Three Big Lessons I Learned This Fall

The pink ribbon from my final chemotherapy treatment.

As teachers, we are trained to reflect on our practice. When I was student teaching, my cooperating teacher and my supervisor would ask me to consider what went well and what changes I would make in future lessons during my post-observation meeting. It became second nature to think about what I had learned after teaching because reflection is how we improve. Well, this past weekend, I spent time reflecting on a personal experience I have been through this fall – thinking about what I have learned from the whole situation.

In July 2023, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Since receiving the diagnosis, I have had surgery, gone through four weeks of daily radiation, and received chemotherapy treatment. It’s been a long journey, and I am very happy to be on this end of it. Last Thursday was my final chemotherapy treatment, when I was able to cut the pink ribbon and take it with me as a reminder (see photo above!).

At the end of the fall semester, a few students asked me a very astute question. They asked what the biggest lesson I had learned was from being diagnosed with breast cancer and going through treatment. So, here are the five lessons I have learned:

Daily Routines are Important

I love routines! I thrive off of a schedule and enjoy sticking to the plan that I set out for myself. Each morning, I wake up before my daughters and my husband and exercise. This daily routine kept me going all through the fall. It became a mission not to miss a day of exercise once I was cleared after surgery – and, I didn’t! Each day I set a schedule for when I would work and what I would work on – even during radiation and chemotherapy. This was such a tremendous help because I knew what I would be doing during the day. I knew that radiation would be intense because it was daily and was going to take a significant amount of my day (which it did), but I set-up a routine that would allow me to get a certain amount of work done – and it did get done. I was able to just execute the routine and keep going.

Part of my daily routine included taking time to rest. This was important because for the treatment to work, I would need to rest and take care of myself. This has become an important component of my daily routine now, too.

Community Really Matters

In education, we discuss the importance of the classroom community. We talk about establishing a community so that the students feel comfortable and ready to learn. Well, this one is really true and important. Community matters!

The literacy community at SUNY Old Westbury was amazing! I am so fortunate to work with wonderful students who help one another and were a huge help to me. They showed up for class ready to go and asked inquisitive questions. They also asked me about how I was feeling and always offered to help me in any ways necessary.

The community in the town where I live has also been amazing. I have been so fortunate to have people check-in on me and my family. This has led to friendships that will last far beyond my treatment. It has been a great example for my kids about how we support others in life.

Spend Your Time Doing Things That are Important to You

I have always loved thinking about time and reading time management books. The biggest lesson I learned is that time marches on regardless of what is going on in life. Time just keeps moving forward. After speaking with my team of doctors, I decided to continue teaching and really tried to keep my daily life as normal as possible. I am glad that I made this decision because it would have been hard to only focus on cancer for seven months.

While it was a difficult time, really good things happened during the past seven months and I am happy that I did not miss out on them. I told my students on our last class that time marches on so do not wait to do the things that you want to do in your life. The decks will never be cleared and there will always be something to deal with in life – so make sure you take the time to do the things that are meaningful to you!