Still on west coast time...

So for the summer, this blog will focus more on school leadership as I am going to Columbia Teachers College for grad school. Six weeks this summer, a research project during the school year (pretty sure this will require more excel and less poster board), six weeks next summer and then a final (smaller) project to end things by the December of 2016.

Going away to school is a risk for me and a hardship for my family. I am lucky to have a great support system at home: a mother and and mother-in-law who are watching my kids during the day and a husband willing to both be a single parent and haul a five year old and a three year old on a cross country flight to visit me in a couple of weeks. While I have received some help financially, this will also be a hardship financially - though we reason it to be a good investment.

So why go? Beyond the adventure of experiencing a new city, I am eager to learn. I am excited to read new texts, discuss ideas with my cohort and think about teaching and learning in a different way. I have been teaching for 15 years and I am ashamed that I hadn't read John Dewey until last week. I will get the chance to think about Difficult Conversations and problem solving in my class on negotiations. I would not have said this during my credential program at age 21 - but I am excited to learn about the history of Ed-policy. This is real folks.

I will admit that this next reason wasn't on my mind when I applied - but I feel good about being a student again so that I can model lifetime learning for my students. I have a feeling that I will also relate to them a bit better as it has been a while since I have had homework or written a paper.

I arrived Saturday, met a friend who lives here to explore the upper west side and have dinner. Sunday, I walked and walked. We had brunch and saw Central Park. I met other friends later on who happened to be in town. They took me to the Highline and SoHo. I have used the subway. I can walk from my sublet to a coffee place without having to look at my phone.

Today is orientation. I feel a little like Felicity (minus the curly hair) getting ready for her first day at the fictional University of New York (though looking back at that first episode - I can't believe she changed schools last minute for Ben!). My goal for the morning is to obtain my ID card. I can do that.