When I began this blog several years ago, I imagined it as a place where I could help new teachers with the myriad situations that they would face every day. Not the lesson planning or the other things they were supposed to learn in college but the unexpected events that you can’t imagine until you are in them.
I taught 10th-12th grade English in Room 110 for thirty years. I presumed that my experience and knowledge could help the teachers who would eventually take my place. What I found quickly though was that once the school day was over, I didn’t want to think about it anymore. It took almost 25 years but I eventually learned what boundaries were. No more email 24 hours a day, very little grading and prepping all weekend long, instead filling my personal time with rest and fun. Looking at a computer screen and digging deep into my memories for often sad and traumatic events was no longer something I could do. So, the blog just sat here.
Those thirty years ended on January 30, 2026, when I closed that classroom door for the last time. Yes, it’s somewhat unusual to retire mid year but anyone who knows me knows I’ve never followed path most traveled. When I was in high school, I had a beloved teacher retire on his 55th birthday. He walked right out of that building as a gift to himself. I thought that was the coolest thing and for years, decades even, I aspired to do that. But I had to reach the thirty year mark for the better retirement package so I had to hang in there three more years. Since then, I’ve moved, endured a frigid winter, and am now clearer of mind, less stressed. and seeing things through a clearer lens.
My life is far from ordinary and I’d like to write about it. Conversationally, in a group of people, I am quiet but am an excellent listener. People think I’m shy but I’m not. At this point in my life, I am enjoying not having to lead and control every conversation. I also happen to be surrounded by people who all love the sound of their own voices. My large group of friends is full of main characters (or so they think). It’s bizarre. The arrogance and self-importance is, for me, laughable. So I sit back, watch, and listen to people who, the more they talk, the less intelligent they sound. I thought my eye rolls would stop once I wasn’t with teenagers every day but the opposite has proven true. Maybe I’m being a bit harsh; everyone is allowed an opinion and a life full of stories to tell. And like I said, I’m a good, polite, curious listener. Sometimes I just wish someone would let me talk and listen to me with the same courtesy.
There’s a good chance no one will ever read this but me and that’s ok. I’m going to tell my stories. I’m going to give advice to new teachers, I’m going to showcase the things I make (I have both an Etsy shop and a Teachers Pay Teachers shop). If you happen to have found me and you like reading the random life stories of someone was expected to follow the traditional A-B-C path in life but didn’t, say hi! I’ll try to be more consistent this time around.
