Life Update - Summer of 2025

The school year 2024-2025 just about killed me. I don’t mean that literally… but also, I kind of do. 😏

I made the choice to move to a school closer to home to cut out almost 2 hours of commuting from my day. It was a difficult choice to make, I really loved the school that I had been at, and felt close to my coworkers. I was so afraid I wouldn’t find that kind of place in the new school.

I made it to the new school, with very high hopes of tackling the world’s problems (you know, that feeling we get every year before we realize that we still don’t have it all figured out). I was excited for teaching ONE prep for almost every section, something that I hadn’t experienced yet in teaching. Normally it is 3-5 preps in a year! I was hopeful that it would give me the space and freedom to find better ways to tackle the challenges that came our way in the classroom.

But the school I was moving to had been newly established as a “failing” school. As we were in the spotlight for being low-performing, lots of changes were being made. Some of the expectations were starting to get to me. A lot of our planning time was being spent in meetings, meetings that it was hard not to take personally. Why was I being taught in these trainings things that I had spent countless hours and dollars trying to perfect already? The frustration of being told to differentiate, but then teacher training being designed as a one-size-fits-all was really becoming too much to bear. My students needed to have a rigorous class, with expectations that would help them to see what amazing things they were capable of. I needed to fill in the gaps that education had left in their lives. Why wasn’t I being given the freedom to provide that and instead being given unrealistic expectations? I cannot afford to take my personal time to fill in what we miss in our planning time.

I have a family.

I have a photography business to help fill in the financial gaps left in my paycheck.

I started dropping by the wayside. Feeling like I have denied my children the mother and attention that they deserve. The house over time becoming an afterthought, maintenance no longer a thing. My health was suffering. I had no energy to give towards planning meals, so I would eat whatever snack I could find during the day and only have one meal, dinner. Emotionally, I was drained. Going to a high-needs school means you see some of the worst struggles for your students, things that you are limited in how you can involve yourself. I didn’t have time to myself to just create, or think, or be. Physically, I wasn’t active, and that is hard for a dancer. Going from being active all the time as your job to just standing in front of a room all day.

Guys, I had serious questions. Why would I do this to myself? How does it make any sense to stay in a position that strips me of everything that makes me me?

I had decided I wasn’t going back.

But when it came time to sign the contract… I decided I needed to keep an open mind for what the new year could bring.

I’m so glad I could do that, because while I know some of the problems of this job won’t be solved this year, a lot of my key issues will be.

I get a FULL semester of APUSH. No killing myself and my students to try and meet the demands of the class in 4 months.

New administration, while I loved our administrators, the expectations were unreasonable and I genuinely did not feel they were productive. I am all for trainings if they are meaningful and effective. That was not my experience this last year.

EXPERIENCE! I had one more year of experience. A year with a different group of kids teaching me all new things.

I am excited.

Excited for the new year and excited to share with you all how this year goes. I will keep everyone updated, and you keep me in your prayers. 😂

The student that made the year worth it all!

Much love!

Heather