So as many of you know I will be heading down to the Dominican Republic come August and be teaching 4th grade down there. I decided to keep up a blog to record all of my adventures that are sure to come.
I guess I should start with the obvious question that no one dares ask, "Why?" Usually people make changes when they are unsatisfied with their life, but I have a life I would wish only on my favorite people. I absolutely love my job at Will Carleton Academy and honestly believe the time I spent working there were the best years of my life. The teachers are helpful and supportive and the students...my students taught me more about life, love and grace than anyone else has ever done. A very large portion of my heart is wrapped up in that place and I have never loved anything more. So why am I leaving? I'm leaving because I know that it's time.
6 years ago when I was but a wee little senior in high school. I felt a call on my heart to teach abroad. That sounds a little cliche, so I guess I should say it more like studying abroad and speaking fluent Spanish became an unquenchable dream of mine. I knew it was something I needed to pursue, so I decided to double major in both elementary education and Spanish. Fast forward four years and I'm a senior in college looking for a teaching job for the fall. I looked both domestically, but also in Central America. I ended up talking with some people who had worked at Jarabacoa Christian School and they got me in contact with the director. She was in desperate need of teachers then and there were a lot of sleepless nights debating whether I should leave everything and move now.
It ended up being my mom's wise counsel, though that helped me the most. She urged me to teach two years in the United States and get some experience and also pay off my student loans. She even encouraged me to apply at schools in my hometown so that I could live at home and save money by not having to pay rent, or other living expenses. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't at all looking forward to returning to my hometown. I applied at schools simply to humor my mom. My independent self desperately wanted freedom and the thought of returning to Hillsdale felt a lot like eating crow after vowing on several occasions, I was off to see the world.
I had a couple interviews in Hillsdale and the one at Will Carleton Academy went horribly as far as I remember. I prayed that God would give me a sign about whether this was the job for me and after in my opinion completely bombing the interview, I remember sitting on my floor and my dad came in and I distinctly told him I was thankful that God had at least slammed that door shut for me. I ended up getting a call for a second interview and was so shocked. I hate to admit it, but after accepting the job, I didn't feel it would amount to much, it was something to do while I paid off loans and prepared for future jobs where I was more suitable. I am only saying this...because I was wrong....so hopelessly and desperately wrong. The job I thought I was "settling" for became the love of my life and the place I felt most at home.
Loving Will Carleton was both a blessing and curse. I loved being at work and Saturdays and Sundays were my least favorite days. I hated the summer breaks and longed to be back in my classroom. It was a curse, because it made it impossible to leave. My heart was so wrapped up in Will Carleton, that I couldn't believe God would ever want me to leave. In September, though, I began to feel the pull, the subtle realization that it was time. I tried to ignore it, I tried to avoid it, but I truly couldn't. I began to write journal entries, trying to wrestle my feelings, trying to find some loophole; some way to allow me to stay. But in the end after many prayers, I realized that Will Carleton Academy was a gift...a beautiful gift, but it had an expiration date and I had to give it up. My prayers soon changed from "God don't take away Will Carleton"... to "God help me let go." It is a subtle difference but a very big one in my case.
I don't want you to think that I'm dreading the thought of going to the Dominican Republic because it is something I've always longed to do. I'm so excited and would be disappointed if for some reason I couldn't go. I want though with this post for you to understand what led up to this decision. The tears and heartbreak that inevitably comes with the ending of a beautiful chapter, but also the excitement and nervousness as I look ahead toward the next one.
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