One Rising Star

#abetterversionofme2018 I've been feeling very grateful lately, for a variety of things. One of those things is the position of employment I currently find myself in - that of an Elementary Lead Teacher. This might sound surprising to many of you, as you've likely noticed (or heard of) how much I've struggled with not working directly with the students inside a classroom full time this year. I've realized though that this is probably happening for a reason. There is no doubt that I learned a lot in my previous schools, but this year I've been offered a very unique opportunity. A chance to take a step back, to breathe, to find balance, to reflect, to participate in online courses, to read books, to research, to observe new and experienced teachers in action and to be apart of other facets of the education system. I've truly learned so much! One of several sessions at Starbucks completing assignments for my online course - Teaching English Language Learners

  #abetterversionofme2018 As many already know, back in January, I was absolutely devastated when I got sick and was forced to withdraw from the HCMC Marathon. I really wasn't willing to wait a whole year to get another shot at running a marathon, therefore I kept my eyes and ears open waiting for another opportunity to pop up. Eventually, one day, I came across a post on Facebook advertising for a new race in Ha Long Bay, a part of the country I had yet to visit. I felt like this would be the perfect opportunity for me to run my "yearly" marathon and to visit another part of Vietnam, which people often rave about. After registering for the race, I chose not to talk about it much as I feared things wouldn't go as I'd hoped again. Deep down, I knew that, for several reasons, I was not going to be, mentally nor physically, at the exact same place I was in January. Nonetheless, I was still looking forward to the challenge. Last Wednesday night training ses