The what's new Whiparound

[keir.jane]

Dear friends,

For this week's whip around I would like to know what's new with you? How are your lives going? How's work? Relationships? Tikkun project? Goals for the comming months? Anything you want to share. At first I was going to write and ask what you all have planned for summer but I don't know how many of us still have summer breaks? I think it would be great to hear an update on how we are all doing with life in the present.

The past few weeks were pretty stressful for me with my father being sick and needing emergency surgery. I am great in a crisis -- but then I fall apart afterwards. I was great at taking care of my father, advocating for his care (aka harrasing Kaiser until he got care), etc. He had emergency surgery and was in the hospital for 4 days and the moment he was released I fell apart, like once I knew he was going to be okay I finally let myself feel the stress of the whole thing. I am trying to reflect on this because I wonder what this means for me as an "agent of change and social justice". Also, my father is doing awesome! He says that since he had the surgery he feels better than he has in years!

Now the fun part -- I have officially become a TFA alum. We had our alumni ceremony last night! yay! I am so proud of myself for making it to the end -- I thought about quitting several time throughout my TFA experience. I have high hopes for the coming weeks. I will be in Atlanta over memorial day weekend for my dear friend's wedding. Should be awesome! Then my last day of work at my terrible school job is May 31st. Then that night I am hoping for a rebirth and new begining; I have signed up for the "Intro to Judaism" classes at my Temple. These classes meet once a week for 8 months and they are the first step in converting to Judaism. I have also gotten a rabbi to sponsor me throughout the conversion process. This is very exciting! 

Then, in June I am traveling to southern Colorado to attend a 3 day training so that I can get my certification as Sex Educator! Yay! I can't wait to go on dates and tell dudes that I'm a certified sed educator! ;-) BTW, I am changing back to my original theory of change. I really want to do work that brings fact-based sex education to our youth so that they can make informed and safe choices. Next week I am meeting with the Principal of the school where I will be working next year to talk with her about my ideas for sex education curriculum. (fingers crossed!)

The day after I get back from sex ed training I am flying to Jurasalem to attend the Israeli Presidential Conference. Goal number 1: meet Bill Clinton. I am staying in Jurasalem for two weeks and I just really want to explore the old city and take tours of each of the quaters. I have even bought "The Action Bible" (which is like a comic book version of the bible and super fun to read) and I am reading it now so that I will be familiar with all of the stories in the bible so that I can get the most out of my holy land experience. I will get back to Denver on July 1st, we have our Reality Reboot/check a few weeks later. Then I start my new teaching job on July 22nd.

This all sounds so fun and I feel so lucky that I will be having all of these experiences! But when will I relax? I had orginally planned to spend all summer at home, relaxing, organizing my house, and hanging out with my dad, dogs and friends. Now it seems like my entire summer is booked...hmmm. 

Looking forward to hearing from you! I hope all is well!

Jane

[Nicole Wellman]

Hi all,

Whew. These weeks are flying by, and they are packed! Sounds like you are the same way, Jane. And, knowing the rest of you--your lives are jam-packed with everything you can fit in as well!

I gave some updates in a whip-a-round a couple weeks ago, but I'll expand more with new news I've gotten.

GRADUATION! I'm graduating with my Masters on Father's Day-June 16th. But, before I can officially finish my degree I still have to take my comprehensive exam and finish out a grueling quarter. In my Education Policy class I have had 7 papers due in 10 weeks. Talk about overload! But, on the bright side, I am learning a whole lot and feel a lot more knowledgeable about the world of education than I was one year ago. I am really confident that I made the right decision to pursue this degree, even in the face of growing negativity about graduate school, i.e. the headline on Linked In two days ago titled Don't Go to Grad School!

FELLOWSHIP I am doing an Ed Pioneers fellowship this summer, and I got placed in Los Angeles. I am especially excited right now because I just finalized my placement last week.  I will be working for a Charter Management Organization called Bright Star Schools that runs middle and high schools in LA.  From the looks of it, I really love what they stand for, and their student achievement shows that it's working.  I have always been weary of charter schools, since I am a huge traditional public school advocate, but I am really glad I get the opportunity to explore something new and different.  Since this is my 5th year working for a traditional public school district, I really think this will push me outside my comfort zone and widen my knowledge base. My official role is "Strategic Planning for Human Capital", which means I will be  working on their strategy for teacher orientation, induction, and professional development.  I am really excited about this role!!  I start 4 days after my graduation!

 And, I need to find a place in LA! I'll be in West LA--let me know if you know of anyone looking for a roomie. I'm on the hunt!

Those are my two big updates, and other than that my goal is to try to enjoy Santa Barbara life with Tom, and try my best to make family time in the midst of this crazy next month.

I'll be having my Board of Advisors meeting in a week or so, so Tikkun Project updates to come soon. :)

Best,
Nicole

Jane

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Nicole Wellman
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[Jesse Fetbroth]

Hey there!

I LOVE this whip-around--we were need of a good ol' check-up.  :)

Jane and Nicole, congratulations on your milestones/respective graduations, and all of the exciting things on your horizons.  I can't wait to hear more!

What's new with me?  Let's see.  I was recently offered a new role on my team and decided to take it, which obviously means I will not be going to law school next year (though I still haven't brought myself to actually withdraw my seat, which shows just how much I'm afraid of closing that door).  I've decided to stay in Chicago for the next year, but live in Boston June-July so I get a nice chunk of time to spend with my friends and mom.  I think that's what they call a compromise, my friends.  I'm also sorting out my long-term volunteer plans-- I've been doing a lot of one-off volunteering in Chicago, but have been itching to to be involved in some more stable volunteer work.  I've started the process to become a Court-Appointed Special Advocate in Chicago, and am in the early stages of becoming involved in Children's Home & Aid, which is a social service agency in the area.  We'll see where things go!

