Leaving Behind a Good Thing

Amidst the excitement of planning a four-month residency in Helsinki, Finland, I cannot help but think of everything good I am leaving behind. I have so much to be thankful for here in Kentucky that I felt compelled to write about it. I hope this post gives my new colleagues and neighbors in Finland some insight into my life in America.

Family

Of course, the thing I will miss most is my family. My wife, Kara and I have been married for over two years, and we just bought our first house last autumn. Kara is a first grade school teacher, and she is an expert at running an elementary classroom. You can follow her professional and personal adventures on twitter @MrsKNorthern.

Other members of my immediate family include my parents and two older sisters. My mother is a retired physician and my father owned a nursery and florist for 30 years. My sister Libby (far right) is a tattoo artist and Jenny (far left) is a registered nurse. While back in Kentucky, I live mere miles from my siblings. Yet, from Helsinki, Finland, I will be 4,699 miles away!

Lifestyle

Box Jump!

When the school day is through, I am usually enjoying one of three things: CrossFit, reading, or coffee. Most evenings, I head straight to the gym, CrossFit Old School, for the workout of the day. CrossFit offers constantly varied and challenging workouts so you never get bored. Each day is different and a lot of fun. It gives me the chance to be active and carefree for an hour.

I am slowly working on developing a small book collection of signed first editions by my favorite authors. While reading, I am usually accompanied by a hot cup of coffee. I was thrilled to find out that Finns love coffee as much as I do. According to the International Coffee Association, each Finn consumes 12 kilograms of coffee per year. This makes Finland the second-largest country in the world for per capita coffee consumption. It should not be too difficult for me to find a café while in Finland and enjoy “a cup of joe.”

Upper Yellowstone Falls

One of the greatest rewards of traveling is forming new interests. I am looking forward to learning about the lifestyles of Finns and adopting some of their favorite hobbies as my own. This past summer I spent three weeks in Montana with a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar. We hiked Glacier National Park, viewed secluded waterfalls at Yellowstone, and watched the sunrise from 5,000 feet atop Mount Helena.

Since then, I find myself constantly on the lookout for trails to run or paths to hike. It did not take long me to develop a passion for nature as a hiker. With four months in Finland, there is no telling what activities will win me over.

School

I began my career in education teaching middle grades English Language Arts in Logan County, Kentucky. In May of 2014, I earned a master’s degree from WKU’s Library Media Education graduate program. After six years of teaching language arts, I became the teacher-librarian at Simpson Elementary School in 2015. SES is located in the rural community of Franklin, Kentucky, the county seat of Simpson County. The school consists of first, second, and third grades with approximately 660 students enrolled. We are a Leader in Me School and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. All children in the United States are entitled to equal access to a basic public elementary and secondary education regardless of their actual or perceived race, color, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, or the status of their parents/guardians.

Library

At my library media center, we strive to ensure that all students have equitable access to books, information, and technology. The library opens at 7:45 a.m. Monday through Friday and classes span 8:30-2:15. At 2:15 we have open library where members of the Student Technology Leadership Program and other student groups often work on projects. Five third grade library leaders assist during morning and afternoon open library times. These leaders assist with shelving, checking out books, managing iPads, and prepping materials for classes. The library has three mobile labs consisting of one Chromebook cart, one iPad mini cart, and one iPad cart. You never quite know what to expect when entering my library’s doors. Students might be solving clues to open a locked Breakout EDU kit. Groups of students could be on the computers or iPads searching information and creating technology products. It is not uncommon to see students reading eBooks, making crafts, creating graphic art, or using Legos to construct new worlds. Students’ mission statement can be summed up in three simple words: learn, explore, create. It is a joy to work at a school where students are encouraged to take risks and use technology to formulate new understandings. I am amazed at what my students can do when given the tools and opportunity. My school library Twitter account @sesmediacenter is a great place to find out all that goes on at Simpson Elementary.

Click the image above to take a "tour" of my library.

What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.
-Henry David Thoreau