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At the end of every day I try to quit work by 5:30. I try to stop checking emails. I try to shut down my computer. I try to leave my office space and venture up to be with my family. Some days, I can do that. Other days, I struggle. Since I’m teaching online,… Read more

I belong to two different, but incredibly special, educator communities. In one group we meet monthly on Zoom around a topic of interest. In the second group we meet several times a week to share personal and professional stories and to write. In both groups, we carry on conversations when we’re not gathered together in… Read more

Today I participated in Day #2 of the Ethical ELA Open Write. I wrote a pantoum. I’ve never written one before. When I read the process for writing a pantoum, my first thought was: Woah! I will never be able to do that. Then, I decided to try it out. I’ve been writing about my… Read more

Today I went shopping. Even though the warmer temperatures beckoned me to go for a walk, I went shopping instead. While I was in the store I kept thinking: “do I really need this?” every time I put something else in my cart. When I was growing up “going shopping” was a happy event. One… Read more

The last couple of days have been a blur. Half-day of teaching yesterday. Then, parent-guardian-teacher conferences in the afternoon and into the evening. More conferences this morning and early afternoon. With some in between time to catch up on, and add to, my to-do list. Now, I’m ready to take a break. Push my work… Read more

Parent-guardian-teacher conferences have always served as a barometer of how things are going. Not the only measure, but an important one. More so now than in-person because parents and guardians are present in my classroom 24/7. The hear me. They see me. They know when I’m frustrated. They hear our laughter. They hear our silence.… Read more

I finally read and responded to all of the comments on my blog posts from the last nine days of this challenge. I loved reading everyone’s words and the care with which everyone commented on my posts. It reaffirmed the importance of feedback. Of what it feels like to have your words “seen” and “heard”… Read more

I just submitted some writing that was proving to be more of a challenge than I initially anticipated. It gave me a headache. It frustrated me. It shook my self-confidence. Until tonight. When I had a breakthrough and finished writing. I think it was because I persevered. It was also because I wanted to prove… Read more

I am overwhelmed with the emails that flood my inbox on a daily basis. Every email that comes in with a new and improved way to teach math isn’t all it’s cracked up be. If I am honest with myself only a fraction of what I receive each day is worth my time. So, yes,… Read more

There are so many ideas and emotions swirling around in my head today. I don’t know which one to focus on. As a white, Latinx teacher, I think a lot about what it means to be antiracist. I know there is a lot of work still to be done within the Latinx community around this… Read more