Finally Finished!

I officially graduated from Virginia Tech with my Master of Science in Career and Technical Education on July 2, 2011 and my diploma came this week! I managed to keep straight As the entire time and graduate Summa Cum Laude. I am very excited to now have two degrees and be able to say I accomplished this goal. I treated myself to a new Coach bag, Noah is getting me the diploma frame I want from Tech, and my parents are getting me a new charm for my Pandora bracelet :)

It's official!

My new Coach bag...not quite as exciting as that piece of paper but still picture worthy :)

 So what does the future hold for this graduate? Well after a ton of paperwork is done I will receive a new teaching license from the state and a new contract with my new pay scale from the city. On August 8th I start working on my National Boards which is a certification process for teachers. It takes a year and includes a huge portfolio with videos of me teaching and lots of writing, and then a written test. It's pretty intense, but I've heard it's really worthwhile and it comes with a great stipend when I get it. 

Also, because I am evidently a crazy person, I will be starting my Ph.D. in Education on August 27th at ODU. For the fall semester I will be taking classes on Tuesday and Friday. I know Friday classes sound terrible, but I didn't have a choice. The classes I have to take each semester are chosen for me and they are only offered on one day! This degree is a process so I can't set an expected graduation date. I was told it takes a little over 2 years of course work and then however long it takes to complete the dissertation. It's a process and I'll complete it as quickly as I can, but it'll be a while. On a happier note, I am so thrilled to be back at ODU - I'm a Monarch and this is where I belong!

I have very mixed feelings about taking all this on while I already have so much going on in my professional life. I am the new instructional leader (department head) for my department at work and I am on the Board of Trustees for Virginia DECA. These are new roles in addition to being the DECA sponsor for Kecoughtan, hospitality chairperson, school store advisor, serving on the career academy committee and being the District 25 DECA advisor. 

I tell you all this to explain why I might not be blogging very much in the coming months! My travel schedule alone already has me in various parts of Virginia 4 weekends this year, Chicago in November, New York in March and Salt Lake City in April. It's going to be a fun, crazy, exhausting, rewarding, successful year so bear with me and try not to get offended when I get super stressed out! It's going to be a good ride and all so worthwhile in the end :) Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive so far and all of you who will be there for me through these next challenges!