My “Now”
Like so many others, my life looks a lot different today than what I would have predicted it to look like just two years ago. I might have taught at Waunakee High School until my retirement, had this pandemic not taken over the world. To be clear, that would have been a meaningful and memorable way to spend my career. I admire and respect my friends and colleagues in Waunakee more than I can describe in words.
My 2020–2021 school year was spent at home with my daughters. When I decided to resign from my teaching job, I went through a vast array of emotions, but I know I made the right decision for my family and for myself. It was both the hardest and the easiest decision I’ve ever made. But thank goodness for the Writing Project. This professional home kept me connected and kept my faith in education alive. I highly value our community, and am beyond grateful to share this experience together.
It is our first meeting for our 2021–2022 “What We Can Become” group. I have many notebook pages filled with golden nuggets from all the brilliant people at the table. My heart is full. I’m not going back to the classroom this fall, and yet here I am for year two of “What We Can Become.” Why? Because I do plan to go back to the classroom someday. Because some of the best people I know are here. They’re wicked smart, they’re tremendously thoughtful, and they ask the best damn questions. If transformative is the goal, then the Writing Project, for me, meets it Every. Single. Time. Wherever I am in my teaching career, I know the writing project will welcome me with open arms. Here, I will always learn, and I will always be inspired.
I am spending my 2021–2022 school year as a student in graduate school, in a program through UW Milwaukee called Cultural Foundations of Community Engagement and Education. The program focuses on alternative education, urban education, race relations, and social justice. I am ready to learn as much as possible. The lens I bring to “What We Can Become” this year will be different, as a student of these important current issues in education. I hope to gain a deeper sense of empathy with students as well as colleagues. I plan to not only build my knowledge, but also my compassion, courage, vulnerability, and sense of humanity. To my peers in “What We Can Become,” I promise to always listen. I also promise to offer honest and supportive feedback. I have already learned so much from you. Thank you in advance for the rest of our journey together.
