I can picture her standing there at the miniature blackboard her mother put up, surrounded by her dolls and stuffed animals. They are in school. And she is the teacher. Always. She was always the teacher. Even with the neighborhood kids. It’s all she ever wanted to be.

And it is what she has done. The classrooms have changed again and again – not just the ages or the subject matter, but also the countries. But she is still and, I daresay, always will be, a teacher.

I envy that singular focus and purpose. The statistics these days put most of us in a range of 3-7 career changes in a lifetime. And I would guess that those who live their lives attached to the military in some way are on the 7-end. I’m sure many of you have long lists of crazy jobs you’ve held.

But Staci is a teacher. You can hear in her voice how much she enjoys the interactions with her students. Learning from them probably as much as they learn from her. Devoting her working hours to helping others better understand the world they are living in.

She first taught high school English in Northern California. When she and her Navy husband got stationed in Sasebo, Japan, she assumed she’d find the same job there. She applied to DoDDs and did all that she was supposed too… she subbed like crazy, made impromptu visits to the principal, wrote letters to the chair of the English department, became a bit of a school stalker really and… they never called.

She was jobless.

That was a difficult time for her. And she thinks it’s something experienced by many of you. The expectation that you’ll be able to find here all that you had there. That magically life in Okinawa will become a carbon copy of your life in America. And that just doesn’t happen.

When she took a breath and accepted that fact she found a wonderful job working off base at a Japanese junior college teaching English as a second language. She had some training in ESL back in college and quickly found that not only did she enjoy the classes but that she was learning to slow down.

“I think most American’s need slowing down. It’s hard to keep up with a husband who is incredibly busy and a crazy life of work and kids. I don’t know what would have ever slowed me down if we’d stayed in the States. But being in Japan the first time, sitting around, not having a job, helped me morph into something else.”

One of the professors suggested she consider doing her Master’s degree. With no kids yet and a slower life it made perfect sense. She began a program with Troy State, half on-line and half in classes on base and completed her degree before they left their post in Sasebo.

When they went back to the States it was to an area of Maine where things are quite homogenous and ESL teachers aren’t in great demand. But having learned something about flexibility, she happily went back to the high school English classroom.

And then came their orders to Okinawa. She was happy to get back to Japan as the country has it’s own special segment of her heart. This time she was open to a variety of teaching jobs and found that the colleges on base are often looking for teachers (usually a Master’s degree is required). They don’t pay as well as the DoDDs system, but there is great flexibility, including options for part-time teaching. Which was perfect since her son was born here and she has wanted a more flexible job.

Most of her students are Japanese people married to U.S. military spouses. It’s clear she is an integral part of the transition they are trying to make into American life. Her classes offer a real slice of life. The students bring in job applications for her, their child’s dental record that they can’t understand. They pose questions about interactions they’ve had with Americans that they don’t quite get. And they ask the teacher. The teacher who is safe for them to bring these questions to, and whom they know will offer clarity and will help them with demystifying American life. She doesn’t have to work as hard as many of us to be immersed in Japanese culture, because it comes to her every week in class.

She’d encourage any of us to learn to relax here and let yourself change. Be open to learning new things and befriending people you maybe thought you never would. “It’s not all going to come to you the first week in the West Pac.” You’ll have to hold on to really enjoy the adventure.

She’s uncertain what she’ll do at their next duty station, but feels confident and thankful that Okinawa has made her a better teacher. This will always be a special place to her as both of her children will be born here. The newest arrival is due on January 14 and she found out TODAY that it’s a……

GIRL!!!