China!

I received word this morning that I’ve been chosen as one of three teachers to participate in the Cultural Exploration of Greater China program!!! I couldn’t be more delighted! I will probably be speaking in exclamation points all day!

I am so grateful to the folks with the CE foundation, who took great care in getting to know me, in clarifying with me what my goals are, and in ensuring that we were a good match for each other. I’m glad we are, and I can’t wait to get started on this journey!

I use the word journey because from the start, this has been more than simply a trip or, goodness forbid, a vacation. This will be a powerful opportunity for my students and colleagues to travel across the globe with me. I am so proud to be an ambassador of Wildwood Elementary School, and, by extension, of Seattle University’s MIT program and AmeriCorps.

This will be a whirlwind ride. One of the CE interview questions that stuck with me the most was “How do you know you won’t get burnt out?” It’s a completely valid question, because it’s one people have been asking me since I was 13 years old. I recognize that I’m an extremely busy person. However, my time in AmeriCorps and at Seattle University has helped develop my ability to reflect. I know when I’m overbooked. I know when I’m misusing my energy on something I’m not passionate about. I know when I need to take a break. I’m even working on saying “no,” and I believe I’m much improved.

I owe tremendous thank yous to all the folks at the CE foundation. They are an extremely focused, well-organized group of people, and their dedication to their program is very apparent. I also need to thank Jenna Brown and Barb Burn, who gave insights to the CE members as to who I am as a person and as an educator. And of course, I need to thank my 24 third graders, who have been keeping their fingers crossed for the past month or so. I’m so excited! Let’s travel together!

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