Introduction -- the night before the first day of school

Tomorrow is the day.

I titled this blog, “I sing,” because music has been such an important part of my life. As I prepare to teach high school, I fondly remember my time at Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts as incredibly exciting, challenging, and dynamic years. Music, and specifically singing, was my central activity. Even throughout college, I was always singing in at least one choir. Music has always been my default place of happiness—it is where I have gone to find beauty, hope, and encouragement in life when I have become to fatigued, overwhelmed, or disillusioned. Singing still comforts me in a way that nothing else can; therefore, I am hoping that the process of writing this blog will provide me with a way to express my thoughts and feelings in a way that mirrors—or at least closely resembles—the pleasure I gain from singing.

I have been thinking about writing a blog for a while, but I have waited until now – the day before the first day of school – to actually begin writing it. Indeed, this day has been on my mind for quite some time. Many times, even before I applied to Teach For America, I heard people telling stories about their classrooms and why they decided to go into these classrooms and communities in order to “teach for America.” It is true that I found many of these stories inspiring; yet, the excitement that I felt when hearing other people’s stories does not quite compare to the feelings of unrest that have captured my mind and body alike at this time.

I could go on about how I “feel” at this very moment, but I won’t. Much of the manner in which I have sought to experience the beauty of life has been by attempting to take snapshots of various moments that felt so great or so precious that I desired to simply stay in that position or situation for fear that I would never have that moment again. Dunster formal, senior week, pregaming with my blocking group, one last night singing “ole!”, my last Sunday with the University Choir, my last meal in Dunster dining hall, tug-of-war at the Senior Olympics, Class Day, walking across the stage at graduation—these memories sit in my mind as distinct moments that brought me great joy. They are pictures that I want to hold onto in my mind forever.

But now, I am chasing a different type of beauty in life. I am living less for that snapshot and more for the story, or process, behind that snapshot. I am entering the classroom with strong convictions regarding the importance of public education. Education, I firmly believe, is the foundation upon which the ideal of equality of opportunity and the practice of true democracy must be built in order for them to be sustainable. As a teacher, I hope to find beauty in the process of working with students. I hope to enjoy witnessing the growth of both my students and myself throughout the year. I cannot rely on a snapshot or some quick fix to find such beauty, or hope, in life. It will take a lot of hard work, and hopefully I will be able to look at where we start tomorrow and see positive growth throughout the year.

I don’t really have a theme for this blog. Sometimes, I may provide an opinion or two about something going on in the world that is important to me. At other times, I might use it in order try to cope with self-doubt, fears, or anxiety about something going on in my life. Still, some days I will be cheerful and describe some victory won, some obstacle overcome, or even some simple occurrence that I happened to find charming. More than anything, I want to write about my new life: what pleases me, what confuses me, what scares me, and what challenges me.

I live in Atlanta, Georgia. I work in the Program for Exceptional Children (Special Education) department at a high school, and I co-teach Math 1 and Math 2. I am extremely excited about this year and am looking forward to this opportunity to work with my students, fellow faculty and staff, and communities. Tomorrow is the day.