Remember your Why
Remember your Why photograph by Déborah Martel-Rogers I still remember my first year as a full-time teacher. I did not have my own car yet and walked to the bus stop early in the morning while carrying my red briefcase, which I so proudly had saved for with the money I had made during my weekly tutoring sessions all over the city. The city where I worked and lived back then, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is on an island, making me see the ocean from wherever I look. That first day was magical. I even had the impression that everyone was looking at my shiny red-laced shoes while thinking to themselves that I was obviously a teacher. When I got to the bus line, several ladies asked me to proceed since they were not in a hurry, and I was obviously busy. I thanked them right before paying for my ticket and sitting all the way to the back. Some young men stared at me. I ignored them. Some young ladies looked back toward whe...