. And an even bigger and more exciting role I’m taking
on is that of accreditation coordinator, where I will get to play an integral
role in completing our school’s self-study – this first step towards continuing
accreditation. And of course, I’ll be coaching the swim team again. Truly some
new experiences and challenges for me and I couldn’t be more ready to take them
on.
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