Before I Get into It Mother's Day has come and gone, and I've been sitting with something I want to say: There is no wrong way to spend Mother's Day when you are the mother, not a single wrong way — and I'll tell you why I feel that so deeply this year. Before I get started, let me say that if you're one of the moms who didn't really get your day, who spent it taking care of everyone else, didn't get what you needed, or just didn't feel seen, I want you to hear this: Don't let your next...

Happy Mother's Day to Mrs. Sandy (Anderson) Alexander, the OG I am a great teacher because my mother was (and still is) a great teacher. That's not me being sentimental; it’s just the truth. My mom, Sandra (Anderson) Alexander, has been teaching — and reaching — for almost half a century. From the elementary school classroom before 1979 all the way through her retirement in 2013 — and even then, she wasn't done. Retirement didn't slow her down; it just changed her zip code. She went on to...

Whew! 2026 is starting off as 2025 on steroids! I have a reputation. Ask anyone who knows me (at work, at home, in my community), and they'll tell you I handle things. I figure things out, and I deliver. I've built an entire identity around being the person who doesn't fall apart. For a long time, I’ve viewed that as something to be proud of, and while it is, it isn't. Most people don’t know who I am when nobody's watching. I don’t mean the English teacher, editor, author, publisher, or...