I'm moving... but not where you might think

I'm going to arrange this by FAQ, I think just so it's clear.

You're not going to Korea anymore?

True. Korea is no longer my destination of choice.

Why not? What changed?

Some time ago, really about a month, I made the decision. My sister announced that she was engaged and I decided that that was the perfect excuse to stay close to home. I didn't want to be 8,000 miles from my family when she was planning her wedding nor did I want to be in a place where your employer makes it near impossible for you to get away for a vacation. Or you know, I didn't want to drop the $2,000 on a plane ticket to go home for a brief time.

Upon further deliberation, however, I realized that I had been feeling less and less excited about the prospect of living there. Not because it's not a terribly cool place, but because the change I desired did not have to be quite so earth-shatteringly drastic. I could move somewhere in the U.S. and feel the same euphoric effects.

Did you want to come back to your current school?

Initially, I went to my administrative team at school and informed them of my sudden change of heart. Their response was obvious elation, although subsequent meetings left me less hopeful. I wanted to teach more science, or perhaps even geography, but it became rapidly evident that those positions were not available to me. Geography had shifted toward history and that made me less qualified. No science positions were opening up aside from the one I already held.

Math was offered to me but you know what? I hate math. Well, I don't mind it. But I certainly don't love it enough to make a career of it. Kids deserve a teacher who can make it exciting for them. I simply can't. There was a moment's excitement between two of my former houseparenting team that we might be able to live together and houseparent together. But ultimately that's only part of the whole package.

If NCS doesn't have anything, then what?

So I began my search. I reactivated my Carney Sandoe & Associates account, as this firm had provided me with a referral for my current and last job. Within a week they'd sent me 40 or so schools looking for someone just like me. A middle school teacher with 2-5 years teaching experience gets a lot more referrals than a wannabe middle school teacher with no regular classroom experience. Yay! But I entered late in the game so I wasn't feeling particularly confident about it all. Some schools piqued my interest and I sent out what felt like eleventy-billion cover letters.

A week or so later I got an e-mail from my Carney Sandoe rep who gave me a heads up that I'd be called by the head of the middle school in a school in Saint Louis, MO. My first instinct was "Nooooo! I didn't list St. Louis in my geographical locations of choice!" But lo and behold I received a phone call by a very enthusiastic and insistent head of middle school and we began talking. He talked about the school and how great it is. Then he convinced me to fly down and see the school as soon as possible. Somehow, I found myself agreeing.

Did you interview anywhere else?

I did. I interviewed at a school on the North Shore in Massachusetts. It was a great interview! Nice school... great people. I was very impressed when I left.

Well what happened?

Shortly afterward I went to Saint Louis and I fell in love. Every single person I met was warm and made me feel completely at ease. The city was beautiful and tree-covered, filled with adorable restaurants with umbrellas and terraces. The middle school head welcomed me into his home just hours after meeting me. I ate dinner with science teachers. They were incredibly hospitable.

But the school was just remarkable. Expansive science labs with the latest in learning technology, gender separated classes of just 15 or so kids, curriculum IT support, extensive professional development. If hired, they would pay for me to attend Washington University for grad school... or wherever else I might be interested in studying.

My interview went remarkably well, so well that when I finally met with the head of all three divisions of the school, she extended me a job offer and a salary that is astoundingly high for a city that is so very affordable. Understanding what an amazing opportunity this was, I seized it.

THUS, that brings me to the present. I am planning to move to Saint Louis around August 1st. If anyone wants to come on a roadtrip with me... PLEASE... let me know! It would be fun. I figure I'll get a trailer hitch and a mini u-haul trailer and drive 55 all the way there.

And if you want to come and party let me know!