“I am a teacher, but I am also a…” if you can finish that sentence, then you are not alone. Teachers of Room 10 is a collection of writing by teachers, but not about teaching. It is about who we are after we have stepped out of the classroom. Sometimes our experiences outside the classroom help to make us more effective teachers, but sometimes they just make us who we are.

When I was volunteering at Bo’s Place, a non-profit grief center in Houston, TX, I often walked participants through an activity where they would section a circle into 8 pieces, then label one of the pieces to indicate the death they have experienced, or their grief journey. I then had them label the other 7 pieces with other aspects of who they are. Mother. Friend. Musician. Even generous, kind, or other character traits that they were proud of. The activity helped illustrate that while the grief they were going through was so big in their lives at the time, it was not ALL that they were.

As teachers, we can sometimes feel like the world sees us only as teachers, but that is only one part of what makes us who we are. What are the other 7 pieces of your circle?