Three years of being a teacher during the day and a student at night and on weekends. Three years spending days sequestered upstairs, so I could do work in a quiet space. Three years of missing out on time with my husband and kids. Three years of my husband having to do more than his fair share of cleaning and cooking. Which means three years of my house being a mess and a lot of repeated meals. (Okay, I can’t blame my messy house on getting my master’s degree or my husband because, I’ll be honest . . . my house has always been a mess .)

So yeah, it’s been challenging for a variety of reasons.

But it is also one of the best things I’ve ever done.

Because I’ve also gotten to spend these last three years learning how to be a better teacher and better journalism adviser. I’ve spent three years pushing myself and getting pushed by professors and classmates. And now I have three years worth of assignments, lesson plans and materials that I created and that I’m really proud of.

This ePortfolio is a peek not just into those three years and into the 27 years I’ve spent as an educator. It’s a place where I can hold all the knowledge and experiences that have led me to being able to proudly place that cap on my head and hood on my shoulders in just a few short weeks.