The Ordinary Impact

 There’s a strange tension in the air during the last week of summer break. Part of me is excited—ready to get back into the rhythm, see familiar faces, feel that buzz of a new school year. But there’s another part that quietly whispers, “Can’t we have just a little more time?” And I’ll admit— it feels weird to say that out loud . After all, people in “normal” jobs don’t get two months to reset. They don’t get to pause and recharge the same way we do in education. So who am I to complain? But here’s what I’m learning: Gratitude and weariness can exist at the same time. Joy for the work and a longing for rest are not enemies—they’re just both true. And that tug-of-war feeling? It’s not just about the end of summer. It’s what most people feel every Sunday night. Or Monday morning. Or every time we leave comfort for calling. Because, all too often, Monday is the real hurdle of the week. Tuesday is almost Wednesday. Wednesday is halfway home. Thursday is basically Friday. And Fri...

I grew up in Illinois—the Land of Lincoln. I learned about the Emancipation Proclamation in school. We took field trips to Springfield. We walked past bronze statues and read plaques in the Capitol. We were taught that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves. But no one told us the whole story. No one mentioned that it took more than two years after Lincoln’s proclamation of freedom to finally reach every corner of the country. No one told us about June 19, 1865 —when the last group of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were told they were free. No one said their freedom had already been signed into law, but it was withheld. Delayed. Denied. That day—Juneteenth—was missing from my textbooks. But it matters. Deeply. Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom, yes—but it’s also a call to honesty. A call to look again at the stories we were told and ask,  “What was left out?” "Who was left out?" It’s a day to amplify Black joy, history, culture, and resilience. And for those o...

I think it's a safe bet to say that no one expected cities, restaurants, and schools to shut down; but here we are living a new temporary normal. Like many educators, I am missing my classroom and students - and frankly, missing the ability to leave my house. That being said, social distancing has made me be intentional about how I connect with my friends, my students, and my family. The challenges created by COVID-19 have birthed creativity and innovation in my approach to how I educate my students and how I educate my seven year old at home. We have read together. We have learned about animals from Wild Kratts . We have learned about people in history from The Who Was? Show . We have taken virtual field trips to Hawaii , the Smithsonian , and regions of Italy and China . We have found ways to problem solve by building with Legos ; and we have practiced addition and subtraction by playing with Bakugan . Every day we discover new ways to learn. Every day we ...