To Become My Best Self

Hi!

It has been a long time since I last checked in... part of me feels bad for even writing this because one posting cannot do justice to what has happened in the last 6 months. Instead of taking time to write out every event that has occurred (there's been a lot, trust me), I'm just going to pick out the events that are the most important/influential.

• I'm still in New Orleans and I'm still teaching! 
• There was a lot of doubt in my mind back in September as to whether or not I could actually do this and survive. Well, I'm doing it, and I'm surviving! I think my principal put it best during my evaluation, "You tell yourself and others that you can't do something, but then you do it anyway. That's perseverance." 

• I've built a lot of really strong relationships with kids I struggled with in the beginning.
• These are the kids who keep me going everyday. Even though they were difficult at first, I've taken the time to invest in them and their lives and it's paying off! It's a joy seeing and interacting with them every day!

• My confidence has grown exponentially.
• It's true! I know I still have a ways to go, but where I am now compared to where I was before is as different as night and day. I don't experience such severe anxiety any more. 

• I've changed several scholar perspectives on music education!
• At the beginning of the year, a lot of students repeatedly told me how useless music education was. Just last week, the same students expressed that music class has helped them relax, gather their thoughts, and manage their stress throughout the day. Music IS important!

• Teaching Special Education is what I want to do forever.
• Teaching students with severe disabilities has been one of the most eye opening experiences of my life. I am incredibly thankful for this placement and for the struggle I went through because I know that I want to teach special education for students with significant disabilities forever and always. 

"I would like to change how the world thinks about people with disabilities."

My school has a credo we recite every Friday after PD is over. One part of the credo has really stuck with me over the past few months:

- Why are you here?

- To learn.

- Why else?

- To become powerful. To become a leader. To become my best self. 

If you have any specific questions/comments/concerns, just want to know more detail, please feel free to leave a comment or message me! 

Love you guys!