From Sea to Shining Sea

Sea to Shining Sea

This 2014 year has been a busy one for me.  I have checked a few items off my  “bucket list”, achieved a professional goal and made some new friends and colleagues.  It has taken me a lot of years, many mistakes, and missed opportunities but I feel that I’m finally settling in to a good place in my life.  In the months between April and July I traveled to Boston, MA for the NSTA Conference, to San Diego, CA to attend a Honeywell Conference, and to the Texas Gulf Coast for some family time.

A little background.

I went into teaching, not because I wanted to, but because I was in between the proverbial   “rock and a hard place.”  I had a degree in Nuclear Medicine Technology that was suddenly useless, unless I wanted to move across the US to work.  I was a single mom with one child that was about to start college and one starting her freshman year in high school and I was in “a pickle.”  My sister, Judith, is a long time teacher – beginning her 42nd year as a middle school history teacher.  She encouraged me to take my science degree and go into education.  I was living in Arkansas at that time and the Arkansas Department of Education has a program that allows an individual who has a Bachelor’s Degree to apply for a teaching license and obtain their training through workshop hours.  The up side is that you can start teaching immediately (if you can get a school to hire you), and the down side is – most schools don’t want you unless they're desperate to fill a position.  I applied for the program, was accepted, but was not able to get a job.  In order to keep my provisional license I had to sub at least 100 days per year.   That’s a lot of days with low pay.  In order to survive,  I worked multiple jobs on weekends and some nights.  After two years I was finally hired as a certified science teacher (I think they were desperate. LOL)  Once I got the job I made a promise to myself that if I hated teaching or if the students were not learning, I would leave the profession after a couple of years.  That never happened and I’m glad that Judith “twisted my arm” into beginning my teaching career. 

Professional Goal – Boston, MA

 Now to get to my point.  In Arkansas schools teachers are required to complete a yearly professional growth plan.  It is something that you want to accomplish that school year. Early on in my career they were simple – learn to make a Power Point presentation, use Excel – things like that.  Later it was to take a geology course.  As time went by, those goals accomplished, I needed new goals to aspire to.  I wanted to become a respected educator that could pass on information to other teachers that would help them in their classroom.  I needed a platform to do this and in the world of education, this is accomplished mainly through workshops.  But, once again, life intervened and I found myself teaching in Missouri.  The Missouri Department of Education is a bit different than Arkansas and I’m no longer required to complete a professional growth plan, but I decided that I wanted to go ahead and make one – just for myself.  I feel that I owe it to my students and my district to never stop growing as an educator.   Once again I felt the desire to be a workshop “presenter.” I had done some “local” workshops but nothing on a state or regional level.    A colleague, who was on sabbatical, approached me about a presenting with her at an upcoming conference.   We wrote a proposal, submitted it and were chosen to present at a Missouri statewide conference.  Other than a snowstorm that nearly prevented us from getting there on time, everything went well and it was a positive experience.   With that under my belt I was fired up to try for a national conference.  Over the years I have developed a strong networking system and made some great friends at Arkansas State University, Jonesboro.  Through my association with them I was asked to be a co-presenter at the National Science Teachers Association conference in Boston.  It was an amazing experience and I came home once again, fired up to do more presentations.   I have just begun what I hope will be a long and successful endeavor.

Educator Opportunity – San Diego, CA

Late last winter I was alerted to an educator opportunity.  The Honeywell  Corporation sponsors a Green Boot Camp for teachers of mid-level grades.  I love environmental science so I jumped at the chance.  I was chosen to attend and I have to say – this is a conference that all teachers should apply for.  Many of the eco conferences that I’ve attended in the past consisted of a lot of handouts/note taking from PowerPoints and “here’s my e-mail address if you have questions later.”  Boring!  This was not the case at all.  The teachers became the students.  It was all hands-on, and we were presented with activities that we can actually use in our classrooms.  We were treated with respect and that’s something that teachers don’t get enough of.  The trip was fully funded, airfare, a room of your own (I’m used to sharing with 2-4 other teachers), meals, a flash drive with all the lesson plans, activities, power points, etc. ready to use in the classroom.  We were taken on field trips and sight-seeing tours, and fun activities.  I can’t say enough good things about Honeywell and the Green Boot Camp.  There were 70 teachers from 12 countries in attendance and that is a lot of networking opportunity.  We have a Facebook page where we share lessons, ideas, upcoming workshops and camaraderie.   I made friendships with amazing teachers that I hope will last a lifetime.  These are the kind of people that hugged you when we parted and said “If you’re ever in my area of the world, call me and we will show you around.”  It made a lasting impact on me and provided insight as to how workshops and presentations need to run.  It made me more aware of how I could become a better presenter.  Another plus that came about from this trip was a visit from my son and my cousin.  My son, Ryan, lives in the Silverlake area of LA and my cousin, Wayne , lives in West Hollywood.  They drove down and stayed the night in San Diego.  We went to George’s at the Cove at La Jolla for an amazing dinner.  The sun was just setting over the water when we were seated.  It was absolutely beautiful and a memorable experience.

Family Time – Port Aransas, TX

I have 3 grandkids of my own and they are the world to me.  They live in McKinney, TX, which is a 9 hour drive away.  I don’t get to see them very often and they grow so quickly.  My husband and I have always taken a yearly vacation.  We’ve been fortunate to be able to travel within the US from east to west and north to south.  Three years ago I asked my daughter if her family would like to vacation with us.  It would be a chance to kick back and relax and spend time with the kids.  They agreed and we chose Port Aransas, TX which is on Mustang Island as our destination.  It’s an 8 hour drive for them and 16 for us but we usually have more time to spend on the road than they do.  This was our third summer to vacation there and I can’t imagine a beach vacation now without the kids.  I think that when the kids get older they will look back with fond memories of the beach vacations with Nana and Papa.  JC and I love the Texas Gulf Coast.  It’s not as pretty as AL or FL but there’s just something about it that lures us there.  Each year on the drive home we contemplate what it would be like to buy a winter home in one of the harbor towns.  We love Port LaVaca and Rockport and maybe someday we can become a part time resident.

It wasn't an intentional plan to travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific and to the Gulf all in a 4 month period but I’m certainly glad that these opportunities allowed that.  I love life and try to live it to the fullest and hope that I have many more years to enjoy all that it has to offer.