From teaching high school English for 14 years to starting over…this is my story (so far).
I served in six Texas public schools as a 9th-12th English teacher for 14 years. I’d dreamed of being a teacher since I was 5 years old, and if you tried to warn me that I would experience trauma over and over again in my classroom, I would’ve told you I’m meant to be a teacher and I could handle it.
Turns out, I can’t. No teacher truly can. Over the years, I constantly noticed how much I wanted to help my students and how little I often could. I experienced several incidents of trauma in my classroom, ranging from students struggling with suicidal ideation to having a former student murdered. Each experience taught me I didn’t have the capacity to help my students process their emotions, much less my own feelings of sadness, guilt, blame, anger, and helplessness. Some people believe emotional regulation requires professional training, but the truth is, we all need and deserve strategies to deal with difficult emotions 24/7 regardless of our access to therapy.
Thankfully, I learned about mindfulness at SXSWEdu in 2017. I remember feeling like I could breathe freely and deeply for the first time in years, no matter what stress was happening in my classroom or personal life.
I began practicing mindfulness on my own and teaching my students what I learned, and noticed a huge shift in my relationship not only with my students, but with my partner, my family and friends, and most importantly—myself. I began to understand the power of knowing I can’t control what happens, I can only control how I respond—one day at a time, sometimes one moment at a time.
I quit teaching in 2018 to focus my time and energy on designing the life I want for myself, and that includes sharing mindfulness with as many people as possible. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to hold space and share these incredible strategies with you!