Whether working as a Spanish teacher, social worker, outdoor educator, or being a parent, I always use the same saying, “You may not always be comfortable on this journey, but you will always be safe in this space.” To me, that is also true with SEED. 

I first heard about SEED my first year of teaching in 1994, but it was six years and three schools later where I got to experience it first-hand in a SEED group at the Park School of Baltimore, and five years after that I participated in SEED #19 New Leader’s Week. In many ways, SEED has had a role in my life since my first year teaching 27 years ago. I’ve facilitated SEED groups with colleagues, a parent group called SEEDfolks, and in 2010 introduced SEEDlings to my middle school which continues to run as a full year social justice elective for 7th and 8th graders. 

For me, SEED is home. My favorite part of the school day is when I close the door to my classroom and I ask my students “What’s going on in the news, in the world, in your heads, and in your hearts?” This is the quinntessential reality of SEED: it helps us know ourselves and each other.  

I have so much gratitude for how SEED has helped shape me into a better educator and a better human.