Now in My Twenties

Friends and Family, as you may or may not know, I am now a high school teacher in Dallas. I teach 9th grade Professional Communications, which involves practical learning that applies to the real world, such as business writing, business etiquette, ACT prep, college and career readiness, and much more.  One of the first things I’d like to do for my scholars is connect them with people who work in the same industry they’d like to join. So far, my scholars have expressed an interest in dentistry, business, engineering, marine biology, nursing, medicine, acting, law, and journalism. They have also expressed interest in the following universities: UCLA, TCU, Florida State, MIT, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Yale, and Berkeley. My scholars are very eager to learn more about these college and career paths and what it takes to succeed in them. I am reaching out to all my colleagues to assist my scholars in their networking. Please know that if I reach out to you, it is because you ar...

This text was originally written in May 2016 for Teach For America purposes. Now that my TFA commitment is coming to a close, I have decided to publish my Articulation of Leadership and share with my fellow teachers in hopes that it might express the importance of our work and inspire teachers to continue teaching. ... The academic school year 2015 through 2016 was a year of many changes. I started my new career as an educator; before I had been an editor. This was a big jump for me. I went from reading and editing books every day to teaching children how to read. The decision to change careers was not an easy one, but I knew without a shadow of doubt that I wanted to teach. More specifically, I wanted to teach literacy. Truth is: I love reading and writing. I love it so much that I want to share it with the rest of the world. And there is no better place to begin than in the classroom. My students sharing and celebrating a book we published   titled The Day the Students Too...

Another sleepless night, to be sure. As of now, it is 1:34 a.m. I lay awake in my bed trying my best to shut my brain off, but it is to no avail. Thoughts keep roaming. It might have something to do with the cup of coffee I had just before bed, or perhaps that two-hour nap I took earlier may also be the cause. No, I think instead it is just because I worry. And because I worry, I also plan. Thus, my brain is more awake now in the quiet of the night than it was earlier in the rush of the daylight. I keep thinking about the same thing: that is, of course, my students. Their current ability, their progress, their attitude toward learning, it is all on my mind. The question is the same as it has always been how can I best help them ? As their writing teacher, and as a practitioner of the written word, I want them to be at ease with language and literature. Ideally, I want them to be masters of writing and consciously use written language to advance themselves in life. After all, a per...