My journey as a teacher at MSD
I went for a haircut today. I booked the appointment weeks ago, but spent the whole time in New York City exclaiming how excited I was to cut it all off. I love my hair, but sometimes it needs to go. It’s very thick, curly & heavy… not ideal for life in Florida, seven steps … Continue reading March 25, 2019
A year ago today, I was in Washington, DC for March For Our Lives. Today, I spent the day in my room. Last weekend, a 2018 graduate committed suicide. Last night, a current student did the same. While I did not have either as a student, my heart aches for them. For their families. For … Continue reading March 24, 2019
Today was an absolutely wonderful day! I won two of the most prestigious awards given by CSPA (Columbia Scholastic Press Association). The first was presented at the adviser luncheon. I was awarded the Gold Key. This award is presented to those who have shown outstanding dedication to scholastic journalism. More information about the award can … Continue reading March 22, 2019
I was invited to go to Des Moines, Iowa as a part of the Schoolhouse Gate Project. The was an opportunity brought to us by Maribeth Romslo, a filmmaker who has been working on a documentary with us since February 2018. Her project is called “Young Voices, Big Change.” https://www.schoolhousegateproject.com/ https://www.youngvoicesbigchange.com/ We began the discussion … Continue reading February 21-24, 2019
This weekend was my daughter’s first dance competition of the season. She had three dances on Saturday and three dances on Sunday. She also competed her solo for the first time, and wore her orange ribbon for Jaime. Her dances did incredibly well, and scored as follows: Boom Clap (Petite Ballet) – “Breath of Fresh … Continue reading February 16-17, 2019
I went dark on social media for a few days leading up to the first anniversary. While away, I did a lot of writing, soul-searching and interviews. This is the interview I did with WLRN, our local NPR affiliate: http://www.wlrn.org/post/stoneman-douglas-students-teacher-discuss-how-new-book-parkland-speaks-helped-them-heal This is the piece I wrote for PBS News Hour Extra’s blog: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/opinion-learning-to-be-the-new-me-after-the-parkland-tragedy This is … Continue reading February 15, 2019
Today marks the one year anniversary of the most terribly day of my life. As I’m writing this, it’s 4:13 p.m. One year ago at 4:13 p.m. I was still sitting in my classroom with 15 students waiting to be released. The SWAT Team wouldn’t even get to my classroom for over an hour. To … Continue reading February 14, 2019
I went to visit Jaime & Meadow today. I reached out to Jaime’s mom yesterday and Meadow’s cousin (who I had a student, as well, a few years ago). I wanted to make sure it was ok if I went. I dropped my daughter off at Hebrew school and went to the cemetery. I went … Continue reading February 10, 2019
Today was my daughter’s dance studio showcase. All of the competition dances for the season take the stage for the first time. She performed the dances she already at Tremaine in Orlando in November. She also performed her solo for the first time before an audience. We got all of her costume bags ready to … Continue reading February 9, 2019
I’m writing this entry to give a better understanding of what I’m going through. I have PTSD. I know what that means, and at the same time, I have no idea what it means. I am ok. I am not ok. I don’t know when I’ll be ok. Some days are better than others. Some … Continue reading January 25, 2019