Peace Up. A-Town Down.

This week I will be leaving this...

[Jarabacoa, La Vega, Dominican Republic]

to visit this...

[Atlanta, Georgia, USA]

How jazzed am I?  

Really jazzed.

October 23-27 (wed-sun) I will be at a conference in Atlanta.

It's not a secret that I'm really excited for this adventure!

I work for Doulos Discovery School

which is, among other amazing things, an Expeditionary Learning School.

Very simply put, we teach/learn through investigations and explorations.

We don't just sit in the classroom and learn.

We pick topics, then we...

dive in

explore

read

investigate

watch

create

listen

and grow.

I love it.

And as a kindergarten family, 

we are about ready to dive into our first expedition...

INSECTS.  

You better believe it's going to be good.

If you are interested or a teacher, check out

www.elschools.org 

It is brilliant.

Here is blurb I thought explained EL well.

Our approach to curriculum makes content and skill standards come alive for students by connecting learning to real-world issues and needs. Academically rigorous learning expeditions, case studies, projects, fieldwork, and service learning inspire students to think and work as professionals do, contributing high-quality work to authentic audiences beyond the classroom.

So for three days I'm leaving these ninos. 

I am praying I come back a better teacher.  

Please join me in that prayer.

Thank you all for supporting me prayerfully and financially in this adventure.

Doulos asks all 1st or 2nd year teachers to go to the EL conference,

and I completely believe it will be worth it.

I could not be more ready to learn!

Thank you for making that possible.  

So here we go!

Next Wednesday Alicia, Sam, Danae, Dan, James, Katie, and I 

will be heading to the States for some learning!

[Alicia and I will be travel and hotel room buddies] 

I don't know all the details of the actual conference,

but I sure do have my free time planned out!

My stateside to-do list:

drink specialty coffee drinks

buy gifts for my host family

find a food truck

sleep in silence

buy 3 cans of pumpkin

read in a book store

eat a monster cookie

relax in an actual coffee shop

and take a hot shower every.single.day.

Like I said, we would love for you to be praying for us.

I really want to get everything out of this conference that I can!

Thank you again and again for your support.

[oh, and Alicia, apparently I make this clicking noise while I sleep... 

I'm sorry in advance...]