Taking the CPACE Content test

I feel like I have taken a bajillion and one tests to be an educator. Lo and behold, when looking at my testing history, I’m not wrong.

Anyway, as a pretty calm test-taker, (who’s amazing at multiple choice), I thought the CPACE wouldn’t be too hard. I would cram the week before and then I’d go ahead and take it. The content exam has a 75% pass rate and the performance exam has a 25% pass rate. I elected to take the content test first because I felt that reading the language from the test would inform how I would write on my performance test a few days later.

Well, I just took the Content test… and it wasn’t easy. So, instead of being a dum-dum and just trying to wing the Performance test (which costs $358), I am going to postpone it until the next round and be better prepared then.

What is the CPACE?

If you have five years of experience, and a CA teaching credential, instead of doing a program (aka the principal equivalent of the TPAs), you can take a really expensive 2-part test and get your admin credential!

It’s a little nuts because unlike the other tests, they only release the tests every few .. months? And when I signed up for a test during the thick of COVID, although I was able to sign up for a San Diego test in June, for the performance test, the only testing sites were in South San Jose, Santa Maria, and Los Angeles County. Super random.

Once you take the test, you don’t get your results until everyone has taken the test. So for the test I took during the May-June window, I won’t get my results until 6/30. I didn’t feel like winging two tests, so yeah, postponed the performance test.

How to study?

So… definitely don’t wait until the week before.

Then start with the CPACE practice questions from their website. I then reviewed the TPE and then color-coded this. I usually internalize information through writing, so I took notes off of them. They weren’t necessary for the Content test though, but I think they’ll be useful for the Performance test.

I also printed and took notes from 240tutoring. I felt like the way they described the buckets were actually helpful because this is essentially how the Contest test was structured. Then I took a practice test from Teacher’s Test Prep. It actually is 70 questions so carve out time for it. You’ll get the first results for free (without the short answer). They also have a great study outline, and I just googled things from there that I didn’t know.

If I fail the CPACE content exam, I’m going to go deeper into that study guide and retake the free practice test.

Lastly, I looked up CPACE tips on Reddit and tried to find recent results. A lot of folks recommended Quizlet, and yeah! There’s a lot of decks available there, and although by the time I got to them, it was 11pm the night before my test, I did skim.

Also, I used these test taking tips that a friend forwarded me from her friend’s friend. (Thank you Robbie!)

• Multiple choice content questions — these are pretty approachable with general test-taking strategies (eliminate obviously wrong answers; usually the right answer is obvious and at worst you have to guess between two reasonable sounding answers). Taking the practice questions on the CPACE website was enough for me to understand how the questions are structured; the questions on the actual test were very similar.
• Written responses:
  • Use the structure of the prompts to organize your answers. For example, if they want you to “write a memo detailing x, y, and z,” then the memo is going to say: “Dear Staff, I am writing this memo to describe X, Y, and Z” followed by a paragraph on X, paragraph on Y, paragraph on Z. It will feel like very bad writing but the scoring process does not reward creativity.
  • I seem to recall that they provide the rubric for how your response will be scored with each longer item. These rubrics are aligned to California Administrator Performance Expectations that they are asking you to demonstrate. Make sure to spend time unpacking this and constructing your response accordingly.
  • The people who score these items are generally retired administrators from large public school systems. Write to your audience. In general, I responded as if I was the administrator of a large comprehensive high school with a very large, unionized staff.
• Video analysis:
  • You will be asked to analyze a video of teacher practice. As suggested above, follow the structure of the prompt in giving feedback; if they want you to provide CSTP feedback, then do work analysis, then plan for a debrief conference, your response needs to be structured that way. This is not an exercise in synthesis — it’s demonstrating that you know how to do each of the concrete skills they are asking for.
  • The biggest thing here is that they are expecting you to use the TPEs and CSTPs to structure your feedback. They are not looking for synthesis — they are looking that you understand how to look for the CSTPs and give feedback accordingly. The video that I watched was literally from the 1990s and had been shot on VHS. It was nothing like any teaching I had ever seen before. 
• Strategic planning:
  • There will very likely be something asking you to look at a comprehensive data set for a school (possibly from multiple years) and to identify strengths and growth areas based in the data. Make sure that this is something that you know how to do.

