Dear Reader,

A big thank you is appropriate here.

One of the biggest lies popular teacher bloggers tell others is that we write for ourselves. We don’t. We write for audience, whoever the audience in mind happens to be. Sometimes, we do it because we want to be more than just footnotes to the histories of education out there. Other times, we do it because we see a necessary narrative that we can fill with our gifts. Most of us don’t even think about this blessing to communicate the emotions and concerns of thousands of people across the country (and perhaps the world) and truncate these thoughts into 400-word essays.

The best bloggers I’ve met just nod, smile, and talk about Andrew Cuomo crapping on teachers again.

So thank you for reading. Blogging is one of the only spaces I could be in full control, but choose not to be. In person, I’m guarded for fear of vulnerability, a disposition from being raised in the hood. Yet, online, with the exception of a few naysayers here, I’ve been inundated with comments, letters, and other shows of support. This holds me up in the classroom in more ways than you’ll ever know, and keeps me going in the work I’m hoping to do in advancing discussions of teacher leadership, race, and math across the country.

More importantly, it’s my hope that everything I’ve written here connects with you in some form. Even though it’s only my name in the headline, I consider this a success for anyone who believes in this new narrative. Thanks, a million times over.

Best,

Jose