Where it all began...

 To explain my purpose behind this blog you must understand that I was raised by two loving parents who worked hard to provide for my brother, sisters, and me. This blog and my desire to help others may just be a small way for me to help pay it forward. My father worked long, hard days in the Florida heat. He has never stopped working. My mother did many jobs and was always involved in education. Most importantly my parents worked together to raise me. They were my very first teachers. She quite literally taught me in a small pre-school house just outside of our back door. As I grew older, she worked in the schools as a special education aide, then special education teacher, then counselor, to homeless transition specialist with many jobs in between. As a child I would leave my classrooms and go to her school or classroom and work with her, and many times work with her students. As I got even older, I volunteered helping other students in school. I knew when I was young that even though I had an original wish to become a lawyer, I would not be happy unless I was helping children and so education was the actual path I chose when college became an option.

Just shy of graduating college I went to my first interview and was offered the job. My college professor said that if I chose to work instead of taking an internship that she would come offer guidance and help me through it. So, I began my first teaching job six months before I graduated with my teaching degree. This was a scary time but also exciting, I was doing it. I was going to make a difference in the lives of children. I stepped into the classroom of my first class at a charter school, McKeel Academy of Technology, and got a little jittery when I realized for the first time that some the ‘children’ I was working with were only three years younger than I was. I knew right off the bat that I had to be bold and assert myself as an adult, to avoid any conflicts, because I was teaching high school students. To this day I have no regrets, it was a great learning experience, and I am so glad it was my first. The administrator was supportive, and the school was small enough that I was able to work closely with other teachers and build strong relationships.

My recommendation for anyone beginning a new job as a teacher at a new school is to reach out to other teachers. Do your best to build a relationship with your colleagues and learn as much as you can about the expectations of the administrator, the school’s mission and vision and the dynamics of the school and students and become a part of it. Help with strengthening the school community and go in with a positive attitude. Also, never hesitate to reach out for support when you need it.