life beginning over again
Time has been weird over the past few weeks. Stretched out til it’s raw, then hurriedly knit back together again, except now there are knots and broken parts. Loose threads everywhere. those damn loose...
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The Main Barriers & creative maladjustment
Over the years, when I first wanted to do TFA, I remember being incredibly curious about the socialization and learning process of incoming TFA teachers. I heard a lot of things in the news (most of...
View Articlethe final countdown
It’s official! One week from today, I’ll be in Houston, about to begin Induction. Over the past few weeks at home I’ve been trying to pin down exactly how I feel about...
View Articlenerves on nerves on nerves
I supposed it’s normal to be nervous heading into any sort of experience, much less one as intense and all-encompassing as Institute. Knowing that “this is normal” – while a little bit comforting –...
View Articlethe plans I have for you
In other words…The Night Before Induction. I fly to Houston tomorrow to pick up my car, move into my room at Rice, get settled, and try and get my life together before Induction begins. As a heads-up,...
View Articleblurred edges
I’ve found myself completely and totally blindsided by the difficulty of attending Induction & Institute on the same campus where I graduated from college. Graduation was pretty tough for me. I was...
View Article“Everyone you see was once someone’s student.”
I am at a complete loss for words to describe the past day and a half. It has been an experience unlike anything I could have ever imagined or prepared myself for. I went to an event today with a few...
View Article“Justice is what love looks like in public”: The End of Induction
This quote, courtesy of Cornel West, was shared in one of our final sessions of Induction. The session – entitled A Vision for Teaching As Leadership – was one of the more tangible, specific sessions...
View Articletake your fast car and keep on driving.
I know I’m not supposed to say this, and maybe I’ll jinx myself, but I really really love Institute. To be fair, this is only the first week, and things will get more intense from here: the material...
View Articlefinally, a time to feel my feelings
It’s 12:34 AM as I write this, from a wooden table in the harsh light of Houston Institute 2013. I stopped lesson planning about thirty minutes ago and have just been thinking about things. I’ve been...
View Articlemeltdown.
It’s extraordinarily difficult to write this, mainly because it’s so real/raw/fresh/tear-inducing in my mind, but also because it’s hard to discuss without giving too many specific details. I really...
View Articlepressure
There are times when I love being here, and there are times when I hate it. There are times when I manage to stay positive and there are times when the negativity, stress, pressure, and frustration can...
View Articleready to re-tackle
And with that, I’m ready to dive back in. I had to make a concerted effort to get to this point, I really did. Saturday I did literally nothing related to TFA, teaching, the achievement gap,...
View Articlemeltdown v.2
Other than a pretty rough breakup my junior year of college, I don’t think anything in my life has ever made me feel as bad about myself as I do now. My kids were – and I hate to put it this way –...
View Article“I believe in you.”
I guess progress comes in baby steps. It’s messy and uneven and heartbreaking all at the same time. On one hand, I want to celebrate the little progresses in my classroom, because I have to have...
View Articlethe bloom of summertime
I suppose in any new situation you feel the initial shock of new people, new ideas, new culture, new norms. And then at a certain point you realize how much you’re changing, how much you’re evolving....
View Articlemidpoint reflections
Fourth of July weekend has brought many realizations for me, some comfortable, some not-so-comfortable. Institute forces an incredibly short-term mindset. Faced with the challenges of this lesson plan...
View Articleon humility.
I want to word this very carefully & intentionally, because I’m feeling pretty emotional about it but I want to make sure things come out the way they’re intended to. I also fully recognize that in...
View Articleis it good to be afraid?
On the wall of the copy room (a room where I spend a lot of time, as it turns out) there’s a quote: “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, it becomes less and less...
View Articleon being good enough: the final few days.
As the days of Institute wind down, I am struck by a feeling of wistfulness, of all things – the gentle nagging feeling that comes when you already miss something you’re still in the middle of. As odd...
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