We've learned this lesson over the last month or so better than at any other time in our lives. Just when we thought we had our 5-year plan nailed down, and our future for the most part mapped out, strange and unexpected paths presented themselves before us, and we found ourselves navigating through the uncertainty of the future - a future filled with potential and possibility.
As most of you know, Celeste and I have been preparing to graduate in the Spring of 2009 and promptly begin the rigorous 3-year law school experience that same fall. I took the LSAT, began applying to schools, and made plans to move shortly after graduation. However, at the same time that all this was happening, I was approached by and met with the national recruitment director for a program called Teach For America. (Teach For America is a division of Americorps, and is a program dedicated to education equality. They take the very best recent college graduates - with many of their members coming from Yale, Harvard, Georgetown, Stanford, MIT, etc. - and put them in some of the worst public schools in the country, complete with low graduation rates, high volume of students living in poverty, and a host of students who simply don't consider education as an option for the future. The idea is to let these fired-up college grads really roll up their sleeves and work with kids both in and outside the classroom to help them succeed. You should really learn more about the program. It's freaking awesome
: www.teachforamerica.org.)So, back to law school: after several months of grueling anxiety and anticipation, I finally started hearing back from law schools. In general, the response wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either. I got accepted outright to two very good schools, and was waitlisted at 5 others. However, for some reason, my options just weren't singing to me. It was around this same time that I decided to apply to Teach For America, just as a backup plan with little intention of actually doing it. Celeste applied, too, and thought the same of it - a nice program, but not for us.
Well, long story short, we were both accepted into the program (which was competitive enough as it was, not to mention how many more applications they got this year because of the economy). And not only that, we got placed into a region that we were really hoping for (North Carolina), and we were offered teaching positions in subjects that we both love (History and Spanish). So, after much thought, prayer, fasting, deliberation and debate, we've decided to take the plunge. We're going to be school teachers for the next two years!
Now, some of you may be wondering about law school. Well, that's the beauty of this whole arrangement. See, Teach For America has been around long enough that they've created lasting partnerships with all of the top law schools in the country so that it's actually very advantageous for me to do Teach For America, and will allow me to get into better schools. Not only will we save a little money to pay for law school, but law schools offer special scholarships, endowments, and other benefits that are only available to Teach For America alumni. In fact (just to give you a little perspective on how much law schools value the Teach For America experience) every single law school application that I filled out this year asked if I had done Teach For America, and if I had, there was a special section to fill out on their application. It's weighted similarly to military service for crying out loud!
So anyway, Celeste and I will be in Chicago from June 21-July 25 to get our teaching certificates, then we'll move to North Carolina (Raleigh/Durham area) in early August. We'll be living 4 hours away from Washinton D.C, 3 hours away from my mission in S.C., and only an hour away from the beautiful beaches of the Southern Atlantic. And the great news is that I still get to do the Ted Kennedy internship in D.C. I fly out on May 15th, and Celeste will follow me out there after a few weeks.
So, just when you think you've got it figured out, fate sends you off on a new adventure, unexpected blessings fall at your feet, and heaven smiles.
