My journey as a teacher at MSD
My parents were cleaning out the closet in what was my brother’s room & found my Girl Scout uniforms. I was a Girl Scout from 1985-1993. My mom was my troop leader; I started as a Daisy and went through to Cadet. By the time I was a Cadet, there were only three of us … Continue reading July 24, 2021
I went to Pulse today. I live three hours away & have never been. As a gun violence survivor and LGBTQ parent, it was more important than ever to go, pay my respects and be there with my daughter. I went to the little merchandise kiosk and got shirts for both of us. The woman … Continue reading July 9, 2021
Today was the last day of school. Well, yesterday was my last day on campus. I took this picture right before I left for the day, although this could’ve been taken any day this year. This year was sad, lonely, ridiculous, stupid, comical, frustrating, stressful. This year was something. I never got the chance to … Continue reading June 10, 2021
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Class of 2021 graduated this evening. I always look forward to graduation, but this one felt very different. Obviously, COVID made this year ridiculous, so the normal relationships I have with my senior students was all but absent. On top of that, these were the students who were freshmen … Continue reading June 8, 2021
Today begins Gun Violence Awareness Month. I wear orange for Alyssa, Scott, Martin, Nick, Aaron, Jaime, Chris, Luke, Cara, Gina, Joaquin, Alaina, Meadow, Helena, Alex, Carmen & Peter. I wear orange for myself and all of the survivors of 2/14. I wear orange for Columbine, Sandy Hook, Pulse, Virginia Tech, countless churches and synagogues. I … Continue reading June 1, 2021
Today begins Pride Month. My daughter came out in April, a few weeks before her 12th birthday. I was so proud of her. Correction, I am so proud of her. I am proud of her for living her truth and being her authentic self. I am proud of her for knowing who she is and … Continue reading June 1, 2021
Two things happened today. I got to see the 2021 yearbook for the first time and I received the most beautiful note from one of my English seniors as part of her senior project. Ask any yearbook adviser if they like the current year’s book, and 99% will say no. They’re sick of looking at … Continue reading May 24, 2021
So… I turned 41 today. It felt like a normal Sunday. No special fanfare. No big plans. I got cards from my husband and children. I spent the day at home watching tv, hanging with Ruby. My husband brought in breakfast from the local bagel place and lunch from Cheesecake Factory. We met my parents … Continue reading May 9, 2021
I got the COVID vaccine today. My husband & I drove to Miami to get it. The governor recently added all K-12 school-based personnel. I’ve been waiting to get it because I didn’t fit the age or health criteria before this change. The whole process was seamless and really quite amazing. It was really cool … Continue reading March 13, 2021
So, here we are. It’s been three years. How can it feel like three months, three minutes and three decades all at the same time? I woke up at 6:30 and took Ruby for a walk. I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I began to scroll through social media and posted this. My son … Continue reading February 14, 2021