Everyone needs to begin somewhere, right?

In 1996, I did my student teaching at the J. Graham Brown School. I was 24 years old and could sit on my hair. I was still high off the life I lived as an undergraduate at Binghamton University and full of optimism - a hopeful personality that many at the University of Louisville warned me would be unlikely to keep. "Schools," they reported, "would suck the creativity out of you."

I'm happy to say, I've kept the majority of my passion and zest, and the creative part of me is what keeps me going. Those who were pessimistic, I have found, grew that way because they forgot to dream. They closed the gates to the possible communities they could create.

Last night at Fairfield University, we welcomed 27 soon-to-be teachers to the first session of our graduate program. These are students, age 21, who are coming to teaching with the same desires I once had...they are in their senior year.. They want to make a difference in the lives of schools and they are entering the profession at a time where I'm hearing myself repeat the same worries in my head that were expressed to me when I started. I hope they can keep the energy and enthusiasm when they enter the cluster "cl"uck of today's schools, especially as they have been warped by NCLB, the Common Core, low morale, teacher bashing, and a failed economy. It is not easy to teach in 2013, but the 27 we talked with are eager to try. I hope they can stay away from the cynicism of the teacher's lounge and the ridiculousness of poor administration. Simply stated, I hope they are given the freedom to teach.

And look at me (above). That was age 26 with my first senior class. Wow. I'm still in the profession. It's just that I'm working to advocate for changes in a more political position.