This is a BIG change! From the mountains of the Himalayas, to the city of Changchun, China!
From the rural, to the city. From the mountains, to the flat lands. From the cool, to the cold. To the very cold!
North of North Korea, south west of Mongolia and east of a sliver of Russia.
I invite you along to this new ride. See new places, and a whole slew of new pictures are coming your way. We won't have our two wheelers, but we might get a tuk-tuk.
Hope to see you!
From the rural, to the city. From the mountains, to the flat lands. From the cool, to the cold. To the very cold!
North of North Korea, south west of Mongolia and east of a sliver of Russia.
I invite you along to this new ride. See new places, and a whole slew of new pictures are coming your way. We won't have our two wheelers, but we might get a tuk-tuk.
Hope to see you!
Where are we going, updated.....
Why the move?
It was time to go. in short. India has provided us with a lot of adventures, but there had been hurdles at the job that proved a bit too problematic for us, so we set off to find new adventures.
Trish is working on getting into a Masters program and her plan is to study and work, doing something, part time. Cassidy will have a big change. Going from an AP and IGSCE based, but very fluffy academically, to an IB curriculum. Tim, I will be teaching art. In a school that has a bit more technology than where I had been, I look forward to being able to integrate it much more than I have been. It will also be a learning experience for me, as I have to learn the ins and outs of teaching IB. Wish Cassidy and I luck. Do me a favor and get in touch with Trish. She will need to be kept busy!
Trish is working on getting into a Masters program and her plan is to study and work, doing something, part time. Cassidy will have a big change. Going from an AP and IGSCE based, but very fluffy academically, to an IB curriculum. Tim, I will be teaching art. In a school that has a bit more technology than where I had been, I look forward to being able to integrate it much more than I have been. It will also be a learning experience for me, as I have to learn the ins and outs of teaching IB. Wish Cassidy and I luck. Do me a favor and get in touch with Trish. She will need to be kept busy!
In case you forgot........
This website/blog is to help our friends and family to keep up with what is going on with us because its bound to be one amazing adventure.
As we have told many of you, and we mean it, if you want to visit India please let us know. We will do what we can to make the trip happen and pleasant as possible. We want to share this with as many as possible and the best way to do that is to come visit, not just read about it.
This website/blog is to help our friends and family to keep up with what is going on with us because its bound to be one amazing adventure.
As we have told many of you, and we mean it, if you want to visit India please let us know. We will do what we can to make the trip happen and pleasant as possible. We want to share this with as many as possible and the best way to do that is to come visit, not just read about it.
Where we have been.....
I know we have told many people we are going to India, and to many that offers little reference. They know its"over there" past Europe in a part of the world most Americans have little context for. So hopefully this helps out with where exactly we will be.
So Pakistan, Nepal and China will be our closest neighbors. We will be about 150-ish miles north of New Delhi, but apparently the roads would make this normally 2 1/2 hour trip in the states closer to 5 hours. If you have ever driven in Costa Rica my impression is that the roads must be similar in nature.
Why are we going?
We are life long learners who are passionate about teaching, and learning, and trying new things. We love to travel and think its one of the single most important things a person (in particular a young adult) can do, so we wanted to merge these passions.
Seeing Trish get her teaching certificate and watching her grow into a very effective teacher did a lot to sway me to considering getting my own teaching certificate. There was also the ability to be on the same schedule as Trish and Cassidy which was very appareling as well. It allowed us a few years at summer camp as a family. Trish running the girls camp, and I running the arts and crafts program, and Cassidy getting the opportunity to run around and swim with great friends all summer.
We knew we wanted to live overseas again. We also knew that a teaching couple runs a greater chance at finding positions it seemed to be a natural fit, so I got my certificate in art, and honestly its pretty exciting because I know how important a good teacher can be. And since I am so passionate about art its enjoyable to share that with students, even if sometimes they think I may be a little bit off.
We wanted Cassidy to live overseas because it was so crucial in our development and we didn't want her to have to wait as long as we did. We both think that its affects can be more important in a developing individual and wanted her to identify as a global citizen.
So with certificates in hand we started to look at schools. Mostly it was me looking in Thailand at first since I love so many things about Thailand, but we had a short list of countries, Thailand, Turkey, India, were all on it. Taking a different tack I put in "Worlds Best Boarding Schools" into google and hit return. Then I read through variety of lists. Most of the schools kept making the variety of lists and honestly many were just not a good fit. They looked awesome for location and facilities, but it just wasn't the kind of environment we would feel comfortable in.
Then came Woodstock. Honestly, between location, and the general vibe from the site, I felt like this was it. It has a holistic approach we agree with. They believe in rigor and the importance of education as well as looking beyond their own school. They work in the local community, they have a sterling reputation and what a location! Wow.
There was an opening for an art teacher, which I applied to, and never heard back, but I kept my eye on the site for the next year, and then a Social Studies opening! Trish has done more in her 6 (or it is 7) years of teaching then many teachers do in their entire lives, so she had to try.
To make a long story short, it was a bumpy ride of expectations and excitement, worry and just when we thought the answer was no, we heard yes! Then a few weeks later an opening for an art teacher came up, and I secured that job. I am not much of one for fate, but it seemed that too many things fell into place to make this happen. It felt right from the get go. That doesn't mean there hasn't been worry, concern, questions, and a crushing feeling that we won't get it all done in time, but it still feels right.
While the reality will be very different, we can't wait to see what is in store for us!
Seeing Trish get her teaching certificate and watching her grow into a very effective teacher did a lot to sway me to considering getting my own teaching certificate. There was also the ability to be on the same schedule as Trish and Cassidy which was very appareling as well. It allowed us a few years at summer camp as a family. Trish running the girls camp, and I running the arts and crafts program, and Cassidy getting the opportunity to run around and swim with great friends all summer.
We knew we wanted to live overseas again. We also knew that a teaching couple runs a greater chance at finding positions it seemed to be a natural fit, so I got my certificate in art, and honestly its pretty exciting because I know how important a good teacher can be. And since I am so passionate about art its enjoyable to share that with students, even if sometimes they think I may be a little bit off.
We wanted Cassidy to live overseas because it was so crucial in our development and we didn't want her to have to wait as long as we did. We both think that its affects can be more important in a developing individual and wanted her to identify as a global citizen.
So with certificates in hand we started to look at schools. Mostly it was me looking in Thailand at first since I love so many things about Thailand, but we had a short list of countries, Thailand, Turkey, India, were all on it. Taking a different tack I put in "Worlds Best Boarding Schools" into google and hit return. Then I read through variety of lists. Most of the schools kept making the variety of lists and honestly many were just not a good fit. They looked awesome for location and facilities, but it just wasn't the kind of environment we would feel comfortable in.
Then came Woodstock. Honestly, between location, and the general vibe from the site, I felt like this was it. It has a holistic approach we agree with. They believe in rigor and the importance of education as well as looking beyond their own school. They work in the local community, they have a sterling reputation and what a location! Wow.
There was an opening for an art teacher, which I applied to, and never heard back, but I kept my eye on the site for the next year, and then a Social Studies opening! Trish has done more in her 6 (or it is 7) years of teaching then many teachers do in their entire lives, so she had to try.
To make a long story short, it was a bumpy ride of expectations and excitement, worry and just when we thought the answer was no, we heard yes! Then a few weeks later an opening for an art teacher came up, and I secured that job. I am not much of one for fate, but it seemed that too many things fell into place to make this happen. It felt right from the get go. That doesn't mean there hasn't been worry, concern, questions, and a crushing feeling that we won't get it all done in time, but it still feels right.
While the reality will be very different, we can't wait to see what is in store for us!