11/16/2019 Speech Excerpt by Request

"...I believe teaching is a sacred act. It is not only for the purpose of developing young minds to learn to read, apply mathematical principles, and write. It is also the opportunity to engage youth in their own advocacy, to encourage their relationships with the people around them, and to challenge them to think critically, openly, and in reverence of the vast world around them. Teaching is and should be celebratory. We, educators, are bestowed the honor of being able to give shape to both the future and present. It is a call to action that is exhilarating, exhausting, and exponential..."

"...From my 2013 school year, I learned three things: Love is nothing if it is not willing to be inconvenienced; excellence does not mean perfect; and finally, that when I stepped on to campus, I had one decision to make. I determined from there that all children belong to me and I to them. These three guiding beliefs have kept me on days when I would otherwise quit, propelled me to improve my practice, and commit to being fully present each day..."