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It’s 7:30 and I’m in the Brooks parking lot. Now this wouldn’t be a really big deal, because most days at 7:30 a.m., I’m in or headed to the Brooks parking lot. It's been this way for about 15 years now. I’m sure my attendance percentage is somewhere in the 90s. I’m not missing work. My calling calls for me to be present and engaged every day. Even on the days I’ve had to physically not be there, my heart was.
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As a maturing adult, I lost my Nana in 2009. She was the blueprint for me as an educator. Anything good that anyone has ever seen in me is because of her. In 2011, when I thought I had life figured out, my dad died. I learned that I didn’t know a thing. In 2016, while I sat in class, my phone rang and a voice told me that my grandmother, who I was the primary caregiver for after my dad’s passing, had just died. Within 6 months of grandmother’s transition, my mother, who was also a teacher, would leave me.
In my tenure at this school, I’ve taught the big sister, the little brother, and then their cousin. I’ve taught students who have gone on to do some spectacular things. Riley was on the Forbes list, and E-Frank worked with NASA. I’ve written letters, taken phone calls, ordered DoorDash from another state to support my students. Just last summer, I was in Dubai when one of the largest mass transit companies in the country called me at midnight because Malcolm Miller listed me as a reference. I told the company rep where I was and what Malcolm meant to me. By the time I had returned to Chicago, the job was his.
On the hard days I think about Nate, Broque and Ciara, who fought for their lives everyday against cancer. I think about that letter of encouragement that Erica White wrote for me, where she told me to ignore those who didn’t have my best interests in mind. She told me to pray and to get ready for that table that would be prepared for me in the face of my enemies. I read it often and draw strength from that angel that was stolen from us by a man who said he loved her.
I’m invested in Brooks. I trust my first born to the great minds, influences, and politics of the staff here. She’s a special kid and means half the world to me; the other half belongs to her brother. It wasn’t an easy decision for me to let her attend, but it was her choice to make. Since her birth, I’ve looked at all of my students as my own kids. It's hard not to. Think about how much time we spend here together. On the good days, I love seeing that lightbulb go off in the eyes of my students. Better than that, I like when I’m out and I see them after they’ve graduated and started to fulfill their purpose as adults.
My advice to anyone reading this is to live life on life’s terms and do what you are supposed to do. Doing that doesn’t automatically make you a success; it just gives you the best odds. I can sit in my house cry and wallow about all that I’ve lost, but I’ve been created and forged for more than that.
That’s why on this SUNDAY morning I’m sitting in my car bumming off the school’s Wi-Fi composing this concerning a place I love. Every day I’m given is truly a gift, which is why more times than not, I’m smiling. It costs me nothing to share that with any of you. None of us are our mistakes, so be sure to grant yourself some grace and keep showing up with a smile when you can muster it.
In my tenure at this school, I’ve taught the big sister, the little brother, and then their cousin. I’ve taught students who have gone on to do some spectacular things. Riley was on the Forbes list, and E-Frank worked with NASA. I’ve written letters, taken phone calls, ordered DoorDash from another state to support my students. Just last summer, I was in Dubai when one of the largest mass transit companies in the country called me at midnight because Malcolm Miller listed me as a reference. I told the company rep where I was and what Malcolm meant to me. By the time I had returned to Chicago, the job was his.
On the hard days I think about Nate, Broque and Ciara, who fought for their lives everyday against cancer. I think about that letter of encouragement that Erica White wrote for me, where she told me to ignore those who didn’t have my best interests in mind. She told me to pray and to get ready for that table that would be prepared for me in the face of my enemies. I read it often and draw strength from that angel that was stolen from us by a man who said he loved her.
I’m invested in Brooks. I trust my first born to the great minds, influences, and politics of the staff here. She’s a special kid and means half the world to me; the other half belongs to her brother. It wasn’t an easy decision for me to let her attend, but it was her choice to make. Since her birth, I’ve looked at all of my students as my own kids. It's hard not to. Think about how much time we spend here together. On the good days, I love seeing that lightbulb go off in the eyes of my students. Better than that, I like when I’m out and I see them after they’ve graduated and started to fulfill their purpose as adults.
My advice to anyone reading this is to live life on life’s terms and do what you are supposed to do. Doing that doesn’t automatically make you a success; it just gives you the best odds. I can sit in my house cry and wallow about all that I’ve lost, but I’ve been created and forged for more than that.
That’s why on this SUNDAY morning I’m sitting in my car bumming off the school’s Wi-Fi composing this concerning a place I love. Every day I’m given is truly a gift, which is why more times than not, I’m smiling. It costs me nothing to share that with any of you. None of us are our mistakes, so be sure to grant yourself some grace and keep showing up with a smile when you can muster it.
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*I dare you to count the examples of alliteration, consonance, assonance and allusions. |
