02/21/2026
My current 8 AM - 3 PM is centered around children.
It’s Never Just the Lesson Plan 🍎
“Your classroom is pretty.” (1st grader)
“I missed you when I was home sick.” (Kindergartener)
“Mommy.” (The accidental slip-of-the-tongue that means they finally feel safe.)
“I am not good at reading.”
(No. That’s not the reality—that’s just the system telling you that.)
“My mom said I have to get a 100 or I don’t get to play.” (2nd grader)
(The weight of the world on such small shoulders.)
“I didn't eat over the weekend. All I had was cake and ice.” (Monday morning in the trenches.)
“Mrs. Rogowski, you would be proud of me, I tutor a second grader in math.” (5th grader)
“I only wanted to come back because I knew you would be here.” (High schooler I taught in 1st grade)
“My mom died.”
“I know, buddy.”
“Would you like a hug?” (6 years old)
This is why I currently show up.
I don’t show up for the curriculum, the bureaucracy, or the pretend laws made by people who have never actually sat in a classroom. I don’t show up for those who have never sat with a child struggling to make sense of letters and sounds, or those who have never been in the trenches with our most vulnerable.
I show up for their emotional well-being. I show up to tell them they are capable when the "system" tells them they aren't.
At the end of the day, they don't remember what you taught them. They remember the person and how they were treated. I show up for their hearts, mixed in with a little teaching.
