This is a “getting to know me” post. I believe that if you are going to invest your time reading my material, you should know who I am.

My name is Allison. Recently, I came across an acquaintance online, I got hit with the same tag line that I’ve been getting for much of the last year and a half: “Girl, where have you been?” It’s true, for approximately that time period, I completely fell off the radar. I abandoned my beloved Facebook and Instagram. I all but shuttered the windows to my house and heart.

So what was going on during that time period. A lot. So much that a book would be a more appropriate medium to outline the craziness of 2018-2019. First, I was going through marital issues. Unfortunately we weren’t able to reconcile, so we separated.

As you can imagine, divorce is extremely disruptive to a family. I had to move, we had to set up a custody schedule, and deal with the awkwardness of hatred/love. But like a sick joke from hell, just prior to the divorce blow up, I was diagnosed with a life long disorder that I must maintain. At times, before my medicine became effective, I was so sick that I didn’t even value my life. But with the help of time, medicine, therapy, and the love of my family, I grew stronger and am now more victorious in life.

From Nov 2018 when I had my first breakdown, through Jun 2019, besides my precious daughter, my North Star had always been my excellence as a teacher and love of Spanish culture. My grandmother used to tell me that “you may be stripped of everything you have, but no one can take what is in your mind.” When I was home recovering for a year, I would work on Powerpoints to keep my mind going and my creative juices flowing. I would work on projects and song sheets (clozes) or any little thing that I felt inspired to do. I did this all while working on something crucial: self care.

And now, I’m back! Telling my story! And I’m not just surviving as a teacher, I’m thriving. I gave an info session to my school staff on a new technology and then was asked to present on the same topic to the county of World Language teachers. I won teacher of the month at my school. And I still find time to roll out high quality/culture rich lessons while maintaining the all important self care.

You may be wondering–wow, aren’t you doing too much? Teacher’s Pay Teacher’s Author; Instagram; Twitter; Pinterest; now a blog! And I would say, it is important to live your truth. Part of my truth is to help others with the knowledge I’ve acquired. I’m here to share what I’ve learned as a teacher, mother of an emerging bilingual child, author of Teachers Pay Teachers Products, and formerly overly stressed out human being. I hope that you find some nugget of information that helps, whether you are a teacher, a parent, someone looking for self care tips, or just the average joe/mary/josé/maría looking for a good read. 🙂