Who are You? Better Yet...Who are Your Friends???

This is my support team. This is who I go to when all else fails. This is my base and my inspiration.

I got a lot of things out of my credentialing program, but these five girls are by far the best! I believe that making connections and learning from your peers is one of the goals of any good program and we got this tenfold! I look up to these girls and respect them deeply. Each one of them has priceless experiences and a wealth of knowledge that they are ALWAYS willing to share with me. They are all older than me and inspire me daily to be a better teacher and person.

Sometimes it is hard when you're the new teacher in a school and other teachers are bitter and/or jaded. They try to give you "advice" like ...don't work too hard... or just give them worksheets. One teacher once told me, "You don't get paid enough to do all that you're trying to do." Can you believe that!? Me neither. But what's scariest is when you catch yourself following that "advice" and only doing the minimum- which will inevitably happen if you surround yourself with people like that.

I choose to surround myself with people who WANT to better the world. When I feel like I'm slipping over to the dark side, I hang out with my girls. They remind me of the type of teacher I want to be. They encourage me to be exceptional- not mediocre. I don't even know if they realize all this, but nevertheless I continue to soak up their radiance like a sponge! They all are working so so so hard to become better teachers and are working their tushies off in their Master's programs. So, this is for:

• Carol, who is always happy and is constantly trying to better herself.
• Gladys, who gives practical advice and breaks it down for everyone to understand.
• Amanda, who believes in every child and remembers EVERY strategy we have studied.
• Nicole, who has an endless supply of stories and examples to help with any problem.
• Sujata, who tells it like it is and leads by example.
• and all of the other students and professors who have touched my life and made me better than I was. THANK YOU!

Again, I could probably write a novel on our experiences together...but I'll spare you the goopy details. I just want you to think about who is in your life. Who inspires you? Are you surrounding yourself with positive colleagues who will push you on, not hold you back? Think about it.

xxOOxx