Coston to Boston.

Jul 5

Well, it’s July 5th—four days after my first day as a new principal in the Boston area. It’s so crazy to type & reread that line, because just a few weeks ago, I was educating & living in Kuwait. Time flies!

Hello, everyone! It’s officially been 6 months into 2021, and this is my first post of the year. I know, know—it’s been a long time; but if only you could’ve been a fly on the wall for my life recently! It’s certainly been a wild ride, but I’m back to provide some updates on what life & school leadership has been like for me.

From the U.S. to Kuwait! *January 2021*

Don’t mind my hair! This is fresh off of a day & a half flight! But look mom, I made it!

If you’re new, my last post, Lose to Win, was a recap of lessons & experiences I had to end out 2020. But here’s a short summary: In September 2020, I was slated to be the founding principal for a school in Kuwait. Shortly after the school opened, things didn’t go as planned with the school opening & launch plan, budget, enrollment, etc.. So, I accepted another position in Kuwait and moved there in January 2021.

And now in July 2021, I’ve moved from Kuwait to Boston, as I’ve accepted a principal position here. My school leadership & life journey that I promised to take you all on is definitely on the move, and I have lots to share in regards to my time in Kuwait & now being here in Boston. The public school district I now work for is actually in a neighboring suburb, but I will commute to work from Boston, which is about 20 minutes.

There will be more blog posts to come regarding this—but overall, my time in Kuwait went very different than what I expected. COVID-19 numbers were still very much climbing there. Because of this, it did not allow me the quality of life & abroad living experience I was hoping for. Curfews & lockdowns were still very much in effect, and we were restricted from traveling about the area as much I did in Mongolia.

News releases from a popular media site in Kuwait. Some of these releases were from the week of my leaving Kuwait. Yes, they were still dealing with COVID-related curfews, lockdowns, and restrictions in May & June 2021.

Additionally, I experienced some mental health struggles in regards to life transitions, losing a loved one while living abroad, work/life balance, family illnesses, and much more that I cannot wait to share. I don’t think we talk enough about the mental health struggles that educators, especially administrators, may face. But I am proud to be an advocate for self-care, maintaining a healthy work/life balance, and making decisions that are best for you.

Given these reasons, I decided to see what else was out there, and here we are! I am still very much adjusting to Boston and the New England area, but I look forward to taking you all along the journey with me, as well as sharing some of the experiences I had while educating and living in The Middle East, which there were many good ones amidst the tough times as well.

Interestingly enough, sometimes when I would introduce myself to people, I would say, “I’m Chassity, and my last name is Boston with a C instead of a B. Little did I know, I would be living & working here someday! I’m excited for the personal & professional growth I will experience while here. I guess it’s “Go Red Sox!” now :-).