That's So Handy

My Black is versatile Compiled of intelligence- street and smart. I mastered the art of greeting the wiles of the ignorant ones with a painted smile From a mouth that has a voice The eyes that cast Vision Some see, some don't Some won't even listen Meanwhile I glisten And never let on that it's just nervous sweat on my brow. But even if you catch on I'm still worthwhile My Black is unashamed Appearance "wild" or "tamed" Straight hair, permed, curls, or coils Mousse, gel or coconut oil HE made me well And I don't have to tell you that my back is strong My Black is strong Whether my mouth be big or my patience be long I belong! I matter just how I am My life deserves to be lived Free from racism, free from the hate you give I'm forgiven Goal driven, surpassing the expectation striven Masking to make it in the body I'm in Big or thin, winter dark or summer light skin My Black is beautiful It's unusual t...

12 Ridiculous Things I Thought Without Realizing It... 1. While I was pregnant, one of the things I would do is make sure if I was going to the store by myself, that I had my wedding ring showing intently to counteract anyone's prejudgment that I'm just another young Black girl out here having sex, got knocked up and the father's not in the picture. 2. Where I live, when I have a day off from work and I go to the store, I wonder if people will assume that I don't have a job. 3. One time a none-Black person mentioned that they didn't have a television growing up. I asked why and she said they were poor. My initial thought was, you still are privileged. You don't know the struggle. 4. I remember when I first saw the ethnic hair section in Walmart. I mean, we want representation, but why does it have to be labeled the  HERE IS YOUR REPRESENTATION section. Why can't it all be together instead of separated from the "normal hair" section.  5. G...

BEST TEACHER  2018-19 I really love my job, and I've always had a dream of being "the best teacher" but the more I grow to being a comfortable member of  #TeamEducators , the more I realize we all play an equally important role in doing the best for our students. The idea of trying to be better than someone else is faulty. The job is not about comparing myself to anyone other than who I was in previous years. As educators, we constantly give ourselves over to personal and professional development. Our growth shouldn't be a testament to how "better" we are than someone else. We all make our own impact very differently. Even if you are only able to do your job by fulfilling bare minimum duties because other demands won't allow you to do more, it does not make you any less than someone who was able to go "above and beyond". I mean,  how far is "above and beyond" anyway? The scale is biased. Did you do the very best you cou...

Avery turned 6 weeks old yesterday and let me tell you; I thought "teacher tired" was something...but no indeed. Mommy tired? Yeah that is no joke; I keep wondering what in the world "teacher-mommy tired" will be like in the fall when school starts back up.  How in the world am I going to teach with a newborn? What am I going to do if I'm up the whole night and then have to go to work TO TEACH! Can I handle this? I recently told my husband how it's really all about Avery right now; making sure he has what he needs when he needs it (even if that's at 1:00 a.m. and every hour to follow). He runs this. Nonetheless, this journey has been pretty amazing - like an amazing roller coaster. There are many ups and downs, twists and turns, fast-paced times and slow-paced times. But all in all, I'm enjoying the ride. Believe me, it's taken a long time to get to place where I can honestly say I'm enjoying motherhood. There's been numerous momen...

I can't believe I delivered a whole baby a week ago. Every time I look at Avery, it seems unreal that he's here now and that he's ours. Everyday I'm grateful to be a mommy. I'm grateful that God was in the entire process, even though things didn't quite go as planned... Bags packed, manicure and pedicure, eyebrows waxed, car seat installed. Everything was ready for induction day. My original due date was June 27, but due to my high blood pressure, I was set to be induced a week earlier.   My plan was to go as natural as possible (I didn't want an epidural and I wanted to have a vaginal birth). The night before we were due to go to the hospital, fear started setting in.           What if things go bad?          What if the pain is so bad that my blood pressure shoots up?          What if Avery doesn't make it?          What if I die?  All thes...

I look at this and I imagine my fingers being scared, so they hide in the pocket... Since I was a kid, I've had a lot of desires and dreams, but I wasn't really allowed to do a lot of things. When I got "grown", I was bold enough to make whatever reckless, adventurous decision I felt like making, with no fear. YOLO right? Here's the thing! Now that I'm very much an adult, I don't have that same boldness that I did just a few years ago. I still have many things that I want to do, things I believe I'm good at, but I get stifled (sometimes right at the conception of the thought) -I let fear set in and I want to either quit, or not give it all I have because I start feeling incapable. So I live in the pocket... I've often heard the phrase "stay in the pocket" as a joke on musicians who do the most on their instrument. It's like they are trying to shine so much and they forget that they're playing with a band. So in the audie...

It's that time of year, where everybody's tired and it sorta feels like school should be finished, but the end is not quite here yet. Hang in there! I feel your pain! Meanwhile, I decided to go ahead and do my reflections now because I've learned so much and I am so excited about finishing strong and starting off fresh next September. As most of you know, I resigned from my teaching position in 2016. I took a whole year off, while still working in a school setting as a substitute, a one-on-one aide, an after-school program teacher, and a summer school teacher. I returned to the classroom in a private school setting this past school year. Many things differ from public to private but one thing remains: kids will be kids. I've had a lot of challenges this year including the fact that for the majority of the school year, I was pregnant. Let me tell you - it took nothing less than the supernatural strength of God for me to have enough energy to still do the stre...