Victorious

The internet will have you out here looking for more— convinced that your calling isn’t sexy or glamorous enough. You can spend your whole life looking for a better thing if you’re not careful. So despite being raised to be of service to others, feeling most myself while serving others, I have never really fully committed myself to being a career educator. I have often listened to others’ sentiments that I was too smart to be a teacher, too gifted.

There was even a time when I thought I missed my calling to be a high-powered (what does that even mean lol) attorney. So much so that in year three of teaching, right on the verge of tenure, I was shopping law schools on the east coast. Obviously I didn’t go through with it, but I never truly unpacked what has kept me in the field until last Friday night. While receiving an award from my school community at our annual fundraiser, I just couldn’t seem to compose myself. It’s been one of the toughest school years for me and y’all, I bawled through my entire speech… like a damn baby. But today, I am crystal clear.

Teaching is my soul’s work. The opportunity to shape the daily and future lives of children is a privilege that I take very seriously. The exponentially positive impact a Black educator has on the trajectory of a Black child’s life is not lost on me. It’s why my Black students hug me a little tighter and their families sigh in relief when I greet them at their first school event. Teaching children whose ancestors were denied the right to read just hits different. And honestly, it doesn’t get any sexier than that. So when given the opportunity to address my peers and our families to speak about my why, I was overcome. Here’s what I was trying to say through the tears:

We are all here tonight because we believe in miracles. And the miracles are our kids. I know I’m tough. I know that. But this work is my soul’s work, so I take it very seriously. I want to thank my parents for instilling an unwavering work ethic, moral code, and spirit of service. Thank you Tim for entrusting so much of your soul work to me. Thank you to our entire team for digging into this soul work with me. I know it’s tough, so thank you. And I want to thank our families for entrusting your most prized possessions to us. I hope your babies come home feeling seen, feeling safe, and knowing that they are smart. Thank you.

I finally had the words to match the 15 years of emotions that were escaping all at once. And who knows, maybe this calling will lead me to education law someday, but today, I’m helping to make sure our babies have a fighting chance and feel loved along the way.