Where in the world have I been?!

Hey all! It's been a bit - 4 years to be exact. I'm really looking forward to refocusing my work here and giving you some amazing new content, but first I want to share why I disappeared because it's a pretty common store that deserves some attention in this space. 

I burnt out. Big time. When you truly love the work you do that enthusiasm is obvious, and all too often it gets taken advantage of.  I'd done everything "right" in my early childhood career - started in child care as a college student working at a before and after school program, moved into a long-term sub and eventually full-time teaching positions after graduation, took on extra responsibilities at my school, started my own little program and took care of the business aspect of that for a couple of years, and then moved onto a role with a non-profit that mentors teachers and program directors. I was moving up the ladder and I felt like I was making real contributions, but I was being held to a much higher standard than many of my colleagues and expected to work so much harder and provide better results (all for the same pay of course... does this story sound familiar to anyone else).  I broke. I couldn't do it all anymore and I ended up taking a new position in a completely different field.  I needed to start over, and I needed to do it in a way that protected my energy and passion. 

I'm sure that many of you have experienced very similar situations in your own careers. I know this because education is demanding, there isn't a lot of recognition for hard work, and the emotional toll is REAL. It took some time for me to work through how I'd gotten to this place and come to terms with all of it. In doing this I found that the thing I truly missed the most was knowing that I was helping others achieve their highest potential (students AND teachers), and creating tools that made life easier.  Knowing that this is truly my passion helped me immensely and I'm so looking forward revisiting the work I've done here and making it even better for all of you! 

I'll be sharing so many of the things that I've learned about burnout, and the pieces that helped me work through it. There's so much more that I can't wait to tell you about - how real teachers are using the materials I've made, what I'm doing with these to support my own daughter (she's in Kindergarten this year - HOW?!), and amazing new ideas too.  

Since It's been a bit, I also wanted to take a minute to re-introduce myself, so here it goes 😁 I'm Erin.  Much of my teaching experience is in child care - working with toddlers, preschoolers, and program administration. I also just did a 2.5 year pivot and worked in health coaching, which I absolutely loved.  I'm a midwestern girl through and through, and I love camping with my husband and daughter, as well as sewing, baking, getting crafty, reading, and the occasional Netflix binge. Holidays are my favorite and I tend to go a little over the top, but usually in a good way.  I really hope you'll follow along here as I share more!