Other than that, Zach and I are trying to figure out where to move (in Chicago of course) at the end of July, as our lease is up and we're planning to get a dog, so we need a pet-friendly apartment.  Yes, we're planning to get a dog!  We've been doing a lot of research, and are tentatively going to be bringing a Great Dane puppy into our home this summer pending availability.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Looking forward to more updates from everyone else!  

Love,

Jesse

Jesse Fetbroth

781.696.8402

[Marker, Jessica]

Ah! SUCH exciting stuff! I love it!

 

What’s new over here… 

Well, Spring has sprung and I’m loving it!  I finally have enough land for a big garden so I’m currently growing tomatoes, peppers, kale, lettuce, squash, beets, strawberries and blueberries – and learning a ton about growing veggies and keeping them alive in the process.  We even made our first salad from our own garden last week, which felt like an amazing and huge accomplishment.

 

I’ve also been able to spend a lot of time with my little sister, Viv, from the big brother’s big sister’s program – she’s coming over for homework and pizza tomorrow and we’ve been having a blast together on weekends.

 

Jesse- so excited to hear you are getting a dog! I think you all know, but we got Bertha in March (photo of us on our favorite hike attached) and I could not be more over the moon about this pup! She’s brought such joy, love and loyalty into our world and it’s honestly a bit embarrassing how much I want to love-on her and talk about her to other people (so I’m usually using full restraint when people as me about her).

 

Camping – Jon and I have some really fun camping trips coming up this summer both around here and then backpacking in Glacier National park – super excited about that!

 

And then BIG NEWS… drum roll please… I’m officially a REALITY 2013 Facilitator! So, I’ll be getting to go on and facilitate for the REALITY 2013 folks! I feel so honored and excited to truly experience REALITY in Israel.

 

Other than that- work is good- keeping me on my toes (always) and in the air (literally)!

 

Sending much love!!

Jess

 

Jessica Marker
Group Learning Leader
Teacher Support & Development, Execution
Cell: 415-377-5135
jessica...@teachforamerica.org
 

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[Aaron Burgess]

Hey Everyone!

So as of yesterday at 5:15 Pacific I have finished all the necessary requirements to graduate from UC Berkeley's School of Public Policy!! My parents are flying in tonight and graduation is this Saturday and they will be around all weekend to explore the Bay Area with me! I am very excited but it is also bittersweet because I have met so many amazing people in my program and I don't want to say goodbye. At the same time I am looking forward to see where everyone goes, what they do, and how they begin to change the world. 

For me, I will be moving out of my apartment (actually going to public storage in about an hour) and moving into a storage unit where I will leave my belongings here in the Bay. I fly back home to Colorado on the 25th, just in time for the World's Greatest 10K the "Bolder Boulder" if you are even remotely a runner.. I invite you to come to this event!! Its so fun, and I have missed it maybe twice my entire life. After a little time back at home, my summer adventure begins!

On June 10th I will fly to New York, and then on to Moscow, Russia where I will spend 5 days traveling alone and trying not to be confused for an American spy. Then I fly down to Tel-Aviv where I will meet up with about 10 other Reality members (Jane included) where I will attend the Israeli Presidential Conference. After the conference I will fly to Budapest for 2 days with two good friends from my Reality trip. Then I will fly back to Tel-Aviv where I will meet up with my girlfriend who will have just finished the Reality Pro trip and we will spend the next 5 days in Israel, or travel over to Petra, Jordan. 

When I fly back to the US I will stay in New York and travel to a small town called Scio, where I will be the best man at my brother's wedding on July 6th, I will visit my grandfather in Cleveland, and I will be back in New York for the Reality events.

After the Reality events I will fly back to the Bay Area, and focus on getting my professional life in order. Finding a new place to live, finding a job that is the right fit for me and trying to settle again in the Bay Area. WE will see!! 

Exciting and nerve-racking times!

Aaron

Aaron Taylor Burgess
Goldman School of Public Policy
University of California - Berkeley
M.P.P. Candidate
(720) 273-9993

[Candace Burckhardt]

Hey!

Wow. It's so exciting to hear what is new with all of you. I'm feeling very milk toast at the moment. No plans for major travel or big life events. 

Right now I have been focusing a lot on my health. I have been playing a lot of tennis with work friends and spending time in the outdoors. I am also working on setting good boundaries with my time at work, so that I have more time to be healthy and active. 

My husband and I are in the process of opening his construction company. This has been such an interesting learning experience and helpful with our tikkun projects. I have so much to learn about managing a business and all the marketing related activities that go with it. He has his first project this weekend as part of Burckhardt Construction. Exciting!

My biggest crisis/thought project currently is how long I can do the work I am doing for the low salary and long hours, especially with the need to support my husband both in time and financial stability as he takes a leap into his own business. I just applied for my Indiana teaching license (after a 4 year battle with my grad school), and I should be approved in a few weeks. I feel more confident about applying for school district jobs now that I will have that piece of paper. No plans to leave my current profession at this moment, but a philosophical battle I keep fighting in my head. 

I am also working on getting our apartment in tip-top shape. I love having a great place to live and have been spending too much time on Pinterest and at furniture stores. It's amazing how much having a comfortable space affects my mental health. I used to be fine with a Goodwill couch and hammock for a bed. :-) 

Is anyone interested in hanging around NYC for a few days after our REALITY meeting? I might try to take a few extra days off to get some vacation in and enjoy life. 

Best wishes, 

Candace

Jane

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