Embarking on the Adventure of a Lifetime

Month: May 2016

The first step to any adventure is to find the direction in which one wishes to travel. Translate this to — I needed to know where my next job would be before I could make concrete plans on how to get there.

In collaboration with my husband Greg, I went on a nationwide search for that perfect “next position.” Since I already have a GREAT job, with a GREAT team, in a GREAT district, it was easy to be picky. My quest felt more like it was about what I would learn next, and who I would learn it from.

After applying in 4 different states, in multiple districts, and interviewing both formally and informally with people about 25+ different times, it became easier to talk about my skills, my passions, and my desire to help all students succeed. That translates to 24+ times of “no thank you.” After the first 4 or 5 times it became apparent on a visceral level that the next J.O.B. really IS all about the fit.

Going forward with this insight, it became more important for me to re-focus on who I would be working for and what their priorities were in order to make an informed decision about whether I would truly enjoy working for and learning from them.

Please note — while location was somewhat a factor — Greg and I had prepared ourselves to relocate if necessary in order to take advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves.

In interviewing with the district that eventually picked me (and we picked them), I noticed that some of the things we thought were important, became less of a priority when focused on the who and the what. Things like, “I only want to work somewhere that has a Costco,” and ” We only want to go somewhere where we can….” became inconsequential to, “WOW! Look at the things we will get to do differently!” and “WOW! This is the adventure and opportunity of a lifetime!”

And that is how it came to be that next school year Greg and I will be in Kipnuk, Alaska and I will be working for the Lower Kuskokwim School District as an Assistant Site Director.

This is my very first post. The title “Getting Started,” is inspired by all the tasks at hand that need to happen before we can even take off on our Alaska Journey. Some of the things we have been up to are:

Securing Employment — more on that process later

Selling our home — what a good time to sell in the Seattle area

Freeing ourselves of worldly goods and possessions — another post at another time

Wrapping up our current careers with gracious professionalism — sometimes easier said than done

Starting a blog…..

Each of these items represents a profound shift in our universe and will be explored more deeply in subsequent posts.