MY STORY

The work I am most proud of – and the work that has been the hardest! – is my work as a parent. 

 

I had a great head start. I was raised by an elementary school teacher and was the oldest of three siblings. From the time I can remember, I was playing school with my sisters and their friends. When I was nine years old, I started a neighborhood summer camp in my backyard. We charged a dollar a day, but we would have done it for free. I babysat, taught swimming lessons, worked at sleepaway camps, and eventually got a Masters Degree in Education. By the time I started having kids, I had already been teaching for several years. Just in case, I read every baby book that came recommended, joined a mother and baby group, and hired a postpartum doula. 

 

So you would think I would have been ready for parenting! 

 

And yet. Even with everything I knew, and all the experience I had as a teacher and later as an elementary school principal, parenting has been really hard work. Our three children are dynamic, creative, smart and funny. They are insightful writers and quick-witted conversationalists. They have also experienced ADHD and anxiety, gender dysphoria and depression. They are dyslexic, twice exceptional and struggle with executive functioning. We have changed schools multiple times to find classrooms and teachers that were a better fit for them. We have benefited from collaboration with therapists and psychiatrists, school counselors and many, many superb teachers. And I have drawn on every ounce of my education and professional experience. 

 

Which eventually made me wonder: How do other parents do this? 

 

From my experience as an elementary school principal, I know how hard parents are working to do well for their children. I know how hard children are trying to be good. And I also know that it is hard to be a human these days! Children are struggling, parents are struggling, and even though there is an endless supply of advice available, no one has time to make sense of it all – especially if you’re not a professional educator.

 

My belief is that the greatest gift we can give the world is to raise children who grow into the best versions of themselves, encouraged to use their strengths, and their educations, to make the world a better place. 

 

I look forward to supporting you and your family.