Shaking The Dust Off

Welcome to my new blog! It's been a while since I have written anything other than formative comments and lesson plans. When I was younger, I always had this dream of being a writer. I believed that during my breaks from school and on the weekends I would be able to use that time to construct the next great American novel. It's funny how naive I was to the true demands and commitments of being a teacher.

So here I am, on a Saturday night, using my planning time to write this first blog. I feel stiff, as would a runner who was sedimentary for some time. My mind is trying to adjust to the world of writing for pleasure and expression instead of lesson creating and data driving. I think it's going to take some time, but this feels good. It feels right.

I've been throwing around the idea of writing a blog about my experiences in the classroom for some time now. I always put it on the back burner for many reasons. A few, I believe, are valid. Most reasons come down to the simple fact that I've never been one to share my writing. Those who know me probably have never read any of my poems or short stories, maybe they didn't even know they existed. Writing to me has always been like prayer-quiet, thoughtful, and private.

Yet here I am. There is something stirring in me that hasn't been there before, and I feel like it's time. It's time for me to  write. I must take the toxins stress creates in my mind, body, and soul, and release them in a way that will bring me closer to humanity- instead of isolating me in my own world of papers, tests, and standards. I may be a teacher, but I'm also a 20-something woman, a born and raised Chicagoan, a Latina, a soon-to-be-bride, a sister, a friend, a daughter... and that means that what I have to say is relevant and important! I shouldn't be afraid to speak my mind, even if it is on a silly little blog.

 If there's only one thing I've learned by now it's this: Life does not stop because you need it to or want it to. There is no pause button. Life keeps going, and if you don't keep up- it will pass you by carrying with it the the dreams and goals built on the idealism of your youth.

So this is me catching up with life and pulling a dusty dream along with me. My dream of being a writer will no longer sit on a bookcase next to my ever growing stacks of paperbacks. I can still be a teacher, and use the lessons I learn and teach in the classroom  to drive my written expression. They always say, "Write what you know." I may not be able to write as much as the blogger who has a regular 9-5 gig, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try, right?