Women I Choose Not To Support

While I’m all for female empowerment and women supporting other women, I have a confession to make. I don’t support every woman I meet or encounter. And for valid reasons. If you’re a woman reading this right now, I can probably guess a handful of thoughts running through your mind. But before you take my statement the wrong way, let me explain. I’m not a hater, shade-thrower, or someone who’s into tearing down other women. I’ve seen enough awful women who are about that life and I’m not here for it. Women who behave that way are the women I choose not to support. The haters. The shade-throwers. And the type who are into tearing down others. We all make mistakes and I won’t pretend I’m a woman who’s always been supportive of others. In the past, I’ve been dismissive, insecure, and felt I needed to compete with other women to get ahead. I’ve also clapped back at mean-spirited women when they’ve come at me sideways or said or did something petty aimed at me or others. But I’ve grown to realize that instead of responding to that kind of behavior, I could just ignore it. I’ve also met different women who have come to me with requests for help and support with their writing and branding and have asked me to contribute my time to their groups, events, and more, and while I do like to see other women get ahead, unfortunately, I’ve chosen to decline different invitations from women I’ve observed or know don’t have good intentions. Sure, I could still partner with some of them. But why be fake? I choose to build and work with women who are kind, genuine, and supportive of other women who have solid core values. If you’re a woman reading this, understand that you get to decide what kind of woman you want to be. Be the best you and be someone worth knowing and supporting. And always remember, there’s enough room for all of us to succeed.

A Year Of Being Ghosted

Ghosting: the practice of ending a personal relationship with someone by suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all communication. I’ve been ghosted by every guy I’ve met within the past two years. About six to be exact. · The first guy pursued me and then got shady whenever I asked him about what he did for a living and where he lived. When he started dodging and avoiding questions, wouldn’t initiate dates, and slowly stopped keeping in touch with me altogether, eventually, all communication ceased. · The second guy was someone I met through a family member. He was super cool, very smart, handsome, and funny, but didn’t want to be in a relationship and acted like he didn’t want to be seen with me publicly. When we had plans to meet for an outing, he didn’t show up, and then texted me about a week later with an apology. We chilled at my place a few times, had a few phone conversations, and exchanged occasional texts, but eventually he stopped responding to me

Teacher Table Talk: When Parents Attack

As an English teacher, a core belief I’ve held close since the beginning of my career has been the importance of relationship building. I believe that if great relationships between teachers, students, and parents are established at the beginning of the school year, everything else will fall into place. Authentically modeling, practicing, and establishing mutually respectful and professional relationships within my classroom has been the bridge for effective communication, solid classroom management, and creating a safe and effective learning environment that fits each of my student’s needs. And though I’ve seen and experienced the benefits of great relationship building, unfortunately, there have been times when some students and parents have not been receptive or interested in my efforts to establish connections that would best serve all parties involved. I’ve also noticed and shared spaces with other educators, school counselors, and administrators who’ve experienced the same. And

How To Respond To A Nasty Email

Technology has made many people bold, rude, and incredibly messy. Often to the point where some may hide behind words they’ve typed instead of verbally communicating a message they want to convey. Such can be the case when it comes to sending emails. Ah, emails. You know what they are. Electronic messages that can be quickly drafted, sent, and misinterpreted (because you can’t always interpret tones or emotions through them). Which is why it’s key to know how to respond to nasty emails if they should ever come your way – especially in the workplace. As a working professional, there have been plenty of times when a coworker or superior sent an email my way that was petty, mad disrespectful, and unprofessional. And before I learned how to properly utilize email etiquette, my first instinct would always be to clap back. I just felt the need to respond and to communicate that I wouldn’t allow anyone, no matter who they were, to disrespect me. And while I haven’t taken things too far

Making Waves