My 18 years

I have been in education for 18 years.

In those 18 years, I have worked inside classrooms all over Southern California. From Chula Vista/San Diego, to Orange County, to Los Angeles - I have had students all over SoCal. My classrooms have faced the Hollywood sign, been under lockdown for many hours due to local shootings, or have been in extremely affluent areas with $20,000/year tuition fees.

I have taught as few as 20 students in my class up to 34 students in a 4/5 combo. I have had moments of brilliance as a classroom teacher, and extreme moments of failure. I have taught lessons that I would be proud to broadcast to the world and lessons I hoped no one would walk in and see me flailing trying to teach.

I have taught many students, from many countries, with many languages and many diverse backgrounds. I have taught students who have never seen real snow. Students who have never left their cities. And some students who have seen more of the world in their 9 years, than I will in a lifetime.

In my 18 years of education, I have spent some years outside the classroom as well. I have helped students with ELD and reading as a Reading Specialist. I have worked as a TOSA to pull small groups of students to reinforce reading and math skills. I have worked as an Instructional Coach helping teams of teachers look at data to inform their instruction.

For the last two years, I have been working as a Digital Learning Coach. Although I miss the classroom - I now see the entire school as my "classroom" - including the teachers and students. I am fortunate enough to be able to help ALL teachers and students integrate technology into classrooms and lessons daily.

My 18 years have brought me here. I have cried many days and nights over students in my class. I have cried in joy I have felt when students succeed or write me sweet notes of appreciation. I have laid awake at night worrying about students of mine. As adults, 18 years after leaving my classroom, I still have students look me up and find ways to stay in touch. In my 18 years, I have felt anger, frustration, exhaustion, stress, joy, happiness, relief and satisfaction. I wouldn't trade any of it. Not one sleepless night.

All of my 18 years have culminated bringing me to where I am today. Today I am a Digital Learning Coach mid-way through the Teachers for Global Classrooms fellowship program. I am learning about global education and how this can change the educator I have been for 18 years and the students I will teach. The world is my classroom and it is a classroom for my students as well. I look forward to what this program can teach me and how I can grow both as a professional and as an individual.