As I begin my 8th year here at Garrison Mill, I stop to think, "Has it really been that long? Boy, 2002 seems like yesterday." Quickly, my mind flashes back to my very first day of teaching, way back in 1979, way west of Georgia...in Tucson, Arizona. I was newly graduated from the University of Arizona and was just embarking on a career that has been very rewarding to me.
I taught 4th and 6th graders at that first school for three years. Then I decided to try something different: combining my love for students with my love for travel. I began working with a foreign student exchange organization. It was very different from the classroom and it allowed me not only the opportunity to work with foreign high school students but also the opportunity to travel to many countries in order to conduct orientations for these students. I eventually became the director of the organization and enjoyed working in that capacity for sixteen years.
And now, here we are in 2009. It's hard to believe that my own four children are nearly grown now; I have a high school senior still at home and the rest are either attending college or learning about life by working at something they enjoy. Garrison Mill and its wonderful community have become my second family. I'm looking forward to another productive, rewarding year....I hope you are, too!
