Welcome!

This welcome post was written at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023.  To most it may not seem like much of anything, but to me, it's symbolic of how I am still navigating a transition in two seasons of my life.  So.. here goes...

Welcome to "Dear Brave Educator."  This is a space for all educators to feel seen, held, validated, and to have a sense of connection and community.   My name is Melissa and I'm a mom, wife, educator, coach, activist, and life-long learner.  Yeah, sounds like many other teachers, but this is who I am and I'm here to share with you.  I hope to share my experiences, knowledge, hopes, dreams, frustrations, and more.  We as humans are complex, and what I'm learning more than ever right now is that two things can be true simultaneously.   For example, I am excited and terrified at the same time as I'm writing this.  I'm thinking that the first person who reads this will think its crap and not want to walk alongside me as I explore this whole bloggasphere.  "She sounds like every one else."  "What could she possibly say that I don't already know."  Or the one I've heard my entire career, "Isn't she kind of young?"  There are a hundred other reasons I've told myself I wasn't qualified or able to do this, but here I am, done with the old stories.

I should share that I'm in a complete re-design of my life, and it's probably been just as expensive as re-designing a house.  Not really, but I tend to tell myself that at moments.   I guess this was one of those moments.   So, re-designing my life.  Yes.  I finally said yes to myself.  To healing, to resting, to creating.   Create.  That's my word for 2022, and I had no idea what it meant, just knew that it was mine.  Well, I am creating a whole new way of living, and if that wasn't enough, I resigned from my educational role, one that I worked 13 years to achieve, one that I loved whole heartedly, but it couldn't fill my cup.  Even as I type that, I'm thinking, "who could love something whole-heartedly and not have their cup filled with it?"  The logical answer is that the environment wasn't for me.  It didn't align with me, the work I wanted to do, and I was dying.  My soul was dying.  I was sick all the time, but not the type of sick that is visible or diagnosable.  If that makes sense.  I was tired, exhausted, crying, depressed, anxiety ridden and couldn't trust anyone around me (besides my incredible family and very best friends).  I did't want to let anyone in.  I didn't want to share any part of me with anyone, at all.  I gave all I had to my son, my job, and then there was nothing left for me.  And there I was.  Burnout.   I'm still struggling to accept it.  Recovering from burnout is like a rollercoaster of uncertainty and random triggers.  And full days, and slow days, and lots of joy, which I'm not used to.   I'm laughing, like really laughing again.  I'm looking at my son with my eyes all the way open, ready for our next exciting moment and fun.  And being an energized parent again.   Even when he shared about his lockdown drill this week at school as he was struggling to fall asleep.  Ugh, more of that for another time.  I felt fully present and fully there with him.  Isn't' that the way it's supposed to be?  Should we be accepting anything less of this world?  Of our communities?  Of the people around us?

You may be here as a teacher, parent, principal, paraprofessional, academic coach, administrator, clinician, or in any other role that supports a child's education, and I am so glad you are all here.  My hope is to create a space where we can ask tough questions, share the very real complications of education today, network, celebrate the wins, and come together to create a healthier and safer learning environment for all of us.  Healthy adults create healthy children.  

If you're still reading, I'm so grateful.   A couple more things about this space...  I don't have all the answers-I'm constantly learning, I love collaborating, I love with my whole heart, and I'm hoping this blog can serve the community so we call all feel seen, loved, and continue a journey of healing towards building strong, empathetic, and kind little people.  

So, welcome to this space.  A space that has rules and is a container for everyone, but not everything.  No hate.  Any hate of any kind will not be tolerated.  I will delete and remove any unkind words towards anyone.  I'm going to keep it that simple.

Now that you know why this blog exists, it's time for me to share what I've been working on for the last 7 months and take a peek behind the scenes.   My work is influenced, informed, and inspired by many people.  My family, my husband, my friends, my colleagues, and the brilliance of Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, Dr. Yolanda Seeley-Ruiz, Dr. Ashelin Currie, Elena Aguilar, and so many more that I will do my very best to include and name along the way.

Thank you to everyone for your patience since the announcement of this launch, and actual launch spanned way more time than I could anticipate.  The encouragement, love, and validation I have received is a gift that will remain close.  Thank you.