London Calling

This adventure that is my life has just taken a weird turn. I have two new options, neither of which I expected or even thought were possible. The first one is the possibility of being awarded a fellowship in Ireland. Dublin City University has 5 Education Fellowships open with one of them calling for an expertise in Literacy Education. It would entail me working at the University with local student teachers and beginning teachers. I would be teaching in small groups, observing lessons, and doing other things to support early support teachers (ECT). I have applied formally and am now looking at making sure my credentials are recognized by the Irish Teaching Council. I never thought I would be able to teach in Ireland because all primary teachers need to be able to teach/speak Irish Gaelic. One of the fellowships does have this as a requirement but not the literacy one. I'm excited about this possibility and hope to hear something by the middle of January. The second twist involves ...

It has been a minute since I've written in this blog so I thought I would catch you up on what has been going on in my life. The answer is somewhat bleak and can be summed up in two little words: not much. Because of my situation at work, I have been at a standstill for what seems like years although in reality has been only a few months. Combined with not resolving my car situation, I feel like I've been stranded on a deserted island with no hope of rescue on the horizon. I've felt isolated, alienated, and abandoned with brief spots of respite through time spent with family and friends.  However, I wouldn't say I've been depressed the whole time. Having a goal in mind has helped, and I've spent a lot of time focusing on my future. One good thing that I found out is that my official retirement date is two months earlier than I thought. I have let my district know that I can retire on March 14th instead of the middle of May. I double checked with the retirement s...