To connect or disconnect?

What a week it has been!

This past week was my first week of work in our school year program mode. It was pretty neat and things are starting to look really exciting as we work for our 2013-2014 school year. You should see the data from our summer 2013 post-assessments! It's crazy to see the amount of growth each student has made from pre-test to post-test! Overall, during the school year program, each day, I get to work on something new and I like that. But most of all, each day, I know that I'm working towards a better future for a fantastic group of students and that excites me to my core. :)

A good friend from St. Louis came to town on a business trip and it was nice to take a step back with her and talk about our new lives away from teaching. Of course, we spent sometime reflecting on our days at WMS, but it was neat to see how her time in St. Louis has guided her in the work that she does now. As the executive director of a philanthropy within a hedge fund, she gets to look at education reform through the lens of fundraising and business. Although she often takes time to reflect on her two years in the classroom, she doesn't always get live those memories everyday in her current work. It's not always necessary for her. But for me, I feel like I'm crazy when I tell her (and others) that I think about my students everyday! However, she quickly reminded me that it is because of the work that I do right now. My time in St. Louis is HIGHLY connected to my work now and it would be foolish of me to not think about my time in the classroom in some sort of way or other everyday.

I know this short story might seem pointless, but it was the first time that I have been validated in my feelings and thoughts about my students and the people of St. Louis. Again, I have felt like a crazy woman for always thinking about them and missing them so much. However, it is okay for me to think about them daily because the work that I do calls for me to pull from that time to influence the decisions we make today. I'm NOT crazy for thinking about my kids and their hilarious antics and I'm NOT crazy for missing them so much. I would be crazy though if I didn't use my experience to make an impact with our BT students and our work today. Now, THAT'S crazy.

In other news, Miley Cyrus completely reminds how the education of our youth is highly important.

In the words of the great Jay Z, "Twerk, Miley Miley, Twerk! Somewhere in America!"

-N-