How to become a credentialed general ed teacher in California

It’s interesting but in the past 12 months, I had three different strangers reach out to be based off my UCLA TEP interviewing experience. It’s been over a decade and while on one hand, not a lot has changed, on the other, there still doesn’t appear to be any sort of streamline resource on how to be a teacher. So I’ll do that now. Especially post-COVID where there seems to be a mass exodus, it’s also exciting to see so many new faces!!

If you know me, you know I took the most cost-heavy, time-heavy route to becoming a classroom teacher*. As I look back, I don’t regret my journey (it made me who I am), but I also want to offer the whole “you don’t have to repeat my mistakes” perspective.

So you want to be a teacher?

Amazing! Thank you! The “why” definitely matters, but I’ll save that for another day. There are definitely multiple routes to becoming a teacher, and there are a variety of schools; I’m going to talk about becoming a credentialed public school teacher in general education (aka, not special ed or private school).

First you need your BA

Some colleges actually have an Education major/minor that supports in culminating with a credential at the end or are a continuation from their bachelor’s program.

Next You need Your Credential

There are two types of credentials: multiple subject and single-subject. Multiple subject is mainly for elementary school teachers and for middle school teachers who teach “core” / interdisciplinary subjects. Single subject is for middle/high school teachers invested in a single subject.

Once you have multiple or single-subject credential, it is actually not hard to add additional single-subject credentials. You usually just need to pass the related CSET and take the related methods course (usually can be found online through the university extension: UCLA example). However, you can’t just take a methods class and add a multiple credential. So, if for some reason, you think you may want to teach elementary school or switch around in middle school, then, go for the multiple. If you are passionate about a discipline, go for the single! (Fun fact: in the Bay Area, there is a huge need for teachers credentialed in math or science; usually comes with additional stipends)

What you need to apply for a Credentialing Program

Experience/References

To apply for a credential, you usually need references and 40-50 hours of work/volunteer experience within the context of the future credential you are applying for. For example, if you shadowed your 3rd grade teacher for a week but you want to teach high school chemistry, those hours won’t count :(.

• Contact a former teacher and ask if you can shadow/volunteer in their room during your Spring break
• Volunteer/shadow at a neighborhood school
• If you have your bachelor’s degree, pass the CBEST and become a substitute teacher
• Work at a school as a paraprofessional, student aide, academic coach
• I’m not sure if after-school programming qualifies (just email them and ask)

Andddd, if you build a good relationship with the teacher or your supervisor, they can be one of your references! I know references can be awkward but definitely make friends with either a Grad student instructor or a professor, and make the effort to pop by an office hours just to ask them about how they got where they were, and what your interests/goals are. Visit another time later and casually ask if they’d be open to being a reference for you in the future. THEN when you are actually ready, email them! (And maybe just send annual hello’s / updates).

Tests

• [BEFORE] You need to pass the CBEST (which shouldn’t require study materials beyond the free ones)
• [BEFORE] You need to pass the related CSETs (most programs allow you to not have all of them finished); you can do them in chunks (I wouldn’t recommend you do it all at once). I honestly borrowed a study book from my friend; and I think for single-subject, looking at AP books may help. UC Irvine has free CSET prep materials for math and science).
• [BEFORE] US Constitution requirement – I took a test (and barely passed), BUT if you’re still in college, you might just be able to take a course that’s okay’d by the CTC (California Commission on Teacher Credentialing).
• [DURING] RICA – I thiiiiink you only take this if you’re getting a Multiple-Subject test. But I don’t know. They might get rid of it! I had a master’s in this subject so I just took the free practice tests to prepare. but I know this tends to be a harder test. You take this DURING your credentialing program.
• [DURING] CalTPA – these are performance assessments that have multiple parts, reflection, etc and they are a huge pain, and a little scary. I have nothing better to say but hopefully whatever credentialing program you’re in will provide you the support.

Personal Statement

Just be honest. And make sure you answer all the parts they’re looking for.

Credential Program, Intern Program/Teacher Pipeline, or Credentials+Masters

In general, there’s this weird elevating of more and more education to do the same job. When folks come to me for advice in this area, I’m very anti-grad school. It’s expensive, the opportunity costs are steep, it’s only worth it when you look ahead at your next step and realize you can’t get there without the master’s OR the network is worth it. (AKA, don’t pay for USC’s MAT program)

So with that said, I’ll describe the 3 options and then … ruminate about what context would make the most sense for you.

