My Road to Teaching

The first of many steps on my road to teaching was just recently taken. I was informed of my acceptance into Concordia University's Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program! I am very excited about this tangible step into the future. Since graduating from SPU almost three years ago, it seemed as though only ideas and thoughts have been passing through my mind. This acceptance letter represents something much more concrete about my future.

I am the leader of my family. So, naturally, I have been thinking, planning, and preparing for the next 50 years. It sounds like a big responsibility. It is.

Wondering where I will be working once we start having kids has been on my mind since I got engaged. Going back and forth between a variety of options, my imagination has offered me many different careers: biology research, social research, teaching, pastoring, marriage and family therapy, and even thoughts of retail management.

Moving down to Portland without a plan was certainly risky, but Jen and I just let life play out. God's answer to our prayers at the time was, Just wait. I searched for a job for a short while and my first interview was with the YMCA. I took the job that I knew I would enjoy, since I love kids, but I didn't know if it would blossom into anything else.

Lo and behold, I grew to be comfortable in the position and knew that my God-given gifts were perfect for managing those little rascals. After a while, I was certain that I wanted to be a teacher for the rest of my life. God answered our prayers with a, Yes. Go there.

I still have a lot of work to do: Volunteer in some classrooms, study and take a couple more required tests, and prepare in various ways to go back to school full-time. It's going to be awesome. June can't come soon enough. I just hope and pray that God will continue to work through me to be a role model that kids will look to for stability, wisdom, and fun.