August will soon be upon us, and with that, school will be returning to session for kids everywhere.
As I ponder the upcoming school year, I approach it with zest for new beginnings with a refreshed attitude, the excitement of meeting new students and helping them grow academically and socially, and the mission of redeeming myself after a few tumultuous years.
Over the past several months, I have had a chance to make major changes in my life, overcome some large obstacles while also achieving some important career milestones.
I gave a keynote speech at the Alaska Statewide Special Education Conference in Anchorage, AK, which not only allowed me to share my message and the stories of my students, but also afforded me the chance to visit AK for the first time and also reconnect with an old, lovely friend of mine from my college days.
This speech reinvigorated me about why I do what I do – and the awesome power of positive relationships.
Over the last couple of months, I have also had the privilege to be a guest on three podcasts where I was given the opportunity to discuss my life with disabilities, my career as a teacher of students with disabilities, and my speaking and poetry about the synthesis of the two.
Here is the link to the first podcast I did with Jimmy Apple—a wonderful and delightful guy! (June 12th, 2022 episode) https://famousapple.libsyn.com/a-special-special-ed-teacher
The other podcasts I have done have not been released yet, but I will share them with you as they are.
I also had the great fortune of winning 1st prize in the L.I.G.H.T. Literary Journal Poetry Contest. The contest called for a poem about a public health issue, and I submitted a poem about a challenge I faced as a child that still impacts me today. Please check out their efforts on their website: https://light4ph.org/
To say that these last several months has been a journey of spiritual and emotional reinvention, healing, and transformation would be selling the change ‘I’ve experienced short. I am ready to return to what I believe I was placed on this Earth to do – to educate, advocate, and motivate.
Here’s to a great new school year!
Mark
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