Credential Programs:

Most credential programs are 9-10 months long. They usually consist of a school placement + classes, support with completing your TPA, and paperwork for the credential. I actually love this traditional model the best. Especially if you know which community you want to work in, find the local state school, and learn from watching and that gradual release. These are usually cheaper if you do one through a Cal State, and definitely shorter. SUPER bummed that Mills College is closing because the teachers I respected the MOST all came from there. High Tech High has a very cool program if you’re looking beyond traditional education to something more project-based.

You can then become a teacher, learn from your lived experience, and then make a more thoughtful choice when it comes to earning a master’s. Instead of just random busywork in the art of teaching, maybe you could consider an Ed master’s in leadership, or literacy, or learning difficulties, or a specific pedagogy.

Yes, you get extra $$ for a master’s usually, but if you only earn it for the stipend, I don’t think it’s the best choice if that’s your main reason.

Intern Program/Teacher Pipeline

It’s hard to invest a full year into a credentialing program and not get paid. There are more and more teacher-pipeline programs, especially with charter schools, out there that allow you to use an intern credential to teach full time in a classroom, earn a salary, while you earn your credential. Many programs exist that require a varying spectrum of commitments (weekly evenings, or monthly full-day Saturdays, participating on discussion forums, etc). I’d imagine that based on this past year, there may be more programs that have Zoom classes…

CalTEACH, Alliant, Alder GSE, and Reach are all programs I’ve seen. Oh and of course, TFA.

I did this, essentially. And, I don’t know if I recommend it – I do want to say I had a master’s in literacy prior to deciding to go back to the classroom, so I had a philosophy of education and a goal for teaching. I’ve seen colleagues do programs like these and get immediately overwhelmed by the weight of running your own classroom while also doing all the work to get a credential. Some folks come out of this amazing, and other folks.. I feel sorry for the kids.

Credential/Master’s Program

STEP, UCLA, UC Berkeley all have the credential + master’s programs that range from 12-18 months (last I checked). So you get the credential program experience + a little extra. People honestly seem overwhelmed, and at least you have the network and the name, but I have not necessarily seen teachers who were better because they came from these schools. (In fact, there’s one school here where literally every other teacher I’ve worked with in an urban context, has been pretty terrible and unprepared).

I am only naming California ones because when it comes to WORK, if you want to teach in California, it makes sense to earn your credentials here. There are some programs/states that have reciprocity (which means you can transfer that state’s credentials over), buuuut not all.

Like I wrote earlier, I’m skeptical about these programs because they just squash a lot into a short period, and you don’t have the time to reflect on your process and learn from your actual practice.

Clearing Your Credential

After you get your teaching credential, your preliminary credential only lasts five years so make sure that the job you get offers free BTSA coaching. BTSA (I don’t know what it stands for), essentially is like doing more TPAs; they’re performance assessments that you would have to pay for BUT most districts pay for it. Then clear your credential. It takes 2 years.

5 years later, and every 5 years afterwards:

Pay to keep your credentials.

Feel free to reach out if you have more questions.. – instagram.com/oaklandteacher

* Basically, I graduated in 2009 with a degree in comparative lit in the middle of a recession. So, I taught abroad, had Satan as my principal. Came back after a year thinking I wasn’t cut out to be a teacher. Went to grad school to study literacy development in youth. While earning my master’s, realized I needed/wanted to give the classroom another shot. Used the 1-year emergency credential to begin teaching at a nutso charter school. Began my credentialing program through Alliant in January of that first year of teaching. School/worked full time for the Spring and following Fall semester. Had to earn a multiple subject credential because I taught in a self-contained class (middle school), but added a single-subject credential in English. Later took a test, took a methods course online, and added a math credential. Began teaching middle school math!

In less than 2 weeks, I’ll be in San Diego!

In case you didn’t know, for the 2020-21 school year, I’ll be a New School Creation Fellow at the High Tech High Graduate School of Education. It sounds fancier than it is — essentially, I’ll be a leadership resident at a middle school (in its SECOND year!!!) at an organization that’s essentially the opposite of a lot of the “standards-based” schools I’ve been a part of. I’m super excited. I’ll also be earning a masters and my projects will be geared towards creating the skeleton of the residential school I hope to open geared towards serving teens who are wards of the court.

It’s surreal! And this summer has been one of rest, doubt, assurance, and freedom. I’ve been spending it relaxing (ofc), and then researching the landscape for the school that I want to open. From cold-calling social workers to going back to my figurative rolodex and hitting up contacts from the past, while also doing my own readings and self-educating, it’s been a satisfying summer (for now — I don’t know if I’ll look back during the school year and wish I didn’t relax so much).

