Defining Life

“Sometimes you can’t get warm until you admit that you’re cold in the first place.” Sarah Jakes They say the first step is admitting you have a problem. They never disclose the fact that you will take that first step many times in your life. I’m only 31 and square one is, well, a familiar pace. Now, this is not going to be one of those posts recounting years of pain. This is actually more about unexpected triumphs. You see, after 31 years in the game, I “admitted that I was cold.” These days, I’m pretty warm inside.  I recently spoke with a friend of mine from college. There was a point in my life when she was my person. I told her every secret and I laid all of my brokenness out for her to see. It was terrifying. I was broken in so many places and pieces that I had no clue where to begin to heal. At some point, I started at square one. My childhood. Beautiful and painful. I’m sure in a previous blog I’ve exposed all of that, so I won’t do it here. Just know, in my jo...

"A boss has the title, a Leader has the people." Simon Sinek My career as a teacher has been a challenging one, and not because of my colleagues, my students, or their parents. Many know that it took a while to pass the Math Praxis. I never gave in; partly because of my will to succeed, but mostly due to the encouragement of my leader, Dr. Carolyn Jackson-King. The woman that hired me and then fought for me to stay.  My second day of teaching 4th grade at Orr Elementary, I walked into her office, and told her I needed to resign. It was a truth joke. I laughed and I cried. I was NOT READY. I had started my certification program, I was studying for the praxis, and I was teaching one of the most notorious groups of students to ever grace the walls of that building. While that group made me who I am as a teacher, my principal gave me every tool I needed to even come close to the educator they deserved. Over the years, I believe that I have grown as a teacher. It is clear...