Why?

One of the first questions that people usually ask is "Why did you want to go to the Reservation?"  Many people cannot understand why anyone would choose to move to such a remote location.  I have had an interest in Native Americans for a long time, and I studied about their history in college.  I was never quite adventurous enough to join the Peace Corps, move to a foreign country, or travel the world.  Living on the reservation was something that I could do.  It would allow me to be a little bit adventurous and get to experience some aspects of the Native American culture.

I had been wanting to find a job teaching on the reservation since I became a certified teacher in 2004, but things never seemed to work out right.  So when I found myself unemployed last year, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to go to the reservation.  It was now or never.  I looked on the internet for school districts located on the reservation.  I came across Pinon Unified School District, which is located in Pinon, Arizona on the Navajo Reservation.  As luck would have it, they were hiring.  I was hired as a first grade teacher at the end of September.  I loaded my dog and the my belongings into my car and made the voyage from Colorado to Pinon to begin my new journey.  What a journey it has been!

With this blog I hope to provide a little insight into what life is like on the reservation through my own personal experiences, things that I have seen, and people that I talk to around the reservation.

Enjoy!