The silence between the notes

 As a career educator, and a 1st gen college student who once had very little confidence in my financial literacy or business skills, I'd never have guessed that I'd become a person who studies state budgets, or sends bill commentary to my legislators, or attends meetings in Olympia. But sure enough, that's now my reality. And I'm starting to enjoy it. Why? Because as an educator, I'd experienced so many situations which showed me that school funding and budgeting are at the root of equity--or inequity-- in our education system. And it was disheartening to repeatedly have meaningful conversations with my colleagues then feel like we weren't being heard by the many many people guiding that education system. As an educator, I was often unsure of which decision makers to reach, or how to get our point across. Education might be a bipartisan topic overall, but in order to effect change, we have to learn how to navigate the political landscape, and the field of educ...

Full disclosure: Teaching is HARD! Online teaching is somehow even harder! Teaching online (and/or hybrid) in the middle of ever-changing social situations and a pandemic is UNREALISTICALLY HARD! I usually take pride in my ability to differentiate for students’ various needs but with online learning, that’s basically become one of my main job requirements! There’s no time left in the day to grade—just barely enough time to respond to the individual messages and try to plan their supports/modifications/extra meetings. Some days, my eyes are dry and burning and my heart is broken by student stories even before 10AM. On those days, I practically give up all hope of grading because it takes every ounce of professionalism to stay strong through my next 6 hours of Zoom meetings. And by the way, that is in no way a complaint! I sincerely value the fact that students are willing to reach out, and I value the fact that my job allows me to support them in different ways. I have seen programs w...

Last month, I attended a virtual meeting with a nonprofit organization called Stand for Children and I asked if they knew how to help with some of the technological needs that I have observed in my recent classroom observations. Last weekend, I received an email from them inviting me to share my testimony at the upcoming House Education Committee meeting . Sadly, the bill on Digital Equity on was then removed from the agenda. Surprisingly, the bill then was moved back onto the agenda early this morning! Between my regularly scheduled work meetings, I logged on and listened to other speakers who were sharing their testimonies in support of or opposition to the bill. Although there was no more time allowed for new speakers, there was still time to submit my written testimony before the meeting ended. So with fueled by a sudden rush of adrenaline and coffee, I typed up my testimony as quickly as my shaky hands could handle. I don’t think I have ever been so grateful to have the speedy sk...