Invitation and Response

Well it looks like I'll be staying in Delaware at least until December 18th. I've been officially asked to return next session and I have answered in the affirmative. It goes without saying that I miss family, friends and the familiar back home; but I do feel that it in many ways it is good for me to be here:

Professionally, I am being pushed to my limits and challenged to help very motivated students. The schedule is demanding, but the administration and my colleagues are very supportive and helpful. Time will hopefully make each session easier.

Spiritually, the stressful circumstances are causing me to cry out to God more for His perspective of who I am and where my worth is. I'm also being encouraged by living "in community". Can't tell you what a difference it makes to NOT come home to an empty home at the end of a stressful day.

Physically, I'm making progress in growing in discipline when it comes to sleep, out of necessity with my first class starting at 8:30. And the expensive parking options are encouraging me to walk more (from free parking). Next I need to work on eating better.

Financially, this job pays well. I'm not sure how it will work month to month just yet, but combined with the low rent that I'm paying here, I think I'll be able to maintain my condo back in IL and keep paying the rest of my bills, with the possibility of saving for a rainy day. I am truly amazed at God's provision for my needs.

All in all, I know this is a good place for me to be right now. Some days are really hard, but overall the challenges are helping me grow on my journey.

cornfields, black cows, blue hens and other daily sights

Greetings from Delaware. Today marks the start of week four, aka "midterm week", i.e I'm almost half way through the 8 week session. Teaching continues to be demanding but I'm trying to do my best and also not be too hard on myself. I keep reminding myself that being at a new job is challenging and will take some getting used to. As for the future, they still have not posted the permanent jobs yet, but that is to happen "soon". Meanwhile, the student numbers for next session will stay the same, so it looks like I'll be staying at least through mid December. I'll keep you posted.

As for living here, I am really enjoying it and wishing I had more time to explore the scenic and historic sites. Yesterday I visited a church in a town on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It was a beautiful day and very refreshing to be there. The town is called "Havre de Grace" and is only about 30 minutes away, so I plan to return again. It is amazing how close Newark is to other states, especially Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Here are some other things that have been fun getting used to...
...seeing cornfields and cows on my way to and from school (university farms are near home)

...dialing local calls without a prefix (Delaware only has one area code for its 875,000 people)

...walking by buildings that are 100 - 200 years old (UD was founded in 1749!)

...paying $6.99 at the check out for something that costs $6.99 (yep..no sales tax)

BTW The UD mascot is the "Blue Hen" which is actually the state bird.

Ok, need to get to some grading. Will write more when there is news.

In search of...?

Apologies for my belated week two report. We had a "crab feast" here on Saturday night and I was busy helping with or experiencing that. I met some friendly people and learned a lot about Delaware and the north east, and a little about crabs. You see you get the whole crab in the shell and have to work at getting the "meat" out. My initial impressions: it's a lot of work and I'm glad there were other options to choose from :) .

From a work standpoint, last week went better than the first. I definitely had more moments of feeling like I was "getting it". I also figured out a way to walk from a free parking lot so I don't have to pay money every day. Now that I have a key to my classroom building, I'll be refining that process by leaving home earlier and dropping off my books so I an walk the 20 minutes without a full backpack.

From a pondering perspective, I have been thinking about all the different aspects of this job that I like and concluding this could be a very enjoyable job, once I get used to the 20 hours of teaching. However, just teaching doesn't give you benefits or job security. And from what I heard, "permanent" staff, those who get benefits here, have a lot of demands for their time in addition to the teaching. I think certain personality types could become consumed by this job, and I'm wondering if mine is one of them. I'm not saying that I'm not going to apply for the FT positions and I know I've only taught two weeks. But I'm just saying that I'm proceeding with caution. Many of the contract teachers, have no desire to pursue the permanent openings here, given how demanding they are. I'm sobered by that and disappointed.

It does make me wonder what I'm really searching for...is it a job that brings me joy or a job that brings me health insurance? Is it possible to have both?

"I" is for Intensive

Happy Labor Day everyone. What great timing for me to get a 3 day weekend after an intensive first week of teaching here in Delaware. Every *ELI teacher I had talked to before classes started, warned me how hectic and busy the job was. I wondered if they were exaggerating. Well, I don't think they were. Even experienced teachers are commenting how stressed they are as they get things going. So you can imagine how us new teachers feel...getting used to a new program and teaching classes for the first time. I do need to keep reminding myself that it takes time to get used to any new job. Then if you add on the "cultural" adjustment of living in a new town and learning your way around ...that makes it even more challenging.

Overall, I think I'm doing ok, but I alternated good and bad days last week...thankfully ending on a good note on Friday. I really like my students and appreciate how motivated they are. It is a joy to teach them. But using four new books and trying to balance class time so that all skills and objectives are covered is taking some getting used to. The hard part comes when I feel a class didn't go as well as I had hoped. I do tend to be a little hard on myself (as some of you know). It has been helpful to talk to other new teachers, and the experienced ones as well, so I can hear that I am not alone in how I'm feeling. There is comfort in numbers, that is definitely true.

There is comfort in having a very good living situation to come home to as well. My roommates Kathy and Robin have really been a support and encouragement to me as I've shared some of my struggles.

It also helps to have the 3 day weekend to recover and the opportunity to drive to New Jersey and visit my dear Chinese friend Li Ping and her family. It was great to see her after 17 years!

Now it's time to get back to my labors and turn my attention to preparing for the week so my evenings are not as stressful. I did get some planning done on Saturday...but there is more to do today.

Thanks to all of you for your continued interest and support in my journey. It means a lot to me. My goal is to post updates at least once a week, on the weekends. Stay tuned!

Transition

Greetings from the University of Delaware. Sorry for the delay in updating you but life has been a bit chaotic. I have been here now for five days and I just finished my second day of teaching. In short, I am tired but doing well. The staff here are very supportive and my living situation is working out very well. I am just 3.5 miles from campus but it takes me anywhere from 10-30 minutes depending on the time and my route. Some of you know how much I like shortcuts...I'm still learning those.

The greatest challenges here involve logistics and getting used to the intensity of the program. ELI classes are located all over the campus. The good news is my two classes are located in the same classroom so I don't have to move between classes. The challenge is the location of the classroom is not ideal from a parking standpoint. Eventually, I'd like to be able to park my car 20 minutes away every morning and walk to class, but with an 8:30 start and still being in transition, that hasn't happened yet.

I will write more about the intensity of the program later. I need to get going so I don't have to pay for another half hour of parking. :)