Today is teacher appreciation day. TEACHERS ARE THE GREATEST, and I'm shouting it from the mountaintops of the interwebs. My chest feels dense with thanks for all the teachers in my life. To my former Academy colleagues, thank you for the years of inspiration and guidance you poured into me to help me better my practice.  To my own teachers -- past and present, academic and yoga, elementary and university, secular and spiritual, professional and relational -- thank you for inspiring me to strive for a life of vibrancy and growth.  To my former students, thank you for the opportunity to stand in front of you and--more importantly--alongside you through the challenges you face as learners in junior high. You made me better. All of you.Today is teacher appreciation day, and I am no longer a classroom teacher. (*Sidenote: had to stop typing and cry a little after I wrote that. I'm not even going to blame it on hormones). Making the decision not to go back to school in the fall has been heartwrenching. I loved working with kids. I'll be the first to tell you I didn't love grading 150 essays every few weeks, collecting data, and emailing parents about misbehavior... But, I loved working with the kids. 8th graders are nuts in all the right ways and all the wrong ways, but what I loved most about them was their eagerness. They have an eagerness to please. An eagerness to discover. An eagerness to manipulate (which can actually be a good thing!). An eagerness to help. An eagerness to change. An eagerness to fit in. An eagerness to stand out.So, as I end my teaching chapter (at least for a little while) and focus my time on this new #momjob as well as my business, I'm going to try and channel that 8th grade eagerness.I am eager to be with Miss Soph every day while she is a tiny babe. I am eager to document the lives of families and littles. I am eager to begin a few personal artistic projects. I am eager to use this skillset to serve others whenever I can.

____________________

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10 

____________________

Bottom photo by Jennie Hunter, one of my favorite teacher friends.