In my previous life, I was a math teacher. I taught for ten years; in a public high school in the Bay Area, a public high school in New York City, and then a private middle school. Each school had its strengths and difficulties, but I was drawn to teach, not just because of my love of the subject matter, but because of my love for the students. Many students were my first children; people that I cared for, worried about, cried over, and loved.
![Graduating from Stanford with my MA in 2003.](https://josiegirlblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Screen-Shot-2016-01-23-at-10.50.56-AM.png)
Graduating from Stanford with my MA in 2004. I thought graduate school was hard, but nothing is as hard as your first year teaching.