Time for a New Backpack!

So, I am headed to Graduate School! I was accepted about two weeks ago to the Portland State Graduate School of Education, where I'll be part of a program called the Bilingual Teacher Pathway, and (hopefully) in two years, I'll graduate with a Master's in Education, and an initial teaching license with endorsements in Language Arts and ESL/Bilingual Education.

Man, I hope all that fits on the diploma.

What's cool about this program is that it's meant for people who work full-time, so classes are during the evenings and weekends. So, it's a huge relief for me, because I really didn't want to leave my job for two years for school, and then somehow come up with close to $20,000 dollars to pay for it.

Oh, another nifty thing: I can defer my student loans from my undergrad until I graduate from PSU. Seriously, I am so excited about this. I make about $1,200 a month, and a good third of that (if not more) went to those greedy old guys at the Department of Education. So, if $400 goes to student loans, and $320 to rent, I am left with $480 to last me a month. And while it'd be great to spend all of that on myself, there's usually something that comes up during the month that results in my paying a greasy mechanic or a veterinarian some exorbitant amount.

So, yeah. I am super excited to start the program in September, learn all sorts of cool things, and then start teaching! Oh, and of course, I am totally stoked to get a really cool backpack with the money I WON'T be paying to old greedy dudes!