Hey friends. As many of you have been getting your classrooms together and planning your first few lessons for the start of the year, I have been a bit more quiet during this “back to school season”. While this has felt a bit nerve wracking, I wanted to take a moment to share with you all that I have decided to step into a new chapter of my life, by stepping out of the classroom.
What do you do when you have your dream job that has a gorgeous classroom, the best coworkers, and incredible students & families… but your heart is still heavy? When the stresses of being a full-time working mom have only been intensified by teaching through a pandemic? When your work/ life balance has simply become a total imbalance?
I’ve made a lot of big and bold decisions in my life, but the decision to step away from the only career I have ever known, has been the hardest by far. The only thing I’ve ever wanted to be my entire life was an art teacher. And for the last 15 years, it’s become the majority of my identity. At times it felt like my entire identity. But I am slowly realizing that I’m more than an art teacher in a public school. I’m a mother, a wife, a daughter & sister, a friend, an artist, a muralist, a volunteer, a dreamer, a presenter, an observer, an advocate, and an educator in more ways than one. In this next chapter of my life, I may be stepping away from the traditional classroom, but my love and passion for teaching kids (and adults) how they can enrich their lives by adding art to it is something that will never go away. I am the person I am today because of the impact that art has had on me since childhood. And that passion to share my love of art will now have the opportunity to be shared in so many NEW ways! As I move forward, I hope to create a work/ life balance that allows me to keep my family first, while still providing me the opportunity to fill my creative cup in ways that, until now, I had only dreamed were a possibility. So instead of spending the tiny bit of free time I have had thinking “maybe someday, when I find the time, I’ll create that” I can now start saying “Yes! I can’t wait to start working on that!” And actually do it. Though the pandemic has been difficult for so many of us, it has also given me clarity about what is truly important in my life and the (sometimes scary) changes I need to make in order to create the life I want.
Thank you for being here and for supporting me in this space. Whether it’s been through leaving me an encouraging comment, buying my artwork and/or teaching resources, sharing my account with a friend, sending me something thoughtful in the mail (too many of you to thank for this one! I will never stop being humbled by your thoughtfulness) or just sending me a direct message of encouragement or thanks. Whether you’ve been following me from the earlier days in my career or are new here, you all have allowed me to feel a part of such a beautiful and supportive teaching community and I truly hope that you will still stick around as I share more about my next chapter. You know as teachers, we are always sharing our objectives at the start of a lesson so here are my objectives for this next chapter: To continue to help and support teachers, children and artists of all ages find and gain confidence in their creative voice while allowing myself the time and pace to refocus on myself, my family, and my artwork. I can’t wait to continue to serve educators & students in many new and exciting ways through my love of art education. Stick around because there is so much more to come : ) Thanks y'all❤️
Love,
Kaitlyn
