I commit to childlike wonder, that profound unknowingness that makes me open to new experiences and truths. This is a commitment to humility and curiosity so that I never stop learning.

I commit to seeing my students as humans, not only as English students. I will see them as individuals with inherent value with a uniqueness that is an essential component to my class. I commit to celebrating that uniqueness and incorporating it into my curriculum.  

I commit to teaching a curriculum that is meaningful. This is a commitment to a curriculum that doesn't just meet requirements, but brings in outside sources that are relevant. It means a commitment to knowing what gives my students’ lives meaning and acknowledging and embracing the diversity that comes with that.

I commit to listening not to respond, but to understand my students. This is a commitment to being intentional so I can truly value their voices and the stories they share. 

I commit to joyously receiving and responding to the gains my students make, no matter how small. It's a commitment to meeting each student where they are at and being someone who empowers them to grow.

I commit to each day. I commit to taking things one day at a time, greeting each day with an eagerness that is expectant of abundance.

I commit to teaching by being. This means being a teacher that is worth learning from. It's a commitment to leading by example. Teaching writing by being a writer, teaching vulnerability by being vulnerable, teaching resilience by being resilient.   

I commit to being a learner and writer alongside my students. Not just their teacher with all the answers, but someone who walks alongside them in their own search for answers. 

I commit to co-creation and co-curation. I commit to a classroom that is a community that I build with my students, not for my students. 

I commit to doing these things for myself. Meeting myself with the same joy and patience I give to my students, allowing myself forgiveness and encouragement, seeing my own failures not as inability, but opportunities for growth and miracles.