Ready, Set, Grow . . .

Three months ago I was feeling stuck. Stuck in a rut at work, stuck in my hometown, stuck wondering when I would finally must the courage to chase my dreams. In my journal, I penned a list of resolutions I wanted to accomplish in 2020. Then, I decided to change my mindset. What if, instead of resolutions, I set intentions for the New Year? The semantics may seem insignificant, but to me it made all the difference. Having intentions meant I WOULD accomplish them, rather than just resolve to try. The theme of this journal entry was “Growth & Gratitude.” The first intention on the list? “Challenge myself: new places, new things, new experiences.” When I wrote it, I intended to see it through. Little did I know just how it would unfold within a matter of months.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. I adore the students I teach, and all the ones I’ve had the privilege to teach the past four years. 8th grade was never my dream, but it quickly became just that as soon as I started. My students and coworkers are a family. Everyone says that, I know. But it’s actually our school’s mantra. We promise to love each other, care for each other, and support each other like an actual family. Our other promise? That every student will graduate high school and achieve their dreams. We even have students “declare” their dreams and present them every year. Even the kindergartners do it! No dream is too small, and we work tirelessly to make them happen for each member of our family.

Four years and four “Dream Declarations” later, I was struggling to even envision my own dreams. Feelings of fatigue and frustration, a longing for a different life weighed on me for months. I even considered quitting teaching all together. I wanted to help people and impact my community, but was this the best way? Was it really for me? It’s challenging to imagine yourself accomplishing anything else than what you’ve worked your entire life to become. I’m a teacher, I love my school, I’m comfortable. But what’s missing?

Lucky for me, I am blessed with two incredible friends who shared in my struggle. We were there to support each other through the long days and sometimes thankless moments. We began to push one another to persevere, to think bigger, to dream. What we didn’t realize was that we all shared a common dream, one that had laid dormant inside each of us for many years. Clouded by fear and missed opportunities. That dream? To teach abroad.

Once this realization dawned on us, the rest was easy. We asked ourselves “If we push our students every day to dream, what is stopping us from doing the same?“

Now here I am, just two months into 2020, challenging myself to grow in the best way possible. Tomorrow I begin an online class to become certified to teach English as a foreign language and will be pursuing the adventure of a lifetime with my closest friends. In just 5 short months, we will be picking up the only lives we’ve known and moving from Colorado to Barcelona, Spain. And all I can think is “Why didn’t I do this sooner?“

What took me far too long to realize was that combining my love for education, community, culture, and travel was the dream I didn’t know I had. And what better way to honor that dream than to completely dedicate to it. Thus, the blog is born. Count it as one of many new challenges and experiences I intend to bring to fruition this year.

So, here it is, a look inside my journey along the path to achieve my dream and find my place in this world. Stay tuned for even more dreams, challenges, and most of all more growth and gratitude. Cheers!

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