

As a middle school teacher, for the last 13 years, I have spent my days in the glorious whirlwind of adolescence — where big questions, bold opinions, and a myriad of sweatshirt hoodies collide. I don’t have a teenager at home, but I have the privilege of learning from dozens of them every day. My classroom is part academic workshop, part life-lab, and part comedy club. Teens are busy building the scaffolding of adulthood, and I love getting to guide that process with equal parts structure, humor, and compassion.