Summer of...

-ME
-Moving
-New Perspectives
-New Adventures

In April, I attended the Texas Librarian Association conference and my word of the year came to me several times in several ways. Perspective.
Perspective- a mental view or prospect.
Let me back up.. my word this year was Seek. You can check out my blog here about that.  I sought after a ton of things... and I think that I grew.

At the beginning of May I made myself a summer bucket list.  I am a planner. I like to know what is coming. I like to be prepared. I created a summer bucket list of all the things that I wanted to do, but I wanted to really focus on ME.  This is the first summer in 3 years that I have not had grad work, a summer job.. or anything really. SO I THOUGHT.

In the middle of May, my husband and I ended up having an opportunity to move to a bigger house.. with a POOL! This was NOT on my summer bucket list! We had lived at 1025 for 13 years. We officially moved last week.  It also proved that I am a Terrible packer! Oh the boxes.. oh the dust.. oh the amount of stuff we had accumulated over the 13 years.  My husband reminded me that it only took him 2 days to put together our house when we first moved in 13 years ago.. but I reminded him that we came from a one bedroom apartment.
My perspective changed for several reasons.. the new view that we have.. and the new home that we are making with new traditions.

My perspective is about to change again.

For the past 16 years I have been in elementary education.
-When I first started teaching I taught at Rolling Hills Elementary School.  My first year I was almost on an internship.. as I didn't do my student teaching (I had all of my education college credit, but went through a different program) Although I chose Rolling Hills.. they were the only one who would give me an interview. I loved it.. and taught there for 3 years as a PPCD teacher.
-William and I moved to Irving and I began at Farine Elementary as a PDD teacher It was the first one that gave me a job.  There was a reorganization of the special education department so I was displaced and was moved to Stipes Elementary.
-I LOVED Stipes.  I did not choose it.. but I am glad that I spent a large portion of my career there. While at Stipes I taught first grade and then opened the LIFE unit.
-3 days before school started in 2011.. I moved to Elliott Elementary.  Elliott has been my home for the last 7 years and I am so forever grateful for the family that I have grown there.  I moved to Elliott because at the time it was what was best for some students of mine. (side note- growing up in Canyon, Texas our mascot was the Eagles.. Elliott Elementary is also the Eagles) At Elliott I was the LIFE teacher, the Instructional Technology Specialist and the Librarian.

Each one of these schools helped grow me into the educator that I am today.   Each teacher that I have come in contact with and each administrator that I have worked under has taught me something.

2 weeks ago, I did something for myself.  I applied for a middle school librarian position. When going through my MLS, I knew that I was interested in being a middle school or high school librarian because of the programming and books that are available.  This is the biggest leap I have ever  made in my career.

"There are times to stay put, and what you want will come to you, and there are times to go out into the world and find such a thing for yourself."
-Lemony Snicket

My summer bucket list has changed.. my perspective has changed.. but I did something for ME.
I am now a middle school librarian!
There is so much for me to learn.. and so much for me to do.. and so much more packing and moving.  I can't wait to see where this new adventure leads.

One of the last questions that I was asked in my interview was a philosophical one. I was asked how do you see yourself in a life of a student.  You know I am about words.. and although I have a word of the year each year.. Believe is ALWAYS my word.
My answer: I want a student to know that I believe in them.  I don't know what kind of journey each student is taking. Each student and person has a story, and I want them to know that I believe in them.

"Wherever we are, it is but a stage on the way to somewhere else, and whatever we do, however well we do it, it is only preparation to do something else that shall be different."
-Robert Louis Stevenson

I shed a few tears as I packed my office.. and said my goodbyes. But I am forever grateful that each person that has been put in my path to help me grow as a person, an educator and as a librarian.  I hope that every person knows how important they are to me from friendship to mentorship.. I wouldn't be where I am today without their love and support. I also hope that I never stop growing, wondering, and trying to be better.

Remember how I said that growing up our mascot was the Eagles... our colors were purple and white.  I am now a PROUD Lamar Lion.. whose colors are Purple and White!

So excited about new PERSPECTIVES!