Moving Day(s)

Unfortunately for Matt and I, his new job started in May and mine starts in September. That meant that we had to move separately. He moved with the majority of our stuff in May and I followed at the end of June when school was out for summer vacation. It was sad to leave our first home together, but we are both really excited about all the possibilities that a new city will bring. Our "children", Beans (the cat) and Yoda (the dog) also made the trip. They were pretty good in the car except for some whining by the dog and some moaning by the cat. (The pictures on the right are of Beans and Yoda in the car on the trip to DC) Since arriving, it has been fun decorating and making our new place in Alexandria feel like home.

Our Next Adventure…Washington DC

This past year has brought about many adventures and many changes in my life. It started with my PolarTREC expedition to Antarctica in October. Through this experience I was paired up with a research team studying microorganisms living in the ice of a glacier. I accompanied them to their field site, helped them chainsaw a tunnel into a glacier and sample the ice, and I blogged about my experience and created lessons that teachers could use. (The picture to the right is of the glacier that we sampled) It was an amazing experience and it really helped me to reflect on how science is taught and how science should be taught. While I was in Antarctica and when I returned, my students were so excited about my trip and what we learned. It was almost like their teacher was on the Discovery Channel. Students that normally were not that enthused about science suddenly thought something was cool. I reflected on my experience and I concluded that more teachers need to have experiences like mine and the current science that kids love and that scientists are doing right now needs to get into the classroom. That is what brought me to the Albert Einstein Fellowship program. The fellowship offers teachers the opportunity to work with government agencies and legislators to bring the best possible STEM education to students. I interviewed with several agencies and I fell in love with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration). Fortunately for me, they liked me too and that is where my new adventure begins. Starting this September I will be working with the education department at NOAA to bring great science resources to teachers and students.

The only negative about this new adventure is that I had to leave my home, family, friends, and school behind. Fortunately, my husband Matt is coming along on this new adventure with me. I don't think that I could have made this move without him. He got a job in Alexandria, VA and that is where we are going to live. There is a lot to do in Alexandria and it is a quick trip on the Metro to get to NOAA in DC. Another fortunate thing for us is that since there is so much to do and see in the DC area, all our friends and family want to come and visit us. That leaves my school and my students as the only big loss. I am really going to miss being in the classroom, building relationships with students, and getting kids excited about science. (The picture on the left is of my empty classroom...it looks so different without all my posters and student work)Hopefully my experiences at NOAA will impact many more teachers and students and I will have made these sacrifices for a good reason. Only time will tell, so wish me luck :)