A colleague I respect told me that when starting a school, go into it expecting to have 50% of the idea fleshed out, 25% you’ll do on your own, and 25% will be shaped my constant community engagement.

And as I start probing, there are already presuppositions I came into this work with that’s being dashed. I’m glad that’s happening now.

Also, I’ve been working with a coach, and that was helpful in setting measurable goals, talking through things, and parsing through what seemed to filling up my headspace and what to do with it.

I think in the short-term, I’m recognizing that as long as I go back to my vision and theory of action, I can start to be flexible with how the school will start, how it will look, and what I’ll do.

Another friend told me, it’s okay to have a North Star and never reach it… but to constantly be moving in service of it. And that’s strangely assuring to me as well.

It’s the whole starfish story, right? A trite tale that has always rung true in my heart. An old man sees a kid throwing starfish into the ocean during the low tide. He asks the kid what’s up. The kid says she wants to help the starfish who got stuck on the seashore and will dry up in the sun due to the tide being out. The man surveys the beach and sees thousands of starfish and tells the kid, “Why even bother? It’s not going to make a difference. Look at all these starfish!” The kid without missing a beat, hurls another starfish into the ocean and says, ‘Well, it made a difference to that one.”

TBH, I don’t really believe in massive scaling when it comes to disrupting systems of injustice when it comes to our children. Education, to me, seems like a personal thing. Just because it worked with one group of adults, doesn’t mean you can just recreate the structures and do it again. But I do think that rather than just fostering my own 2-4 teenage girls, I can make a more marked difference by leveraging my strengths to manage a few adults, bring in local partnerships, and help a larger group of kids.

Essentially, what all kids need for success is a crashpad. They need to be able to fail without the consequences being so dire. It’s ridiculous the how heavy the weight of failure is on kids from vulnerable populations. I want to lift that a bit. I think I spent so much of my 20s limiting myself. I want to see what it feels like to push myself with things that matter.

Let’s see how it goes!

CSET Series: Math III and OpenCourseWare

I have a personal problem where when something difficult peers over my life’s horizon, I go into denial and procrastination mode.

Leetle by leetle, I’m doing better… mainly because honestly? It makes my God happy when I try my best.

Last month, I spent one week feverishly cramming for the first of three math CSET exams (In CA, you need to take 3 subtests to earn a math teaching credential… although I don’t know why I have to get one since my multiple subject cred technically covers up through 8th grade and I doubt any 8th grader will be learning calculus no matter what’s in Common Core…).

I felt pretty despondent about it because I honestly knew very little.  No, I’m not being modest. At one point I wrote in the free response section, “Hello, I plan to teach in urban Oakland where there are very little qualified math teachers.  As you can see, I’m a creative problem solver and I am great at explaining my thinking. Please be gentle.”  Or something along those lines – basically appealing to their pathos.

Now in two weeks, I have the third subtest (CSET III for trig and calc).  Two days after, I’ll have the second subtest.  I just don’t have time to do them any time else.. although now that I think about it, if I don’t pass, I might as well have just scheduled these for later.  (20/20 hindsight).

To add to all this unmotivation is the fact that trigonometry kicked my BUTT in high school and although I loved calc, I can’t say I really remember any of it.  (Truly, a 5 on an AP Calc exam doesn’t really work 10 years later..).

BuuUUuuUUuuut…just now, I figured out the cosine of 5pi/4 by drawing a picture .. so now I feel a leeeetle better about my prospects.

I’m using Khan Academy, Barron’s AP Calc book and UCI’s Open Courseware to prep math teachers for the CSETs.  I’ll let you know which worked out the best for me later.

If you know of any other resources, let me know!

Example diagnostic problem from UCI’s OCW CSET Test prep!

Phew! What do you suggest we do?

I just received this email today, and I am so thankful that my program is only one year long.  I have no idea what the cuts are like for undergraduates, but this will definitely make a difference for many students hoping to pursue higher degrees.

Dear Student:

Like those of us in the Financial Aid Office, you may have been following the news regarding the debt ceiling debate in Congress over the summer.  In early August, the Budget Control Act of 2011 was passed into law.

Two provisions of this budget Control Act will have an impact on graduate students borrowing federal loans beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year. These changes will not apply to any loans borrowed prior to July 1, 2012.

