I often say that I am in the business of preventing mid-life crises. While my work focuses on coaching and supporting parents to make informed decisions about their kids' schools, my ultimate goal is to help parents make educational decisions that honor who their children are at their core. I help parents pay attention, ask the right questions, listen to the answers, act on that information and engage their schools in the process. This provides sanity for my parents, but it does something more important for kids: it teaches them how to see themselves and make decisions that honor who they are as individuals.
This is the gift I reference in my most popular blog of 2015. This is the gift I wanted to give my students in becoming a middle school teacher and administrator. This is the gift I want every child to receive: the gift of being seen.
As I think back on 2015, I am tearfully grateful at the opportunity I’ve had to take care of kids, to support parents in giving the gift. You have invited me into your homes, your offices, your lives. You've attended workshops, read and shared my blogs, allowing me be your guide.
What we’ve done together this year was bigger than (just) choosing schools for your kiddos. We have looked at our kids (nearly 150 kids to be exact!) and really seen them. For all of this, I could not be more grateful.
2016 promises to be even better. I’ll be launching a 2-day summer workshop for rising 9th graders to help them be more purposeful and prepared for high school, and I am writing a step-by-step workbook that will help parents choose and engage with their child’s school. But most importantly, I’m over-the-moon, shimmy-in-my-living-room excited to continue doing my part to ensure that more kids know the confidence, joy and sense of purpose that comes from being seen.
From my family to yours, happy 2016!
