Moving to Vietnam

After a whirlwind tour visiting family, friends, and taking care of many more errands than in a typical summer vacation, my family and I arrived in Vietnam mid-July. The 27 hours of travel went far more smoothly and quickly than expected. This was at least partly due to the fact that the under-filled coach cabin yielded our now eight-month old daughter her own seat.

All of this was a big step toward the next stage of my teaching career: I’ve joined the high school faculty at the Saigon South International School, located in District 7 of Ho Chi Minh City. This past week, I started my year teaching two sections of the first year of IB Mathematics SL, two sections of pre-Calculus, and a section of Algebra 2 & trigonometry. If you’ve heard me discuss my teaching load at my previous school, you’ll know that this is half the number of preps, and one more open block in my schedule than I’ve had for the past six years. I’ve been amazed by my colleagues and their range of international experiences, both in and out of my department. The energy to try new things and a drive to challenge my teaching practices are both part of the culture here, and it’s very exciting to be on this team for the new year.

I’ll continue to write on this blog, which has often played second fiddle to other obligations in the past couple of years. My hope is to reflect more regularly as part of an effort to do fewer things, but with greater focus. I hope you’ll continue to join me.