I have been sitting on this news for a while, trying to figure out how to best describe the changes that are about to take place in my life. This is not just a post, but a story, a reflection about the paths and journeys life sometimes takes us on.
I’ve always been one with goals, long and short term, wide and varied. I have professional goals, educational goals, personal and physical goals. I am about experience, learning, and exploring the world, from every angle possible. In setting these goals, I have also learned to listen to that inner voice inside that tugs at my heartstrings.
Living abroad for the first time when I was 21 was an experience that changed my life. I learned so much about myself, grew in many ways, and continued to cultivate my love for travel and new cultures. For the last couple years, I have felt the pull to move abroad again. My wanderlust continues to grow all the time, and this pull grew stronger with each day.
In November of 2015, I applied for the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching (DAT) Grant. This grant, sponsored by the US Department of State and administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE), allows teachers to spend 3-6 months abroad conducting project research on an area of interest, work with local schools, and develop partnerships with their host countries (these, however, are just a few of the highlights of the program. For more information, visit the Fulbright website). It is a high honor to receive this grant, as only 43 teachers in the US were awarded the grant this year.
In April 2016, I learned that I had received the Fulbright DAT grant, and I have been living in Finland for the last 6 months researching STEM and science inquiry while learning about the Finnish education system. I left Colorado in December knowing where I would live the next next 6 months, but not knowing what would be endured. I decided to move out of my house, put everything in storage, and put all my energy into this opportunity to live in Finland.
An opportunity that has been more than words can describe, this only fed my love for living abroad and exploring a new culture. I have always thought of Germany as my “second home”, but now I can see that “home” is that place that you’ve formed a connection with, a place that tugs at your heartstrings.
Through people, experiences, and the learning that has taken place, I grew to call Finland my home. While my stay here has come to an end, my time here is not complete. Finland has made its way into my heart, and I have many people here making sure I will come back.
For the last 4 years, I have been working at Colorado STEM Academy, a school just outside of Denver, Colorado. I had the amazing opportunity to be a part of the original staff that opened the school 4 years ago. To build a school from ground up is something unique to be a part of, and the trials and tribulations, struggles and successes we have endured have made me a better educator and a stronger person. I had the opportunity to work with one of the best staffs in my teaching career, who I learned from each and every day, who have helped shape me as an educator. I attribute some of the opportunities I have had to this working at school, a school that has developed my own learning. It is this school that fed my interest in technology education, as I coincidentally began my Master’s Degree in Educational Technology and Leadership from George Washington University the same year we opened CSA. Being in a STEM school, I was able to directly apply my skills in my teaching, and explore interests such as 3D printing and programming. The more I learned, the more I wanted to know. Teaching at CSA led me down the path of applying for the Fulbright DAT grant, which would allow me to further research STEM education and science inquiry, two of my passions in education.
Things tend to circle back around for me, and connections have been at the forefront of my reflections for quite some time. One of my favorite things in life is connecting with people from all capacities, and I am proud to have friends from all walks of life. As a traveler, I value not only seeing new places, but meeting new people and hearing their stories.
13 years ago, I packed up my bags and moved to Frankfurt, Germany to begin my first teaching job as a second grade teacher at the Internationale Schule Frankfurt (ISF). I love to tell this story, often in job interviews, because it is a little bit crazy. At the end of the summer of 2004, I got an unexpected call from the director of the school in Frankfurt who informed me one of the second grade teachers had backed out of the job, and they needed a replacement ASAP. 6 days later, I was on a plane to Frankfurt. I arrived on a Thursday, visited the school on Friday, and began teaching the following Monday. Talk about a whirlwind!
While I only stayed at the school for 2 years, that time taught me a lot about myself. I worked with some great people and made friends from all over the world. Mary Wenstrom was one of those people. Mary and I got along right off the bat. Her great sense of humor, love for her students, and way of connecting with people and making them feel valued drew me to her. We had some great memories from those two years, including traveling to Paris to see Jack Johnson (one of my musical highlights!) and running around Egypt for a week exploring deserts and seas and historical monuments.
“Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.” ~Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
Who would have thought that 13 years later, we’d circle back around with the opportunity to work together again. After working at ISF, Mary went on to work at other international schools and cultivated a dream to open up her own international school, which happened to be, you guessed it, back in Germany. A couple of months ago, she contacted me with an offer to work at her school as a primary math/science teacher. I was initially torn. This was not the timing I had initially intended for my move abroad.
Mary and I made plans to talk on the phone more about her school, and the position, and I will never forget her opening words after she had showed her colleague my digital portfolio/resume: “What can we do to get you to come work at our school?” As she told me about International School Campus (ISC), which is just outside of Hamburg, her vision for education, and goals for the future, I kept thinking “Wow. She is speaking my language.” She suggested I come for a visit after my conference in Berlin, and a couple weeks later I was setting foot in ISC.
When I walked through the doors of the school, I thought, “This feels like home.” As I walked around the school, met students, staff, and parents, I was blown away. Wandering through the halls, inspirational quotes and high quality student work were carefully placed to create a feeling of excellence, welcoming, calm, and learning. I remember thinking how incredible this was- the school had only been open for about 7 months!
I remember being initially torn about the decision, but this quote popped up on my Instagram feed, and the gnawing feeling that this was the right move became even stronger. So much learning and growing had taken place already, and I was ready to share it in ways that this school would make possible. Eager to share and learn with this new school was an opportunity I could not pass up. What was equally exciting was the opportunity to share my Fulbright project with not just two countries (US and Finland), but three! Bridging partnerships with the US, Finland and Germany, AND our world’s oceans, is the start of a dream come true.
I have learned a few things about this process, about myself, and about leadership.
Value people. It doesn’t take much to make your employees feel valued. And yes, value is one of the smallest things with the greatest impact.
Invest in your people: I came across another interesting quote the other day, which made me think of the mentality of my former school and future schools. It is important to invest not only in the interests of the schools, but also the personal interests of the educators. I know this from working with my students. How much more engagement I saw when they got to work with their passions and explore their own interests. How would investing in our educators affect our schools? What does that investment look like?
Listen to that inner voice. I have often found myself pushing it aside, or ignoring it until it comes back up ten-fold. Over the past few years I have gotten better at taking time, reflecting, and listening to that inner voice.
I am excited for this new journey, and looking forward to turning the page to the next chapter of life.