• Elimination of the subsidy on Direct loans made to graduate students
  • Direct loans to graduate students beginning with the 2012-13 academic year will no longer be subsidized.  While the total amount that students can borrow will remain $20,500 per year, the full amount will be unsubsidized, meaning interest will accrue from the time the loan disburses.
• Elimination of the upfront fee rebate on Direct Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS loans beginning with the 2012-13 academic year
  • Loans borrowed prior to 2012-13 had an origination fee of 1% for Direct loans and 4% for Grad PLUS loans. However, .5% of the Direct fee and 1.5% of the Grad PLUS fee were suspended and were waived if a borrower made their first 12 monthly payments on time.  Beginning with loans for the 2012-13 academic year, these upfront rebates have been eliminated.

For students planning future graduate study, it will be important to understand the implications of these changes which will go into effect next year on your future educational costs.  For current doctoral students planning on borrowing in future years, you will want to make note of this important change.

This system is groaning.  I’m a firm believer in smaller government, and I think regardless of current policies, we as individuals can act in ways that correspond with our beliefs.  What do you think we (the people) can do to work around this?  Should we be changing our mentality concerning graduate school?  Should we be content with state school graduate programs?  Perhaps even, the whole mentality of preparing students for careers ought to be tweaked.  If we gave them marketable skills when they were younger, maybe that would prepare them better for the job market?  Does this mean we nix the liberal arts initiative?  DO WE THEN TURN INTO ASIA?  WHERE THEY FUNNEL THEIR CHILDREN INTO A SET CAREER STARTING FROM WHEN THEY’RE YOUNG?!  Okay, I’m starting to hyperventilate.  Maybe it’s better for me to take a nap and come back to this.

How Did You Achieve Your GRE Score?

Orientation has been quite disorienting (har har), and I’ve only been here two days!  Anyway, one thing that I think may be of interest to you is a question that was posed during a multicultural understanding workshop.  What contributed to your GRE score?

When I first saw the question, I first thought, “Hah, nothing!  God?”  Because my whole GRE experience was pretty ridiculous and intense.  Long story short, I was teaching abroad and had to take a whirlwind weekend trip to Bangkok during the weekend the Red Shirts were about to revolt.  I was in the middle of teaching and had no time to study.  When I got my score, I was positively thrilled and amazed because all 3 of my practice exam scores couldn’t even break 1300.  I thought that nothing had contributed to my GRE score except maybe for the fact that perhaps I think like a middle-class, white male (is that stat still valid?). Yet as I began listening to the discussion around me, I realized a lot contributed to my GRE score.

First of all, I came from a stable family background.  My parents were 1.5 generation American and they had a strong “Asian” work ethic.  Although they never forced me to get involved in stereotypically asian activities, they did expect me to work hard.  They also helped me with math, since math is something that’s easier to teach.

Also, I grew up reading a lot.  My mom spent a lot of time with me (and my siblings) as a child, working on our phonics and reading skills.  We used phonics song tapes and Bob books (which apparently still exist!).   My dad would also buy me literary classics even when I was a child.  I would always try reading it, and I finally finished my first classic, Jane Eyre, in sixth grade, and loved it.  Also, despite the fact that I didn’t know how to speak English before elementary school, because I grew up in a predominantly caucasian community, the language became of second nature to me.

Finally, after a classmate shared how she came from a very poor school and how it was one science teacher who noticed that she actually belonged in a higher class (she was put into the lower-level classes with other students of latino descent), and did all the paperwork to get her in (without that one event where would she be?), I realized that the fact that I ended up going to high school in Palo Alto also contributed to my GRE score.  I was surrounded by people using elevated language and on track for a 4-year (most likely prestigious) college.  Even though I had no clue about the application process, I was naturally planning to go to college.

I then was fed into a good public university, Berkeley, which further honed my vocabulary, reading, and writing skills.  Granted, I had my personal drive and ability, but that alone is not what got me here.  I mean, my GRE score wasn’t great, but neither was it bad.  And after thinking this through, I see how it wasn’t just Kaplan and Anki that helped me; it was an amalgam of circumstances and opportunities.

I’m thankful to the Lord for His placing me in such situations, but am also realizing that I need to be a faithful steward of such things.  Another realization is that I need to be humble about myself and patient towards seemingly behind children.  There is so much more going on than just schooling and effort.

 

Cripes, I missed an easy scholarship deadline.

