Yes, we are still on the Yellowbrick Road to The Emerald Steel City.

The past few weeks have been a reminder to me that our journey back to Pittsburgh really is mirroring The Wizard of Oz. Just like Dorothy, I feel like I have been in a cyclone and dropped into a new and semi-strange land. I haven’t posted in so long because my free time has been spent getting reacquainted with my home state and the education system there. Since I left in 1993, so many things have changed it makes my head spin just to think about it.

First, there are two more criminal clearances than when I first earned my certificate to teach in PA. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly do not mind submitting to them and want school children to be safe from predators. I applied and paid for the first one online. Simple and convenient. I’m all clear and safe to teach. Yeah! I can check that one off the list. However, the second one required a list of all of my addresses and all of the people with whom I have lived since 1975. Yes, since 1975! In 1975, I was . . . well never mind how old I was but it was very, very young. Also, do the boyfriends of my college roommates count because a couple of them NEVER seemed to go home? Needless to say it took forFREAKINGever to make sure that document was accurate. I even had to use Google Earth to check on a few addresses. Then, this one had to be snail mailed and paid for with a money order – Do money orders still exist?? Apparently, so – who knew? I guess I’ve gotten too complacent with my newfangled, fancy-pants check writing and credit card using. Continue reading →