What I’ve learned is alarming my insides and yet when you notice it in me, I flutter with pride.
Could I do it, genuinely?
Yes, I am good at it.
Yes I deserve it and man the reward seems high
But the cost
still feels higher
What I’ve learned is alarming: the platter before me, it sits, within arms reach,
untouched
catching my eye with every sun ray.
Sonia Chintha is an Indian American writer who lives in the Washington DC area. She blogs, writes poetry, and fiction. She is also an English teacher who believes that our experiences teach us more than any test. She is the founder and co-editor of Good Little Girls.
The first time I saw the words “ms. chintha is a bitch” inked on to walls, I was 29 years old. I had been teaching for a mere four years, but felt so veteran already because I had stopped crying when fights happened in or near my classroom among students. Up until my fourth year, I blamed myself for not creating a safe enough space for my students and that’s why they began fighting.
Illustration by Allie Olivares Gentle Broken Heart by Grace Peeler Gentle Broken Heart Sadness has a purpose –Sadness is a gift,Sadness can be a slower,
Because there are so many articles and blogs and conversations that are so filled with how awful it is to be a teacher today and