Dreams do come true

You know that saying, "When the door to an opportunity opens, run through it before you have too much time to think it over"...okay I don't think that is exactly what it says but close enough right?  For sometime I have been wondering and thinking about what the future holds for me and my career and I reminded myself of how much I was interested in teaching at the college level.  I pursued this idea when we moved to Michigan several years ago and also when we returned to Ohio but nothing ever seemed to pan out.  I was a little bummed but was thankful that I still had my teaching job in Vermilion to keep me busy.  I prayed about it from time to time especially when my students became challenging and the demands from my administrator became more intense.  Needless to say, nothing changed.  As many of you know, patience is not my best character trait.  Unanswered prayer to me means failure so it was hard to swallow but God has a plan and I had to trust him.
Last school year I was asked to mentor at student teacher from Bowling Green University and I was all onboard.  She was absolutely an amazing teacher from the start.  She was a joy to watch and I never felt like I was teaching her anything because it all seemed to come so natural to her.  We became very close and a friendship was created.  During our time together, she was evaluated several times by her supervisor who turned out to be a retired teacher from Vermilion who I knew well.  One night I was thinking about how her supervisor, Shelia, was enjoying her job so much and I wanted to ask her questions about her new career path.  When I mentioned to her that I had always wanted to teach at the college level she immediately said, "Get me your resume because there is a spot for you."  When she said that, my heart began to race with excitement, anxiety, and fear of the unknown.  Within a week I had an interview with the chair of humanities and one of the main education professors at the Firelands campus.  This branch of the campus is located in Huron Ohio (just 10 minutes from Vermilion) and is where Bob and I got married.
The day of the interview I was terribly nervous.  I had three different outfits laid out and tried them all on several times and of course decided upon the first one...isn't that how it always works.  It was late February and I went with a skirt...this girl had the whitest legs so I had to quickly grab some tights.  The only store between Vermilion and Huron is Dollar General so I grabbed the best pair I could find.  Before heading into the interview I squeezed into the tights in the car and walked into the building. To my surprise the tights were so full of static I really needed a slip so my skirt worked it's way up my legs as I walked.  Yep I was a hot mess...sounds about right! It has been quite some time since I last had to interview (when we lived in Michigan) but thanks to Bob he helped me prepare.  During the interview there was a moment I will never forget because they asked me a question about an Acronym that I had never heard of and I had to say "You know I am not sure what that stands for but I can look into it."  I thought they were going to ask me to leave because I didn't know that but instead they said , "Good I didn't know what it meant either.  Thanks for being honest."  I was flabbergasted.  The interview questions ended quickly and they began asking me about myself and my kids.  I wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing but a week later I got a call.
Since May of last year I have been teaching Introduction to Educational Technology online to freshman/sophomore education students or students who have decided to switch their major.  It has been a little tough at first figuring out the ins and outs of creating curriculum, understanding the online portal, and keeping up with kindergarten and our everyday life.
This fall I have had the chance to teach this course face to face after school.  It has been such a blast to have the chance to make a connection with these students.  I am loving it!  I could never do this without the support from Bob.  He has been so helpful when it comes to picking up the boys on Wednesday from school so I can get to class on time.  We have also had to rely on the help from my parents and Angie as well.
Not matter how much I enjoy teaching these college students I love being with my kindergarteners also and I am not ready to give that up. I am not sure what the future will bring but I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to teach these students and also cross something off my bucket list.