I really hate it when I pull a hare and end up losing my race.  For example, I was pretty gungho and on top of funding my education and finding scholarships in January and February.  By March, I had all my rec letters ready and my transcripts sent.  Then slowly but surely, I let myself relax.  I was sick of writing essays about myself and reasoned that I deserved a break.  Sure, a break is fine, but… NOT WHEN YOU OVERSLEEP!

I figuratively overslept and missed out on a scholarship that I think I had a really good chance of getting.  Not to mention, I wasted $50 since I had to send 2 sets of transcripts.  I guess this is supposed to make me all the more motivated to apply for the other few I have my eyes on, but honestly, I just want to give up and go home.  I’ll just … take out more loans.  (Lazy, lazy, lazy. Bad, Junia, No!)

In other news, private schools do take care of you, and I actually feel a glimmer of hope that after grad school, I’ll actually be able to snag a job!  Lately, people have been coming up to me and commenting cute nonsensicals such as “now that you’re going to Harvard, your comments seem more legit” to “You must be a genius.”  Honestly, I think getting into graduate school is a lot easier that getting into an undergraduate program.  And if I were really that amazing, I’d already have a job, and I wouldn’t have to grad school and learn more job-attracting skills now, would I?

I’m just grumpy that I missed out on a few thousand dollars.  Boo hoo.

Lesson Learned:  Slow and steady might not necessarily always win the race, but fast and flaky definitely will make you lose. 

math and science and bears, oh my!

I’ve been rethinking the purpose and direction of this blog (hence the long hiatus and a folder full of half-written posts in my drafts).  However, this is a pretty sweet piece of news, “Cal Teach Graduates First Credentialed Teacher”!

Last year California approved Cal’s math and science credentialing program, Cal Teach.  This year, they graduated its first credentialed student (who earned her credential while also working on her Astrophysics degree).

Do you know what this means, potential math and science teachers?  This means that you can graduate with a B.A and a credential!  This means you won’t need to enroll in an additional credentialing program, which saves you a year!

Not to mention, the last I checked, despite budget cuts and all, Cal is a wonderful place to work out your ideologies and challenge your presuppositions to really see what you can do and figure out why you do it.

“Science, mathematics, engineering — these are the elite core professions. And a large segment of our population has been shut out of them from the day they walk into kindergarten class,” said Mark Richards, dean of the College of Letters and Science and one of Cal Teach’s key supporters. “This is more than a matter of competitiveness for our country. It’s a matter of social justice.”

It is also a matter of economics and survival in an increasingly-technological world. The United States currently ranks 48th in the world in the quality of mathematics and science education, according to a report of the World Economic Forum. Another study by the National Assessment of Education Progress reported that less than half of U.S. students are proficient in science, with California ranking shockingly near the bottom of the 50 states.

Unlike traditional models, in which teaching content is divorced from teaching pedagogical skills, Cal Teach relies on an integrated, holistic approach. The program offers students simultaneous access to developing content knowledge and a teaching credential while also giving them valuable field experience by placing them in local urban school classrooms.

Economics, technology, integration, holistic approach, social justice – all in one excerpt?  Bingo.  I’m glad that despite difficulties with the deficit and figuring out how to truly teach, Cal is constantly reevaluating and finding ways to pinch pennies and still offer relevant paths for the future.  Proud to be a bear.

Hello Harv, here’s to a darker shade of red.

I know I’ve been posting like crazy these past few days, but I have a lot to share.

Below is the result of one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make in my life.  (Which says a lot about the cushy, soft life I’ve been living thus far).

*

And for those who can’t read between the lines, or hasn’t been super involved in my life so far (;-P), yes, I guess this means, I’ll be submitting my SIR to Harvard sometime today.

I learned that I’m stingy in everything; because choosing one means saying no to the others… and I was always the girl that wanted everything.  I’ll check back in later to provide a more nuanced reasoning to my decision, but if you’d like, shoot me an e-mail and I’d be happy to explain.  I hope my transparency in this whole process (both in person and online) can clarify questions, erase any doubts you might have, and even encourage you!

*Ira = director of STEP Elementary.  Super helpful with everything.  The Stanford professors are awesome and it was really difficult to pass up the opportunity to learn from them.

A bite of humble pie

This just goes to show that I really have no idea how the application process works.  I’m just glad I got in somewhere, and sad I didn’t get in here.  I think it’s more a blow to my ego, though.  Maybe my heart too – after all, my alma mater did just reject me.  Still, go bears!