“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” – Anais Nin
After dedicating a decade of my life to the betterment of my students, I packed up my classroom in pursuits of my own growth. Before the pandemic, I had made the decision to move 3,000 miles away from 3 decades of “home” and end my beloved career to be closer to my husband’s family. Weeks after I signed the official paperwork on my intent not to return, the pandemic striped me from my last months as a classroom educator. I was forced to spend all of May alone packing up my entire classroom that was once always bustling with passion. As yearbook advisor, I held onto the belief I could still make an impact so I collected, aggregate, and printed schoolwide personal messages to distribute to staff and students. In retrospect, organizing yearbook distribution gave me something to look forward to amidst so much uncertainty.
Like for many, this pandemic has been a rollercoaster. I left all that I knew in California with no real goodbye. And yet, Eastbound I somehow began to grow between the cracks of opportunities.
Follow me as I reflect on my journeys into the dichotomies of life; through ends and beginnings, leading and following, teaching and learning, creating and consuming.
I have so many thoughts to formulate, but no promises on when or how they’ll manifest. Check back to see an onslaught of topics come to fruition:
- The Dos and Donts of becoming a Math Educator in California
- My Experience Attending a Software Engineer Bootcamp Remotely
- Those Moments that Define You: A Retrospective Approach
- No Seriously, Check Out this Cool Shit.
- The Importance of Building Community: From Festivals to Animal Club
- My Favorite Leaders and How They Lead
RachelElysia 