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December 22, 2020

Coming Up for Air

I had always vowed to leave teaching before I became one of the teachers who was bitter and angry. I left a bit too late. But I had never stopped caring, wanting the kids to succeed, or loving the challenge of finding a new way to bring the content to life.

The passion that kept me afloat was also what wore me out.

I couldn’t stop the frustration of working against a system that disregarded everything research shows us concerning adolescent development. Our administration stripped the teachers of the tools necessary to help students succeed and then blamed the teachers when kids struggled.

I was sinking, and I knew I had to come up for air.

Rebecca Burtram TEACHING 0 2 min read
April 3, 2020

Where Do We Go From Here?

Unmet expectations, failed dreams, and loss of life and security are not new events. They are built into the human experience, and we can continue to live full, peace filled lives if we accept the reality of the now, embrace the mystery of why, and move forward each day.

Rebecca Burtram TEACHING 0 5 min read
December 14, 2019

An Angry Teacher and Mr. Rogers

Well, I was angry. Or I still am. I don’t know in this moment. I had planned to write a post to process my anger when I woke up yesterday. I was going to be open about the fact that I find myself swearing and venting and spewing grossness from inside because I have let anger take my peace, and I was hoping that the grace would come in the confessing.

Rebecca Burtram TEACHING 4 3 min read
May 24, 2019

To All the Students I’ve Loved Before

In that moment I don’t know if I have what it takes to truly know the wonderful mysteries sitting before me on day one. I know they will baffle, thrill, and annoy me to no end. They’ll give me a thousand stories to tell my husband and my friends about the clever, stupid, rude, or sweet things they do all year long. But then the last day will come, and I’ll be thinking, “I don’t want it to end,” and some pain in the butt kid will actually say it right out loud.
AND I WILL BE DONE FOR.

Rebecca Burtram LEARNING 0 5 min read
March 24, 2018

Desert (and Dessert) Seasons

I am devastated. Okay, that might be a touch melodramatic, but I am seriously bummed. I applied for a job I really wanted, and I found out after work yesterday that I didn’t make it past the first round interview. Now I’m sitting here wondering what to do with myself. Do I lick my wounds, work three times harder to […]

Rebecca Burtram CHURCH PLANTING 3 2 min read
December 9, 2017

STILL DREAMING

Right this minute, the first snow of the season is falling. Everything feels right as the dryer is whirring and the light flakes dusting the roads are shutting my commitments for the day down (I was supposed to coach my daughter’s youth basketball team this morning…because I needed something else to do…lol). Although I’ve been up for a couple hours, […]

Rebecca Burtram Christmas Visions 1 1 min read
August 10, 2017

SHARE THE POWER

Today I saw the words, “Share the Power,” graffitied on a bridge, and suddenly the thing I have been struggling with and unable to express came to light. I want to share the power. I just don’t know how. I don’t have enough power and sway to make the changes that need to be made. Wait, no, back up. I don’t know […]

Rebecca Burtram CHURCH PLANTING 2 4 min read
July 31, 2017

HOMEY DON’T PLAY, BUT WE DO!

I know this title is ridiculous. I may or may not have had to use Google to decide between homey and homie. I LOVE this title anyway. This summer has been a game filled summer. We went to NY to visit family for two weeks. We played Uno, Go Fish, Dominion, Up and Down the River, Apples to Apples, and […]

Rebecca Burtram PARENTING 2 1 min read
June 15, 2017

THE KKK IS COMING TO TOWN

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. I recently heard the news that the KKK is coming to Charlottesville, VA this summer. My first response was anger. I don’t want them here. I don’t want them to have the right to come […]

Rebecca Burtram CHURCH PLANTING 6 1 min read
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