still teaching
One of my teaching mentors said to me that nurturing life requires a sacrifice of some of your own life force.
Layering on that is one of my biggest take-aways from this year: education is more than just academic skills, but a whole set of human and life skills.
It's about being part of the community and drawing strength from and being challenged by the community.
And I've gotten so much from my time in education. More than just a more solid awareness of the challenges and highs of teaching, I've also found my voice more. To do something so full of life and with all the ups and downs requires a community that I create in my classroom. It's also the communities that I see other teachers create and that we create together.
As I take on my transition to programming and engineering once again, I know my full-time dedication to public education was what I needed, and it will always be a part of my story.