This month we officially turned in our resignations to the school district for which we have served for many years. Our lives beyond family have been our districts. Our districts have been special and totally irreplaceable because of the students. Our solace in leaving has come in the form letters, emails, and sentiments from students and parents. I hope they realize they are such precious gems and bars of gold. Thank you to everyone for the gifts of love and sentiment.
Barrow? Barrow, Alaska? Why now? My wife Karen and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary this June 6th. We met right out of college and knew that we had found our soul mates. Our dream was to travel and experience the world as much as possible. As many of you will attest kids, work, bills, and more schooling will suck you up like a Kansas Twister only to spit you out between 20 and 30 years later with much less hair, much more weight, and the feeling that the last two and one half decades were nothing more that a busy autumn weekend. As Karen and I have both allowed the last few years to run under our feet we began to discuss what we wanted and needed to have a fulfilling future. Our discussions would usually drift back to our desire to explore and serve. Last year (and this year as well) we had many job offers from places like Daytona Beach, a small town in Maryland, a city in New Jersey, and even New York City. These are all wonderful places; however the learning and growing component for us was simply not there. Karen had it in her mind to explore Alaska for a job. I thought she was joking at first; however so much about such a move seemed exactly what we were seeking. What really brought this into focus for us was the need of the children in Barrow, Alaska. Our districts were amazing because of the people whom we served. As teachers, our commitment is to the children that we encounter in any situation and any place. Our new place will now be Barrow, Alaska. It is heartbreaking to leave you all behind; however we have much more growing and learning to do. We invite you to come with us as we begin our next journey.
