From Classroom to Living Room: A New Chapter
I turned in my classroom keys today, and with them I left a piece of myself behind. Room 22 held so many memories and moments, big and small, and it’s so strange to know that it's no longer mine. For the first time in years, I won’t be spending my summer days laminating name tags, arranging desks into welcoming little groups, or planning those crucial first-week icebreakers. My classroom, a place that has been a second home to me and my students over the years, is now in the hands of another. Leaving it behind was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
To say I loved being a teacher feels like an understatement. I loved the "Aha!" moments when a tricky math concept finally clicked. I loved the sound of a classroom buzzing with collaborative energy in the mornings and the softer quieter focus in the afternoons. I loved watching everyone work together to solve problems and sing along when a favorite song would come on. Most of all, I loved my students. I loved their goofy jokes, their endless hugs, their unfiltered honesty, and their incredible capacity for growth and love. Being their teacher was a privilege.
But over the past couple of years, I started to see a pattern. I saw bright, capable children struggle to keep up, not because they couldn’t grasp the material, but because something else was holding them back. I saw frustration manifest as outbursts, anxiety lead to a refusal to try, and a lack of confidence create crippling self-doubt. The academic gaps were almost always downstream from a deeper, more personal struggle.
The truth is, a child who doesn't know how to manage their frustration can't persevere through a difficult long-division problem. A child who can't advocate for themselves won't ask for help when they're lost in a lesson. A child who doesn't believe in their own abilities will be too afraid of failure to even begin the assignment.
I saw a glaring need for more than just academic instruction. I saw a need for connection. A need for a space where students could understand their own emotions, develop empathy for others, and build the resilience to navigate the social world around them. The curriculum is packed, and the demands on teachers are immense. While we all do our best to weave social-emotional learning (SEL) into our days, there is often not enough time to give each child the focused, individual support they need.
And that’s where my new adventure begins—
I’m not leaving education behind. I’m just changing my address. Instead of a classroom of twenty-two, I’ll be working one-on-one with students as a private tutor. My mission is to bridge the gap I saw so clearly from the front of the classroom. I believe that academic success is inextricably linked to social and emotional well-being.
My approach won’t just be about mastering multiplication tables or recognizing sight words. It will be about building confidence, fostering a growth mindset, and developing self-awareness. We’ll celebrate the process, not just the product. We'll learn how to take on challenges with courage and how to treat ourselves with kindness when we stumble. We will build a foundation of emotional intelligence that will support not only a student's academic journey but their entire life.
It's a new chapter, for sure. It feels a little scary, a lot different, but full of purpose. I’m taking everything I loved about the classroom—the connection, the "aha" moments, the joy of watching a child blossom—and creating something new. So, let the new adventure begin.
