RI 2013 Teacher of the Year: Two Weeks Later

Wow! I cant believe it has been almost two weeks since I was named 2013 RI Teacher of the Year. On Wednesday September 19th my life forever changed.  However, the long road that led to that night is where the real victory lies (stay tuned for the whole story).  Lets go back to that night for a moment. I remember being on stage overwhelmed with emotions.  I was humbled and proud at the same time.  Humbled because I know that there are hundreds of teachers that could be standing in that same spot. Hundreds of teachers who dedicate their lives to educate the students of RI.  Teachers who are relentless and who make a real difference. Proud because I came so close so many times to being just part of a statistic that plagues this country -- a high school dropout.  Since that night I have been overwhelmed with people supporting and congratulating me.  I feel blessed to have such amazing people in my life.  Yesterday I received a letter from a complete stranger.  While reading the letter I burst into tears.  You see the letter was from a women who let fear get in the way of her dreams.  I cried because I have felt that fear many times and still feel it now. I will push fear to the back seat once again and do my best to represent Rhode Island's most precious commodity--teachers. Stay tuned.......