New Year, Big Decisions

It is always around this time of year when teachers everywhere begin to remark on how quickly the school year is flying by. September is new and exciting, but October and November drag until you hit Thanksgiving. Once that's over, Christmas break is just around the corner, and from there the year melts away between long weekends, February and April breaks and in most schools, testing cycles. That being said, it is hard to believe that it is already the end of January and that we have been back at Liger for two weeks since the Christmas break.

There are quite a few big decisions that we have made in the past two months, most notably that we will return to Liger for a third year. There are innumerable reasons why we feel like this is the best choice, but what it really boils down to is that we are both very happy here. This experience and the resulting life that we have created has been overwhelmingly positive. More and more we feel like Liger is turning into the school that we knew it could be from the moment we learned it existed. Last year, "Year Zero," was about planting seeds, putting out fires, and developing forward motion. The past six months have been the true beginning of the fantastic teaching and learning that we signed up for. With our current momentum and enthusiasm, it wouldn't feel right to leave at the end of this year. Furthermore, both Jeff and I feel that we are professionally challenged, fulfilled and, most importantly, supported in a way that we were not in our previous teaching jobs. At Liger we are encouraged to turn our ideas into reality, with little hassle or delay. Our administrators are involved in the process of overseeing curriculum, but when it comes to our daily teaching decisions, they entrust us with free rein. Another obvious reason why we want to stay is the kids -- they are inspiring to work with. The level of curiosity and engagement that Liger students display is unparalleled. They truly are special little people who continue to grow and develop not only academically, but also emotionally and personally. At this point we have signed on for a third year, adding a one-year contract to our initial two-year contract. Jeff will continue to develop his role as the primary Math teacher, extending our highest tier of students who are already immersed in Algebra, and supporting those who struggle. My role will take on more of a Literacy Specialist focus, which I could not be more excited about. At the end of the day, it was more like a physical acceptance of the decision our hearts and minds had already made.

The whole group at the first annual Liger Olympics

Second in line in the big decision category is that we will get married in Boston in early July of 2015. What's that you say? Caroline "Detail-Oriented Control Freak" Bell is planning a wedding from abroad? Twelve-hour time difference be damned, plan it I will. The way I see it, my entire anal retentive, color-coded life has prepared me for this. However, (not to brag), I did manage to nail down both a dream venue and THE dress all within two days, so all I need to do is maintain this rate of progress and we should be on track. Of course neither of those things would have been possible without my reliable partner in crime on venues, Barbara, and my dress sidekicks, Bridget and Cara. Jeff's mom put in all the legwork to suss out possible venue options even before we arrived back, appointments and all. On the dress front, Bridget took off work to accompany me to my first appointment, and Cara put bridesmaids dress shopping for her own wedding on hold to watch me try on dresses. Between my top-notch email skills and my team on the ground in Boston, we are looking at a pretty spectacular July celebration.

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Jeff and I missed Christmas last year and it was particularly rough. Although we got to experience traveling through Malaysia over that break, we really missed being home with our families for the holiday. This year we had almost three weeks off, so it really felt like we had quality time to spend with people, despite the long trip and our incredibly jam-packed schedule.

We spent the week of Christmas with my family in snowy Buffalo. My step-brother Dylan, who is currently stationed in Japan with the Air Force, was home for the first time in a while, so it was great to see him after almost two years. My brother Griffin was back in Buffalo after six months studying abroad in Lisbon, Portugal, trendy Euro haircut and all. My nephew Theo, who will be three in August, was so much fun to hang with, especially watching him open his presents. (Note his adorable big boy tie.) Mom's homemade lasagnas really hit the spot, and she went all out on making the house a Christmas wonderland. Christmas day was at my Dad's, hanging out by the fire, and the only people missing were Kate and Tyler, who weren't able to make it from California.



Another highlight of being home in Buffalo was the weekend I organized for all my girlfriends to celebrate my engagement. In reality, it was really just an excuse to get everyone together. I had about 15 friends from high school, as well as a few friends from college and Nica, our former co-worker at Liger. I have always prided myself on how great my friends are, both individually and as a group. I have to say, for twenty girls to come together for the weekend without an ounce of drama is pretty impressive. I was especially excited to introduce my home friends and my out of town friends, and show the out of town girls Buffalo. We visited the Falls, went to Duffs for wings, and had a blast going out on the town, limo and all. It was also a great opportunity to celebrate the engagements of Kelly and Guilia, Caelainn and Mike, Cara and Brad and Allie and Charlie.

Kate was able to make it home for the party weekend!

Once we were back in Boston, I was consumed with wedding planning, but all slid to a halt with the arrival of the newest member of the Boucher clan: Ben. What an amazing, happy, adorable little guy! Michael and Ashley, Jeff's older brother and sister-in-law, really got lucky with this one. Besides being cute enough to eat, Ben was happy sitting, standing, being held, being left alone, being passed around...I swear I heard the kid cry like twice the entire visit. And his smiles! It was great to catch up with Ashley and Michael, and so special to have lots of time with Ben. It took Jeff about six minutes to announce he loves Ben more than anyone else in the world. After so much smooching and cuddling with those cheeks, it was hard to say goodbye, but it was also nice to get back to our own space and our own special kids after a long time at home.

Since being back, I have wrapped up my second six-week Exploration, which focused on Natural Disasters, Crises, and Crisis Management. I had so much fun with the kids, learning about basic things like earthquakes, floods and volcanoes, but was also really moved by their empathy and critical thinking about various international crises like the Boston Marathon bombing, the trapped Chilean miners, massive oil spills, dam breaks and 9/11.

My next post will be 100% Liger-focused, and I'll get into detail about my last two Explorations, to give you some more insight into what and how we are teaching this year. For now, I have to go get the downstairs guest apartment ready because Bridget arrives tonight for a week-long visit!