Together We Can Move Mountains

What's more meaningful than the collaboration and unity of fellow educators? Nothing. I feel honored to be apart of such a wonderful and fulfilling profession. Above all else remember, you are not alone! We are here to support each other and build on another up. "Standing on the shoulders of giants" is how we improve as educators and individuals. Together we are better.

For many years I have wanted to be able to sit down and pour my thoughts out onto the page in hopes of building connections and fostering the love of teaching and learning. I finally brought myself to sit down, reflect, and truly dig deep to make a solid connection virtually with all of you. Then I discovered... I am not good at this! But isn't that what this is all about really? In our profession we are always learning, reflecting, and realizing, "Wow, I could have done that better!"

When I was in high school, I had an amazing dance team coach. She was more than just a coach, really. She was a mentor, a friend, and a pillar of strength for ever single student who walked into her classroom. We would go out for every competition and yell "1, 2 , 3, SHINE!" It was our hype! From there I graduated knowing that teaching was the end all be all goal for me. After college I landed a job teaching in an itty bitty town in Arizona. It was there that I was given the opportunity to teach 6th graders as well as coach the after school Drama Club at the local high school. It was the night of our first performance and I was expected to give a speech to "rally the troops". As a first year teacher with 40 kids in front of me waiting to hear words of wisdom and support, nervous is an understatement of what I was feeling. I looked at them all and told them the story of my high school dance coach. I did the only thing I could think of doing and I spoke from the heart. It was in that moment that SHINE ON was something different, something powerful, something special. I said on the count of three we yell Shine On! and we show them what we've all worked so hard on creating.

Those students went out and put on a remarkable show. I knew that Shine On would have to live on forever. Years have passed since I left those lovely students in my cozy classroom, but Shine On will always be apart of me.

This page is about more than teaching. It's about unity, the power of ONE. We have the ability to be even better than we were yesterday if we continue to push ourselves. We all will Shine On!

"If not us? Who?

If not now? When?" - JFK

#schoolyear #backtoschool