Ms. V Goes to Washington

May 2024 - Random solo shots from around Bolivia, after my return from DC.

When we began this journey we were thinking maybe a year, but that quickly turned into plans for a year and a half once we saw the pace we were moving. Now month 17 into our trip, I think we both agree that we could easily keep going another year, especially given that the money we had set aside for this experience has lasted much longer than either of us expected. With that said, I know that at SOME point we will need to return to the real world, which got me thinking about what I'd do for work once we got back. The plan has always been to return to DCPS within 3 years so that my pay level, leave, and benefits would all be restored to my pre-vagabond status. This left me with the dilemma to keep going with the trip and try to find a position mid-school year when we finally returned, or end my very extended vacation in August so that I could start a job with the new school year.  I told myself back in February that I would just put some feelers out and I would only come back if I found a dream position. If I didn't find something that really got me excited then I would just take a mid-year position (which are sadly always plentiful after the Christmas break when there's an exodus of teachers). 

I dusted off my resume and even had fun making a digital portfolio to send off to principals for their consideration. Knowing that late February was early to be asking about positions for next school year, it felt like it was worth a shot considering I was going for a very specific type of job. I had gotten it in my mind that, although I would be returning to DCPS, I wanted to try something totally different than the last two positions I had with the district. As a high school Science teacher and an Instructional Coach for English Language Learners, I had grown a lot as an educator, but I wanted to continue to widen my breadth of experience by going in a different direction. Although I enjoyed the work/life balance of being an instructional coach, I decided I wanted to return to the classroom as I missed the student relationship that you can only have as a teacher, and I set my sights on elementary school. It's hard to say exactly how many elementary Science positions there are in DCPS, but they are certainly far, far less common than a middle or high school science position. And narrowing the scope even further, I specifically was hoping to find a school that offered elementary science as a "specials" class. 

For those unfamiliar with the term, "specials teacher" usually refers to teachers who teach one subject to multiple groups of children, usually every class in the school, like a music or a PE teacher. This was appealing to me because I thought it would offer more flexibility than a departmentalized position where elementary students rotate into science like they would in a middle or high school model. DCPS schools seem to run the full gambit in terms of how they approach science instruction for elementary students. For many, the homeroom teacher covers all subjects, and with the emphasis on ELA and math for state testing, unfortunately, science often falls by the wayside. Other schools departmentalize some or all of the elementary classes to ensure that students are receiving specialized instruction in each subject, much like a middle school. The final model was the one I was curious to try, in which students receive science instruction through "specials", rotating throughout the week with art, music, PE, or other elective-type subjects like computer class. 

With a very specific goal in mind, I started blasting schools asking if they may be in need of an elementary science teacher for the next school year. Imagine my surprise when, among the responses, there was exactly what I was looking for. Not only was the school creating a new position that would offer science classes to K-5th graders once per week, but it was at the district's only public Montessori school, a model of education that I have always been interested in learning more about. When they extended me an offer, it was too good to pass up knowing that something like this may not come along again. Suddenly the prospect of having to pick up a random teaching position mid-year seemed dismal compared to a brand new elementary position that I would be able to help shape, so I decided to accept the offer, and just like that, the trip now had an end date for me. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be as cut and dry as all that. 

During my hiatus from teaching my license expired, which normally would not be an issue as they are easy to renew with evaluation scores if teaching. However, because I wasn't currently employed, my options for renewal were much more limited. The best route for me would be to retake the Praxis tests and apply for a new license, which would also allow me to move from a secondary science credential to a K-6 credential. This meant that quiet evenings or coffee shop stops during our month-long Patagonia trip were spent studying for the tests. I wasn't concerned about the science test I would need to take, but the Principles of Learning and Teaching is a notoriously difficult test that can take multiple attempts to pass. I had passed the test on my first try 10 years ago when first getting my credential, but it took studying to do so, so I knew I needed to hit the books while on our camper van adventure. Reverting back to my tried and true flashcard technique, I felt ready when the time came. 

Literally, the day after we dropped off the camper van I locked myself in the bedroom of our Airbnb and knocked out both multi-hour tests with an online proctor. I aced the science test and got the results immediately however, because the other test had several essay response questions, it would take some time to find out if I had a passing score. So now just a waiting game to get the scores and I would be set, right? Wrong. 

To be rehired by DCPS I needed to go through the whole onboarding process, including fingerprinting and a drug test. Trying to get answers from Central office as to whether it could be done abroad was unsuccessful so, after consulting with my new principal, it was decided it would be best if I actually returned to DC, ASAP, so that we could finalize the hiring process. With that, I used the very last of my flight reward miles to book a ticket out of Santigo, Chile to good ol' DCA. 

It was a very quick trip home, arriving the evening of April 20th and departing April 25th. Besides taking care of the hiring requirements, I used this as an opportunity to visit my future school and meet with some of my new colleagues, which made me even more excited for this opportunity. I also took a critical eye to my packing, trading out my cute dresses and bikinis that were utilized in Brazil for more practical hiking and colder weather gear. I was also able to catch up on mail and take care of some finance transfers that required me there in person, so really it ended up being a very helpful trip home. There wasn't much time to catch up with friends as Johnny and I had a plan to reunite in La Paz, Bolivia and the longer we were apart, the harder it would be logistically to plan where to meet up.

So after a very long flight back to South America, I met up with Johnny and we continued on our way as if I didn't just have a whirlwind trip back to the States. About a month after I took the test, I got my results back and was able to apply for my new license, the last step of the hiring process. This is where we hit another snag.

Turns out my plan to switch to an elementary science credential would not work because my teaching program from back in 2015 had only signed off for secondary science. That meant that I needed to renew my secondary science, and then add on an elementary endorsement. I had already left the school hanging for over 2 months so there was no time to waste, I got online and signed up for the soonest Praxis biology test, giving me only 2 days to study my entire bio degree's worth of information. I crammed and crammed and come test day, I actually did BETTER than the first time almost 10 years ago, getting a 184 out of 200 with only 155 needed to pass. Another hurdle jumped and I was finally able to receive my official offer letter and formally accept the position. 

With all of that, I am excited to announce that I will be the new K-5 Science teacher at Capitol Hill Montessori @ Logan, starting August 19. I haven't booked a flight home yet because we still have a couple months to see where we end up, but the current plan is that I will return the last week of July and Johnny will continue on the trip solo until late September when we will reunite with friends for the Oceans Calling Music Festival in Ocean City, MD. What Johnny will do in that time is yet to be seen, but I know I'll be busy starting the new school year and getting back into the groove of "real life". As much as I don't want the trip to end I am also excited to have found an engaging new challenge and I am looking forward to the next chapter.