Apologies for getting less philosophical and more down to business but as we're approaching the end of these 70 weeks I should update you on the logistical aspects of the options that seem to be appearing for my next phase of life.
As I've said before, I feel called to go back to the Midwest- IL/WI to teach but circumstances changed where I felt that, in the first time in a long time, it didn't have to be now- I could take another year or two somewhere else. Between my mother's somewhat improved health and potential future plans developing for starting a school down the road, I felt led, especially after attending a behavior analysis conference where I saw some amazing research on instructional design, to consider dedicating more years to learning rather than serving. Granted, I'm always serving, but as I've said, these years on the East Coast are focused on learning skills to be a better teacher rather than making a difference in kid's lives. Not that what I'm doing isn't impactual, it's just that the kids I work with are getting pretty much the same level of treatment/instruction whether I'm there or not because they're in a great program while this isn't necessarily the case for kids in the public schools where they don't have access to behavioral technology if there aren't behavior analysts in their district/acting as their teachers.
So, I've learned a lot out here but primarily in dealing with problem behavior and less in terms of instruction- especially how to teach large groups of more typically developing kids. So, there's a school in Seattle- my dream school that I had been in love with long before I even heard about the school where I'm working now- would be a good option because it's focus is on all of the types of instructional methods that I would like to learn more about. My mother loves this idea because she wants me to try out the west coast and honestly, I think I'm a west coast girl in my soul.
Thing is, I know I'm called back to Chicago and I honestly don't want to spend just a year somewhere where I know no one and go a year without much of community because by the time I develop it, it will be time to leave. And how much do I need to go all the way to Seattle to learn these things I feel are lacking? How much do I need another learning year and is it more time to serve students and just jump in with both feet? Something to pray about and I think I will at least apply to the school in Seattle as well as back in the Midwest.
I have a friend who likes to say that the direction he is headed is West even though he's going geographically East because "West" refers to moving toward God.
Well, being on the east coast, regardless of where I decide to move- home or Seattle, at least I know the direction is West- spiritually and geographically.
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