Albany, Georgia. It's not really a gem of a place when you google it. It's definitely not a place I ever imagined calling home when I received an email 6 years ago. In fact, it took a couple of emails and a free lunch to get me to even consider the opportunity laid out for me... Well that and the looming anxiety of student loan debt and the fact that it was June and I was still a waitress with a Master's degree.
Reluctantly, I accepted my first full time job at Deerfield Windsor School and was not exactly thrilled about teaching middle grades. I can now admit that I really didn't have a clue what I was doing.
What an adjustment. I graduated high school with 850 people and I was now working at a school that had less than that K4-12. Students actually liked being there. The very first thing alumni did when home from college was visit their teachers, coaches, and even administrators. I don't think my high school administrator even knew my name? Maybe that was a good thing...
Flash forward to where this blog started and now I'm back on track...
Not sure how I got so lucky to work at a place that has helped me to travel and broaden my cultural knowledge, but each year that goes by, I feel more and more grateful to call myself a Deerfield Windsor Knight. Although the city is not a bustling metropolis built for a young single gal from the suburbs of Atlanta, the community that has embraced me is second to none.
Last year, after year 5 of teaching, I was awarded a scholarship through AATSP and the National Spanish Exam to study abroad at the University of Costa Rica. With the help of our outstanding professional development grant at DWS, I was able to live out this experience free from much financial stress. Although my experience was wonderful, classes were super, and I made some great friends, I have to admit it was exhausting being a student again on what is meant to be a teacher's time to relax and recharge for the new school year.
This past April, just a few weeks before Spring Break, our baseball coach came to me (literally during one of my classes) to ask if I had plans for our upcoming time off. "Come to the Dominican with us", he said. My initial thoughts were, "you're joking, right?", but no more than 5 minutes later, I had agreed, no questions asked.
It wasn't until that evening that I realized I'd been praying for an opportunity to serve the Lord using my language skills. (Side note: this little town of Albany, GA known for its crime and violence is ironically the first place in my life I've experienced and truly believed in the love of God and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. SHOUT OUT TO PROVIDENCE CHURCH AND JASON SPEARS AMONGST OTHERS). I'd never been on a mission trip, but felt moved by my church's trips to Haiti, only wishing it were a Spanish speaking country where I could feel most useful. Needless to say, it was another unforgettable experience and a blessing I wouldn't have had without my DWS family.
Now, I'm one week away from a three week trip to Spain that again wasn't supposed to happen. Unforeseen circumstances opened up a spot for me to travel with four of our kids and SPI to Madrid and San Sebastián, Spain.
Are there times that I wonder what the heck I am still doing here? Of course! But I can say that it is no accident that I am right where I am.
Delightful as usual....so proud of you, and God has you right where you are suppose to be!
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