The purpose of this blog is to share with you my journey. I left my hometown of Seattle, Washington in January 2006 having no idea where my life was going. After some time I came to the conclusion that I wanted to become a teacher. It had always been lying in the back of my mind, and I had done some ESL tutoring but really, I became a teacher rather quickly. I began my Alternative Certification Program in May 2007 and landed a job and began working as a teacher by August 2007. Unfortunately, the downside to the ACP program is that you do not get to spend a lot of time in the classroom before you have your own. Lets just say that it has been a long road but I am finally starting to get the hang of it.
In November of 2007, I had the option of staying in Pearland for an in service day. Boring! I chose instead to attend the Middle School Conference at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston. I met Sally Jo Gordon and her husband Bob at their Search Associates booth. Sally told me about how her first time teaching abroad was in Iran. The revolution set off in 1989 and she witnessed the entire thing. After she told me this story with excitement and enthusiasm I thought, "I want to do that". Here I go!
This fall I signed up with Search Associates. Basically I created a resume and profile including recommendations from co-workers, former parents and administrators. I also decided set off to Cambridge, Mass. for a job fair Search Associates puts on annually where International School headmasters go to find qualified teachers. The lucky teachers offered positions sign two year contracts (some extend the contracts). The fair was unlike any experience I had before. First off, there were a number of married people all over the place and they made me a bit pissed off. Usually a school will hire a married couple over single candidates because it is "cheaper" to say the least. Sally warned us that it would be a bit competitive. With the economy the way that it is around the world, EVERYONE was searching high and low for jobs. This year proved to be really competitive. Sally also told us that you do not usually find a job at a fair but the contacts and connections you make are priceless! My goal was to keep away from the European schools since I have lived in France and Czech Republic and try to find a job in Asia (Taiwan, China or Japan preferably) or the Middle East/North Africa/South Asia (my dream). Having just come off my Slumdog Millionaire high, I thought that it would be awesome to work in India. However, Search Associates always stresses that we remain "open minded" and not focus on one particular country. I tried to begin this process with an open mind and fixate on a particular school or country (sort of like my love life:)!
I loved meeting Sally! She remembered me from the Houston conference. She loved my energy and handbag. I nervously but confidently interviewed with the American School of Moscow and a Catholic school who's name I still can't pronounce in Bangkok, Thailand. Let's just say, I feel into the average category of those who did not find a job at the fair.
Here is what I learned at the Cambridge Job Fair: Boston is freezing in the winter (it was 12 degrees), the Charles River can freeze over, MIT is huge and its buildings offer some amazing a architecture, Sally is amazing, give a teacher or a headmaster a drink and you can have a good time, it is possible to make it through a job fair sober, the movie Twilight was made for 13 year old girls, and international teachers no matter their age are amazing, adventurous and extremely supportive of one another! What an amazing weekend!
While I was in the lobby at the Cambridge fair, I saw a job posting on the Search Associates site for an opening at a girl's academy in Dubai. What would make a girl interested in such a position you ask? First, I have always dreamed of living and traveling to the Middle East. Second, while I studied abroad in France my junior year of high school, I studies in a class with only girls. The experience was priceless and I learned the benefits of learning in an environment where you are not worrying about the boy sitting next to you. I strongly believe that in most cases seperating the genders is key at the secondary level.
The weekend after Cambridge, I returned to Houston and John came to visit. The headmaster of the school requested a phone interview that weekend. We talked for over an hour which is always a good sign. I had a follow up interview, passed my History grades 8-12 exam and was offered the position Monday, March 9, 2009. Woo hoo! Awesomeness!
What does this all mean?
This August (2009) I will be flying to Dubai. This is going to be interesting folks because Ramadan will be taking place (a month in which Muslims fast). School instruction begins in September. I will be teaching in Dubai for two years. I will be teaching High School history courses in World History along with a section of Sociology. I will live in an apartment in the same building as the other teachers. I will visit Seattle in the summer time.
Right now, this whole thing is still setting in. I am SO SO SO excited to be traveling again and living abroad. I have checked out a few books on Dubai from the library and have begun reading about the Middle East, Islam and I will start teaching myself Arabic shortly.
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