MORE ABOUT ME
I believe that we are all developing leadership. Students are under the assumption that leaders are born, but I know that we are all developing as leaders.
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Too many of us, myself included, don't see ourselves as the leaders we are. I am on a mission to change that myth. Leaders are not born they are developed, we need to provide opportunities for us to develop as leaders. Making mistakes is part of the process, and while the stakes are high in developing leaders the ultimate growth of a positive school culture is worth it!
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After spending 20 years in the classroom I realized that we were not only perpetuating the myth, we were using it to our advantage. I didn't see myself as a leader, I was just a teacher, just a mom, just - just - just. When one (or several) of my students told me they were leaders I knew I had to redefine leadership for myself, so I could change beliefs in others.
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I started this journey in 2015 when I realized I wanted more from my teaching career, but I didn't know what that looked like. I explored administration but didn't want to leave the classroom experience. When I was faced with a choice to do what I had always been doing or try something new I asked myself what I would say to my students - taking a risk was outside my comfort zone, but I always told my students to do that - so why wouldn't I?
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In October 2020 after some soul-searching, I got a business license to start the company Peers not Fears. However, I didn't fully embrace the fact that I was a leader until March of 2023. I remember very clearly it was my 47th birthday, and I had been wondering what I was doing - who was I to call myself a leader, or encourage young adults that they were leaders. On that day I pulled my car over and exclaimed to myself - if I don't start with me I can't expect others to do the same - so I started seeing myself as a leader and everything changed for me - in that moment.
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I have not looked back, and things have only gotten better and more exciting for me. I am so happy I started Peers not Fears - it was what I was MEANT to be doing!
