I’ve decided to come back to the world of blogging. I
wrestled with it but I felt God leading me to build something of my own. I wasted so much valuable time trying to be accepted in other writing circles that weren’t
super inviting or receiving of what I brought to the table, that I almost forgot
that there is a need for my brand of creativity. Sometimes, what we want and
even who we want to see us or accept us, doesn’t deserve us. I’ve had the
opportunity to have some experiences with different platforms where I was able
to write, but not necessarily have the freedom to write about the things I
want to write about. Whenever I shared my ideas with some of these platforms, I
received a number of “thanks but no thanks” responses, and was completely
ignored. Silly me, thinking I’d be received with open arms. This is a good
thing though. Anyways, I’m taking what I have and building. It’s some great, thought-provoking, inspiring, and encouraging
stuff and I’m going to make some waves. I’ve decided to do my own thing and
create my own opportunities. Rejection can sting, but I’m learning the benefits
of how it can serve as a catalyst for redirection, and I’m diving in. Making Waves was originally going to be
a collection of short stories but I’ve decided to go another route. I’ll still
share those stories and more, but in a different and better way. Stay tuned. The
tides will be rising… feels so good to be back.
I’m a Black educator in my fifth year of teaching middle school English, and in my third as the 8th Grade English PLC (Professional Learning Community) Lead. And while I genuinely enjoy the purposeful work I get to do, seeing the growth of my scholars, and continuing to hone my skills in a content area I’ve loved since I was a little girl, I’ve had to confront some unpleasant experiences in this space. I’d been through much worse when I was an academic advisor at a Christian university. Racism, sexism, harassment, and workplace bullying were sadly norms in that environment. However, some of what I’ve experienced as a Black educator hasn’t been normal … It doesn’t seem normal to be the only Black educator in my department – in a predominantly Black school. One of my Black colleagues once said, “It should look like a Tyler Perry movie in here.” But it doesn’t. It didn’t feel normal being reprimanded in a meeting (during my second year of teaching) by an administrator who went in on...