Longer than the Bachelor! (Part1)

I have been an educator for 17 years. Most of those years have been as a classroom teacher. My experiences range from inner-city Minneapolis, MN to large, urban, public education in Houston, TX to a little bit of the suburbs back in MN and way south to the other side of the equator in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. (I spell it with an "s" cuz names are sacred.) Although each stop presented its own uniqueness, each challenged me to find and use resources to the best of my ability.
Early on, I was exposed to one of the best resources I have ever found, and it became a staple in my pile of teacher resources. The mission of this project, the multiple perspectives represented, the honesty were all characteristics that attracted me to SPLC and Teaching Tolerance from the beginning.
I told a friend and colleague, around 2002/2003, "Working for Teaching Tolerance is my dream job!"
Little did I know then that I would actually realize that dream one day.
During my third year in Brazil, I was reading my weekly update from ASCD and browsed the job postings at the bottom. That was the first time I heard the alarm. Teaching Tolerance was hiring a Teaching and Learning Specialist--My DREAM JOB! But...

I wasn't ready to leave Rio...can you blame me?
I closed the job posting, went about with my day--which probably means I went straight to

Barraca do Nildo in front of Cesar Park Hotel in Ipanema because that is where I spent most of my non-work days the last six years!
However, life is fluid and unpredictable and if I have learned anything I have learned not to say NEVER! Well, I have also learned not to say "should have, would have, or could have" too.
So, back in February, again while reading my weekly ASCD newsletter, I scrolled to the job board at the bottom and what do I see? The same posting for Teaching Tolerance that I saw three years ago!
Am I ready to leave my Rio now?

Deixa a Vida Me Levar!
I don't know. Rio is in my blood. It's part of my sould. I am AmeRIOca! I love it here and I love my friends here and I love my life here and it's been a GREAT six years.
So I threw my name in the mix. I sent what the posting asked for: resume, cover letter, and sample curriculum-based writing sample, and I waited...

And since this process has been 3 months in the making...
the rest of the story will have to come later...
Until then...
Enjoy one of my favorite songs from Brasilian artist Djavan