It seems like it wasn't so long ago that I sat down and bemusedly pondered the possibility of going back to school to get a teaching degree. And here I am....
- entering my final year (hopefully) at Salem State! The first session of my last class begins a few days from today. How can that even be?
- working on my thesis for my English masters with the truly and intimidatingly brilliant Dr. Stephenie Young. With my focus on modern wartime narratives by female, Arab authors, I have been and will continue to be digging deep and reading extensively into recent, multimodal compositions coming out of Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine.
- starting an incredibly exciting graduate assistantship with Salem State's Writing Intensive Curriculum Program where I will have the enviable opportunity to work closely with Dr. Tanya Rodrigue.
- preparing to complete my student teaching in the Spring, where I will take all my newfangled know-how for a test drive and have my naive sense of preparedness dashed upon the rocks of adolescent savagery.
I'm experiencing an odd conglomeration of feelings, just a few of which include anticipation, fear, and gratitude. In an attempt to focus and anchor this whirlpool of happenings and emotions, I have set a goal for this next and final year, which is simply, in the words of Thoreau's Walden, "to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life." I am excited and determined to live this next year to the fullest, taking every opportunity to learn and grow in the craft of teaching. So wish me luck as I start my final lap!