When folks would ask, “Just what prepared you for this?” I’d always joke that teaching middle school was the perfect preparation for a life in politics. Emotions are high; compromise is a crucial aspect of daily life. The biggest hurdle is trying to separate yourself from the drama in front of you in order to see the big picture. Scraps of hard-won progress, day in and day out, lead to bigger achievements over time. When you’re helping a student navigate an emotional breakdown, you have to remember that their behavior has nothing to do with you—it’s about something going on beneath the
...more
