Waiting in the car… Look at the horizon glow. – “Midnight City”

The year is 2012. A fresh high school graduate – bright eyed and busy tailed – ready to take on the world – [BUT secretly feeling terrified with the change and the end to what truly was a beautiful chapter of adolescence] – NONETHELESS, the world was her oyster and she was about to go pearl diving!

I could spend so much time trauma dumping about the wreckage of that season, but this is really for my pearl – my teaching pearl. I have been in a classroom in some shape of form for about 10+ years. And yes, once I realized that amount of time, I was stunned. From being an instructional assistant, summer camp director, music, English as a second language, coach, history, mentor/advisor, private, charter, public, elementary, secondary, after school… I have almost done it all.

So, what has 10+ years of being in the Education industry taught me? Way too much honestly, but there are a few important truths that do stand…

1. Humanity is the Priority.

Healthy relationships are vital in every aspect. Ranging from families, coworkers, romantic, neighbors, etc., individuals will always remember how you made them feel. As I think on the hundreds of students that have crossed my path, I am proud to say that my priority was to always form a healthy relationship with them. No matter how small the detail or comment, I’d make sure my students knew I was thinking about them. A colleague of mine made the comment that students need to treat coming to school as their “job” and treat that as their contribution to society. As I think about that comparison, I know that 2014 Ms. Vilar would whole heartedly agree with that statement – “Of course, students NEED to come to school” / “They MUST learn” / “I NEED to show them the way” / “The world NEEDS change makers!” – yada yada so on and so forth. But now, WOW…. that’s so much pressure to put on a 3rd Grader, a teenager, or a young adult. Being a teacher has definitely shifted my perspective on the role of a being a child and an adolescent. I believe that we as a society have become so enraptured with making sure that the upcoming generation is “ready” for what’s ahead, but we have loss the magic of being a kid and enjoying your youth. The education system is still stuck with making sure that the facts, figures, equations, theories, and competitiveness is instilled in our students brains but when it comes to matters of the mind, body, and soul we come short and fail them. This last school year, my students watched me as I married the love of my life, to then be shattered by the loss of my dad. I in turn have watched my students juggle coming to school late because they worked with their parents until midnight, receive threatening emails from the current administration about deportation, receiving news about the removal of one of my students, relationship drama, college and career choices, grades, etc., the list goes on. How do you respond to these situations? Simply put, with compassion. The best thing I did this year through all of my life events was modeling to my kids how an individual navigates through all of the *stuff*. At the end of the day, I want my kids to know that I did not hide my humanity from them and that they should not have to hide theirs from anyone either.

2. Abandon the “One size fits all” method.

Time for a History lesson – do you know WHAT the original design of “school” was for here in the United States? A: Private tutoring or home schooling, tuition schools, & boarding schools. Second question – do you know WHO school was primarily catered towards? A: Wealthy, white, male children. This is the foundation of what the early American schooling system was built upon. Yes, there were some changes made with the creation of the public schools system, but it is built off this notion of “preserving democracy, providing moral guidance and building character” that was stemmed from the Founding Fathers who so happened to be – Wealthy, white males. So I repeat, THIS is the foundation. Also, if you haven’t taken a look around at the greater sociopolitical sphere regarding education and the current administration…. there’s this great want to return to certain foundational settings. I digress, but all that to say – We are so stuck(ed). Catch my drift? The foundational US educational practices and principles do not align with the current students and their needs in our schools. And yet, we continue to rename/rebrand/reimagine the same practices and but the execution is remains faulty. And who do you think are the ones who continue to suffer? The children. I have been in every educational space there is… it’s the same issues with the same results over and over again. You would think that we are smarter now than before, but I guess that is too much to ask for. The system remains broken, and it has yet to address any of the existing issues that surround our schools and our kids. So until it has been dismantled and rebuilt with intentionality and sincere inclusitivioty – it will remain the same. How much longer can we wait?

3. When the grace moves… move.

I remember very distinctly telling a former colleague that I don’t want to be remembered as *just* a good teacher. I know there is so much more to me than just my job title. How sad to believe the lie that our worth is equated to our work, or how much money we have, or how much material wealth is associated to our names. Also how sad it is that we believe that if we spend a certain amount of years to a job/person/etc. that defines also our worth and our loyalty. Back to my first point, how much more of my humanity do I have to sacrifice in order to prove myself? Simply put, once the grace to be able to do your work is no more, move on to find the grace that enables you to keep moving forward – whatever that next step will be. Don’t let the *peace* of contentment and familiarity hold you back from the next stage of your call. If you are wondering if there is *more* to this than what you see? There most definitely is – you just have to take the next step to find it. When it’s time to move, don’t look back, embrace the next step.

As I sit here – 3 weeks out of my educational role – I have been able to reflect, observe, cry, laugh, and embrace. I have never felt more human in all of my teaching years, compared to this year. I have also been able to truly take a deep breath. The biggest lesson I am taking away from this is: Be joyful in the joyful moments, be completely wrecked in the horrible ones and still stay true to yourself.

To all of my students who have crossed my path these last 10+ years, Thank You and I love you. To all of the educators who worked alongside me, thank you for showing up and reminding me of the Why. To my tribe, thank you for holding me down, keeping me up, and constantly being my support through it all, you have my heart always.

Here’s to the next 10 years – don’t have any idea what’s next, but isn’t that the true fun of it all? I can say that maybe for the first time in my life, I’m not fearful of this change. It’s truly a new season for me, and I welcome it.

It truly has been an absolute JOY.

Signing off for now,

Mrs. Vilar Alas, M.Ed.