My big news! As many of you know, about six months ago I made the decision to leave my current position at KIPP Gaston College Preparatory where I have been teaching Political Science and choir for the last four years. From my emails, Facebook posts, pictures, videos, etc. you can probably tell that I absolutely loved my kids at GCP and my time teaching Political Science. The last four years have been nothing but amazing and I have learned so much in that time. I ended up in the middle of nowhere with a very different culture that I would never have been exposed to had I not been led to GCP……and one that I have deeply fallen in love with since. Additionally, I have met and become friends with people who I will deeply cherish for the rest of my life. My heart has been nothing but overjoyed by the friends, students, and parents that I have had the blessing of working with over the last four years. God truly worked wonders in my life and He has certainly blessed my time in Gaston. So reading all of this, why in the world did I decide to make this my last year? In short, the majority of my decision was around my continued effectiveness in the long term as a teacher under the hours and stress which I was under. While KIPP is truly making strides in making their schools sustainable for teachers, I worry that by the time that they do become truly balanced, I will have burned out…….and it would break my heart to leave a profession I so dearly love when I still have so many years to give. Knowing that, knowing my desire to settle down and hopefully have a family of my own, I made the very difficult decision to leave KIPP this year. My friends at KIPP know they will always have my upmost love, support, and admiration for the amazing work they are doing………and my kids……well they know I will ALWAYS love them and that I would step out in front of a bus for them. While I made my decision back in December, finding a job was a “issue” that would prove much more difficult. Over the last six months I have applied to many different charter, independent, and public schools. My goal in my next teaching position was threefold: sustainability, a strong mission and culture for ALL students and faculty with a clear love, and somewhere where I can be professionally developed so I can continue to hone my teaching skills. Over my search, I have interviewed, visited, and learned about many different schools from North Carolina all the way to Pennsylvania. While the many calls/emails of “sorry….but your not the candidate for us…” were depressing, the opportunity to learn about all of the different schools, missions, and teaching structures was truly amazing…..if not daunting in of itself. As the school year wound down, I continued to try very hard to place my faith in God that He would lead me to where I was supposed to be and that He would take care of me in His time. As you all know, I have little patience and want everything done yesterday (preferably in some type of organized fashion with a checklist if possible ☺)…..so this whole experience was very trying and depressing at times. However, I am thankful for the support of some very special ladies at GCP as well as some close friends who continued to provide me with spiritual “food” and support through this trying time. When school ended last week, I still had no job, but on the last day of school I was emailed about a position in Durham and whether I would be willing to come down and interview. At this point, I really didn’t even get excited (because I have had my share of disappointment this year) but agreed to interview. After a phone conversation and on site series of interviews, I head back home to Maryland on Tuesday of this week into the unknown. Within not even 24 hours (the fastest of ANY school I interviewed with) they called me and offered me a job. I am elated and excited to share with you that I will be taking on the position as 7th Grade Social Studies Teacher at the Duke School in Durham, NC (only a little over an hour from where I currently live in NC). Specifically, my curriculum centers around comparative government and international relations…..LOVE IT! The Duke School is separate from Duke University. Long history short, they were established IN 1947 as the lab school for the college of education at Duke, but then the college decided solely to focus on undergraduate and graduate education back in the 1980s and gave up the school. A group of community members came together to then create an independent organization. The school itself is P3-8. It serves as a leading educational institution both within the Triangle and wider educational community; its teaching methods continue as a model for both public and other independent schools, and its unique child-centered, project-based integrated curriculum continues to adapt to serve a variety of learning styles. They are committed to engaging in the continuing public dialogue to improve education for all children and host conferences and professional developments for teachers from other schools throughout the year. Additionally, their, I mean our mission, is comprised of three pillars that are near and dear to my heart: learner-centered, active inquiry, and bold thinkers. What I an very excited about is that entire curriculum and culture is based around project-based learning, where myself and the other teachers on my team will integrate all of our curriculums around a central project every 8-10 weeks which much is guided by the group of students and their curiosities. During this project period, students work together with their teachers, take field trips, run experiments, produce things, and finally create an end presentation where they share what they have learned……which I am told is “never a boring old PowerPoint”. The building itself is state of the art and less than 5 years old. The architecture of the school was built in mind of the project based environment and is very “green”. All of my students will have laptops and there are several sets of ipads for us as well as a state of the art library and research center. From their website (this sums it up well) The Duke School middle school is a community of learners where teachers are guides and partners with students in a relationship of mutual respect and trust. Parent involvement enhances and strengthens this learning community. Students are challenged to develop superior thinking skills and reach ambitious academic goals, while developing self-confidence and self-reliance. Curiosity and creativity are valued in an atmosphere that celebrates a zest for living and learning. Individual differences are recognized and cherished, while cooperation and a sense of community unite the school. The middle school nurtures an understanding of and appreciation for the arts, assists students in their moral and ethical development, and establishes the notion that students are citizens of a global community for which they share responsibility.The middle school continues the tradition of the Duke School lower school by offering an integrated, developmentally appropriate curriculum, and by applying sound educational practices based on research and the experience of its teachers. Students are actively engaged in an experientially rich, hands-on program of study in classrooms that serves as working models of curriculum design and instructional methods. We are committed to sharing our experiences with the broader educational community and participating in the public dialogue regarding effective middle schools. What I don’t want you to think is that I have sold my teaching soul to the devil. A wise woman, and one of the best teachers I know, once told me that EVERY child needs an excellent teacher. I love my new school because it will continue to help me grow as a teacher (they have a large PD fund that I will be able to, on top of what they already provide, find my own PD across the country and world to attend and they are even sending me to a weeklong one this summer) and those skills are something that I will take with my teaching no matter where I go. Who’s to say that this will be my permanent placement? I will be back to Gaston often to see my “babies” as they continue to grow and learn….and especially as they make their way to the college of their choice. Mom and I found a nice apartment in Durham today and I will be moving next week. Please keep me in your prayers for God’s continued blessings and guidance.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 01:33:47 +0000
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