Thank a Teacher!
“Most people overestimate what they can achieve in a year and underestimate what they can achieve in ten years.” -Bill Gates. As Gates’ Law reminds us, true perspective comes only with time—but, it’s easy to lose faith when day-to-day progress can sometimes feel invisible.
I was talking with a friend recently about how we rarely have enough runway (yet) to see our own journeys clearly. Sometimes it feels like nothing changes week to week, or even month to month, when in fact we just haven’t given ourselves the gift of a longer view.
This week, we celebrate National Teachers' Day, and even though it feels like just yesterday I was in a Spanish or English classroom, it’s wild to realize it's actually been five years since I left K–12 teaching to pursue an encore career as a personal trainer!
My journey has been anything but linear, and along the way I have had so many moments of doubt, wondering if I was going at the right pace to get where I wanted to go (heck - I still do! and my goals are ever-evolving!). Yet, through all of the ups and downs, at my core, even with my career change...I am 💯 a teacher at heart, even after all this time. 👩🏫
- 🧑🎓 from day one at the front of my high school and middle school classrooms,
- 🌎 to a global sabbatical, visiting 13 countries in 12 months to explore educations systems around the world,
- ⛰️ including a Fulbright Grant to explore indigenous language and culture in Ecuador & Peru with a committed group of teachers I call friends to this day,
- 👩💼 to a (short & sweet!) stint in education consulting...
- 🇯🇵then onward to the JET program, an exchange and teaching program to Japan to teach English 🇺🇸,
- 😷 and weathering a freakin' global pandemic that hit halfway through our time there
- 🏋️♀️ and through the time and space that pause opened up, pursuing a career change to dive into personal training at a gym
- 💪 and now, finally, to building my own strength training program and business
When I think back on who I was 10 years ago, I barely recognize that Becky. And, in my mind, that's exactly as it should be. Growth is continuous and messy; progress is all over the map (literally in my case!), sometimes uncomfortable or even painful, and very rarely linear.
When I reflect on my 15 years in K–12 education, I realize the lessons in psychology, human behavior, growth mindset, and curriculum design are exactly what guide me today as a trainer. Every relationship I build, each program I create, every cue I give, building in personalized, differentiated options for folks to individualize their experience by interest, level, or preference... all of it comes from the same place: helping someone learn, grow, and feel empowered. 💪
Teaching doesn’t have to end when you leave the classroom, I've learned. It lives in every conversation, every bit of feedback, every “aha” moment—no matter the age of the learner, the context of the classroom, or the subject matter I'm teaching. I’m so grateful to carry my teacher identity into this next chapter, and I wouldn’t be here without the mentors and colleagues who generously gave their time, energy, and resources to shape me along my journey.
So yes—it’s #NationalTeacherDay this week, but let’s be honest… every damn day should be a day we pause to thank an educator. If you’ve ever learned from someone who believed in you, held space for you, created an experience that allowed you to "get" it, feel seen or understood, let them know today (or this week, or anytime!) how much their work matters. 📚❤️
To all the classroom teachers out there: I know you'll never hear it enough, but thank you so much for your countless hours—inside the classroom, outside school hours, and even during so-called “summer vacation.” Your dedication absolutely impacts and changes lives. I see you and I carry your lessons with me every single day. 🙏