I initially hated the way I grew up but I have grown to appreciate the strength and perseverance my past has allowed me to acquire over the years. I love the way my life has come full circle in debt to a teacher who believed in me.

My biological mother was 16 when she had me and my father was a drug addict. I was removed by the Department of Child and Family Services, placed into foster care at 4 and adopted at 9.

But my rough start in life was not as tough as elementary school in my hometown of Hartford, Connecticut, where I languished in special education classes.

Except I was not a special education child.

The trauma of entering foster care and being removed from my mother shut me down and I didn’t socialize with other children. Because I had difficulty speaking about what I was experiencing, I was mistakenly labeled as needing special education.

Originally published in Education Post. Read the rest of the blog here.

After months of meetings with teachers, students, and other community leaders, Superintendent Beth Schiavino-Narvaez shared the key findings from her listening tour at a recent press conference. As a teacher, I applaud Dr. Narvaez and her transparency in releasing her transition plan, commitment to visit all Hartford Public Schools, and inclusion of teacher input.

Like many of the students I teach, I grew up in poverty in Hartford. At four years old, I was taken from my single mom by the Department of Children and Families, separated from my siblings, and placed into the foster care system.

During this time—as some of my siblings moved from foster home, to group home, to homelessness — I was taught the harsh reality that a high quality education was not guaranteed to everyone. I realized that the only way to stop this seemingly endless cycle of poverty was through a commitment to education.

Originally published in The CT Mirror. Read the rest of the article here.