The Road Less Traveled

The road less traveled is the path I often take when faced with life changing decisions. Why do I do this? Because it's worked that way since I graduated from high school. For example, when many of my friends were going to top schools around the country because they offered stellar programs, I chose a school based on a photo I had seen of a lake surrounded by breathtaking fall foliage. In retrospect, I should have looked more closely at the program. In turn, one bad freshman year later, I transferred to a school closer to home that ended up being the best years of my college career. 

I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in English Literature and a newly created concentration in Women's Studies. What I didn't finish with was my minor in education to teach high school because I became frustrated at not being able to pass the subject area test, and the chair of the department wouldn't let me into a core class that came around once a year. Not wanting to wait an entire year to take the class again, I dropped the minor, and so began a meandering path that slowly wound it's way back to square one twelve years later. 

Having begun my career as a special education assistant in a public school, I eventually transitioned into a teacher role at a residential school. I had the privilege of teaching kids who came from an assortment of backgrounds and had an equally colorful package of issues surrounding how they learned, dealt with feelings and emotions, and had a team to help them with all of these challenges. It was a learning a experience to say the least. Less than a year later, I accepted that this wasn't my niche and quit. From this experience however, I learned how to communicate really well, manage a classroom and how to adapt my teaching style to a variety of needs and levels. 

Jump forward a few years, I discovered that I was less than thrilled with the stream of jobs I had had and the direction my life was going. I re-entered school for my Master's with the idea that I would change careers. When I announced to my family that I was going to earn an MBA, some laughed, other's sighed and my father tried to convince me to stick with education. He repeatedly reiterated how cutthroat MBA programs were and how math had never been my strong suit. Not wanting to acknowledge this second truth, I persisted. More hard work than can acutely be explained here, plus lots of help and patience from my engineer father, I had somehow survived a summer of Accounting I & II, Finance I & II and Statistics. By no means did I sail through. It was more like a crawl and then I kissed the ground when I had passed. Oh and might I add that I worked full time at the school I was also attending. I did this because I was able to take classes for free as long as I earned a "B" or higher and my father had also worked full time while going to school, except that he had a wife and two children. 

Once finished with my degree, I continued working in admissions for the University of Phoenix, until I was laid off. Up until this point, I had taken the road that had overgrown with weeds that no one even bothered with because it was so broken. That's how I felt inside: broken. I wanted to make a change. I wanted to go back to my roots in education and re-enter the classroom because I was convinced that's where my calling laid. I just didn't know how to make that happen. 

Then one day, it was suggested to me that I ponder the idea of teaching abroad. I had always wanted to travel but never had an idea about how to teach abroad. So began my in-depth research, which I now realize, didn't need to be all that detailed, and yet it was. 

A few short months later, I had signed a contract with a public school in South Korea and I boldly announced that I would be moving. My mother just looked at me and my father said, "You are 100% not moving out of the country." Huh. I had pictured that conversation going in a much different direction. For the sake of this entry, let me add that I was 27 years old at the time. Although I had never actually traveled abroad because I didn't even own a passport, I was determined. I was also crushed that my parents, especially my father, didn't share my sentiments. He, who has traveled to more than 80 countries, did not want his daughters traveling abroad, although we both have. 

Something to note: my family is very tight-knit and for that I'm thankful. We all know what is going on in each other's lives and we often connect via the phone or email several times a week. That stated, certain family members are more opinionated than others. Moreover, all the women in my family are especially strong-willed and always make their opinions heard, oh, and they do not enjoy being told what to do, which I have always found ironic. 

Having overcome these opinions however, I persisted and the 2007-2008 academic school year in South Korea was life changing. While abroad, I visited Japan about a dozen times, Thailand and Cambodia. At one point I even remember remarking how I could live in Thailand. It felt like home. 

That year was a game changer for me. I loved it so much that I returned in the fall of 2008 to visit a good friend I had met when I was there. I was then later hired by ASC English in Boston and FLS and later by Kaplan at Northeastern University, thus opening up the chance to work for NEU, which I did. 

My unique education and business background has afforded me opportunities I would not have had, had I earned my teacher's license. Although I'd still like to earn it for the sake of finally having it, I'm enjoying my new path, which is no longer covered with weeds. I'm fulfilled because my students have made my experiences worthwhile. 

Knowing that many good things have come out of these experiences I plan to blog about the new chapter that's about the begin in my life. Starting Monday, September 23, 2013, I will begin my journey to Bangkok, Thailand where I have been hired to teach English and business at an international university. Here's hoping that I will have as much success there as I have in Boston.  

Thanks for reading.

JA

P.S. Not all entries will be this long, but then again, I can't predict what will happen. If you'd like to follow along, that would be fantastic. Please feel free to comment, share your own travel experiences and ask any questions that you may have.