Even the most well-structured classrooms can struggle when connection is missing. In this post, I reflect on a day of subbing in a traditional fifth-grade classroom — and what it revealed about the limits of planning without presence.

It wasn’t one moment. It was a feeling. This post shares what I observed in a behavioral support classroom, and why it deepened my belief that educators deserve more than just expectations. They deserve support.

The world feels heavy and heartbreaking right now. This post is messy and honest, a reminder that even when we feel small, our actions still ripple.

Leaving the classroom gave me my mental health back — but it also left me grieving a version of myself I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to. This is my story of navigating that loss, rediscovering my purpose, and finding new ways to support the profession I still love.