I'M BACK!!!
That's right, I have returned to the classroom after 5 years away! I want to share with you why I'm back and why I'm at the school I chose.
Why I'm Back
Trying not to sound boastful, but I am a really good teacher. I was an excellent middle school teacher and was our top trainer of new advisors. God has gifted me with the ability to connect with people and help them learn. It's really what I feel like I was born to do.
With full transparency, I'll admit that starting my own financial services practice was difficult. It was one of the hardest things I've ever accomplished. Fortunately, I'm able to retain my licenses there and keep my friends and family clients. This is move that will create more time with my family (I'm home every night now!!!).
Why I'm at DTSE
I am teaching 10-12 grade students at Decatur Township School for Excellence. Let me explain why I chose to work here, even if most teachers would not. DTSE is MSD Decatur's alternative high school. Students here came because they fell behind in middle school. Most have had attendance issues, struggled academically, and have difficult situations at home. These students don't have good relationships with school. They don't see value in education. They don't trust adults. They have been hurt. They have survived.
These are the students I want to work with. I didn't want to teach just any class. I wanted to go where most teachers don't dare. I wanted a challenge. I wanted this.
It is not easy. The students don't simply comply because they are supposed to. The students challenge me. Directly. To my face. They make me think about everything I do in the classroom and about education as a whole. The system wasn't built for these students.
But I am. I am built for this. I have the teaching experience and expertise to provide quality education. I have the mentality, built from adversity in my own life, to withstand behaviors that many teachers could not. I have the sight to see the students as the people they are and not the actions they do.
A #RedForEd Note
Teacher pay is not going to change things for these kids. These kids need support in things that are not traditionally academic. They need mental health professionals to help them sort out what is going on in their lives. They need food. They need clothing. They need consistent adults in their lives, investing themselves into these kids daily.
I'm back.
