A Million magical Dreams Reimagined

When I first wrote "A Million Magical Dreams" during the pandemic, this song from The Greatest Showman became my anthem. Every morning, I would run to the beat of that song, letting the lyrics fuel me with hope and courage. As a new district tech integration specialist, it gave me strength when everything felt heavy and uncertain, and it reconnected me with my passion for creating magical learning experiences for all students.

Now, years later, I find myself teaching culinary arts again, and that same song still echoes in my heart. The passion and purpose that surfaced during those runs has resurfaced again, propelling me forward into the world of teaching. It was a bold decision to return to to the classroom after six years—one I didn’t take lightly. I was happy in my former role as an educational consultant, with the freedom, and flexibility that came with it. I felt like I was making a difference as I worked with educators around the globe and I was enjoying it! But even so, there was a magnetic force pulling me back to the classroom. There is a special magic we tap into when we are with students, and I needed to reconnect with that magic again.

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Chasing Joy
As I navigate this new phase, I need to continually remind myself to look for the joy.  There was a time when I felt like I had everything dialed in, when I was at the top of my game. But now, in a new school with new staff and students, I feel like a new teacher again. It's hard and there are days that I feel defeated. It’s a humbling experience, but it’s also part of my metamorphosis. I want to keep learning and growing, and with that challenge and change is inevitable. I need to remind myself to continue to chase joy, even on the most difficult days...especially on the most difficult days. It’s what grounds me, even when everything else feels uncertain and messy.  Joy is the ingredient that makes all the hard work worth it. Some days it feels more challenging to find, but it is there, I just have to look for it. I find joy in the small moments—when a student returns a smile and "hello" as they walk into class, the laughter as students collaborate in the kitchen, and the pride on their faces as they present their finished creation. But it’s also in the connections we slowly build with our students, and the relationships they build with each other. It's in the growth we see as they acquire new skills and build new knowledge.

Dream in Bright Color
Listening to A Million Dreams again brought me back to the dreams I held during the pandemic, but now, those dreams have taken on new colors. I’m not the same educator I was before. I’ve evolved, and so have my dreams. I find myself eager to learn new strategies for reaching my wide array of learners in my classroom, brush up on my culinary skills that feel a bit rusty, binge watch reality shows to spark ideas for my gamified classroom, and learn from teachers that inspire me and challenge my thinking. 
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Dreaming in bright color means embracing the unknown. It means trusting that even in a new environment, we can create something magical. My dream for my students goes beyond teaching them culinary skills; I want them to find confidence, to learn how to collaborate, and to discover the joy in learning. I want them to be excited to step into my classroom and empowered to take their learning to the next level.

Find the Joy Seekers and Sunshine Spreaders
​One of the most important lessons I’ve learned over the years is the value of surrounding myself with joy seekers and sunshine spreaders. In my classroom, I look for those students who bring light into every culinary lab, who lift up their peers, and who find excitement in even the smallest victories. These are the students who remind me that we’re in this together—learning, growing, and making magic in the kitchen. I also find myself trying extra hard to bring joy to those students who may not return a smile and may need a little extra sunshine in their life. My hope is that as they leave my classroom, their day may feel a little brighter. 

But it’s not just about the students. I’ve found joy seekers in my friends, family, and personal learning network as well, those who inspire me to keep pushing forward and remind me why I came back. I lean on them often and find comfort in sharing my day and all its joy and challenges. They know my story and can help bring perspective when I feel too buried to see above the clouds. In this new school, with new faces and new challenges, I’m learning to reach out to colleagues who see the potential in every situation and who keep the joy alive, no matter what. 

Start Dreaming; You Hold the Magic
Returning to the classroom was a bold decision, but I made it because I know there’s magic in teaching. There’s magic in the relationships we build with our students, in the way we foster their growth, and in the way we learn from them in return. I also came back because I want to inspire other educators to reconnect with their own magic. I never want to lose sight of the dream I have for educators—to find joy and passion for teaching and learning, so that school becomes a place students are running towards, not away from.

Every day, when I step into my classroom, I need to continue to remind myself of what our schools could become if we dared to reimagine them as magical places of joy. Even on the hardest days, even when I feel like I’m starting over, I know I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. This work—this joyful, challenging, beautiful work—is the most important I’ve ever done. And I never want to forget that.