I was going to show my kids that no matter what happened with their parents, parole officers and other teachers, I wouldn't give up on them. I let them know it matters to me that you come to class, it matters to me that you try, it matters to me when you succeed.

I think a lot of teachers feel like they're teaching to a test. Our response is you teach to a student, you really teach to the kid.

Some teachers feel that if they ask for emotional help, they're a failure. But teaching is a team sport.

I understand now that God trusts me enough to give me three kids - Marvin Jr., Mikaila and Madisson - who totally depend on me. They know I'm going to be there for them no matter what.

I am a teacher born and bred, and I believe in the advocacy of teachers. It's a calling. We want our students to feel impassioned and empowered.

Hoping they'd been inspired by the examples of Anne Frank and other teens who had turned negative experiences into something positive by writing about them, I handed out notebooks for my students to journal about their lives. There was some initial resistance. But then the stories poured out of them, full of anger and sadness.