“What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.” – Karl Menninger
What makes a teacher great is compassion and the ability to connect with one’s students.
I have talked several times about amazing teachers on my blog. I have also talked several times about being a person with a disability. My disability made going through school difficult. Despite my struggles through school, I have a college degree, and I managed to graduate college with honors. I wouldn’t have been successful without the help of wonderful and compassionate educators. One such educator was one of my college professors, who I will call Prof. A.
Since I was a student with a disability, I received accommodations. One accommodation I received was extra time on exams. Also, I took my exams in a separate location from my classmates to lower distractions, usually in a room at the office for students with disabilities. During one exam for Prof. A, I was unable to finish the test, even with the extra time. Prof. A took the time to check on me while I was taking the exam. When she found out I wasn’t finished with the test when time was up, she told me not to worry. She took me to her office and had me continue the test there. Before she took me to her office to finish the exam though, she took me to the cafeteria to eat, knowing that I had been working on the test for hours.
In that moment, Prof. A showed me what it really means to be an educator. She showed me that teaching includes more than the ability to pass on information in a digestible way. Teaching also comes with a heart ready to love and understand. This is a what makes a great teacher.
I just received a notification from WordPress that said I’ve published over 100 posts on the platform! Yay me! But seriously, this is wonderful. One of my fears when I started blogging was that I would run of ideas to write. Here I am nearly six years and 100 posts later, and I’m still going. I started this blog because I believe everyone has an interesting and important story to tell, and I wanted to share mine.
Sharing my story and experiences has been a wonderful journey so far. I’ve talked a lot about my experience with a genetic disorder called Turner syndrome on my blog. For years after I was diagnosed as a teenager, I kept my condition to myself, only sharing it with a very select few people. As I grew older, I started advocating for myself, and I needed people to understand what my day to day life is like as a woman with Turner syndrome. This inspired me to share my story. One of my first blog posts was “Imperfectly Perfect: Life with Turner Syndrome”. The truth is, I actually wrote this blog post for a major magazine. I submitted it, but never heard back from any representative from the magazine company. That’s when I decided to create my own platform. That’s how Life with Charli came about! I was nervous about starting a blog, but I realized that if I wanted more awareness on Turner syndrome, I needed to be comfortable with sharing my story.
I have also talked a lot about dealing with mental illness on my blog. I have mentioned many times on my blog that was hesitant to start therapy and medication for my mental illness. To be honest, even up to the time I started my blog, I was still hesitant. However, I noticed a lot of other bloggers boldly talking about mental illness with no shame. Then, one day, I asked on one of X, then Twitter, if anyone would like to share their story on my blog.
I was so happy when I got a response from a fellow writer Lesley Skinner. When Lesley told me that she wanted to write about mental illness, I gladly collaborated with her and published “Christianity and Mental Health”. Around that time, a fellow blogger, Nadine, shouted me out as a fellow mental health advocate.
I was shocked, because I didn’t see myself as one. However, I happily accepted the praise. It wasn’t really my intention to focus on mental health, but looking back, that was a topic I have been talking about from my very first post “This is Life: Your Purpose, Your gift”, which focused on self love. Other early posts that followed also focused on mental health, like “Judgements and Assumptions”, which focused on social anxiety. I just did not realize how connected to mental health those posts were. I was just writing my experience. Amazingly, people were listening responding so positively to what I had to say. Little did my fellow bloggers know, though, that I was listening to them too. I decided to reach out for help with my mental illness like so many of my fellow bloggers, and was officially diagnosed with depression and borderline personality disorder.
It felt so good to finally be getting help. I’m very grateful to the bloggers who have had an influence on my mental health and blogging journey. With the beautiful feedback I have been receiving throughout my time blogging, I know my story has reached others as well. For instance, a beautiful soul took the time to send this email to me:
A very warm thankyou to you my friend, and to all those who have been supporting me through all this time. If you are sharing your story online like me, know that people are watching and listening. You are making an impact on someone’s life. Keep sharing your story.
Thankyou for visiting and helping me celebrate 100 published posts. Here’s to 100 more.
I found the blog post above through Facebook! It really is a gem, and I relate to it so much! For a very long time I was going through depression and thought it was normal, just how I was. I was very wrong. It is not normal, and I needed help badly. Take a look at the above post, and if you feel like you relate to it, please know it is ok to seek out help.
I recently read in the news that a television personality named John Brenkus passed away by suicide on May 31st of this year. He was 54 years old. He was a well known figure in the sports world. I have talked about my journey with mental illness many times on here on my blog. One of the hardest but best decisions I’ve ever made was seeking help. I have been suffering from mental illness from the time I was a child. Stigma kept me from reaching out for help for a very long time. As I read through the comments on the article about John Brenkus’s passing, I realized that even though we have come a long way with fighting stigma on mental illness we still have a long way to go.
Many of the comments fit into two groups. The first group are those who downplayed the seriousness depression, such as the examples below:
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The second was those who thought suicide is a cowardly or selfish act, such as those below:
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However, I did find comments that showed understanding and compassion:
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Depression is a serious mental illness, and someone who loses his or her battle with the illness was not weak or a coward. As someone who is dealing with depression myself, I can say it is not an easy condition to live with, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. It’s hard to understand unless one is actually dealing with the illness his or herself, but compassion is not hard. I have had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful people online during my time as a blogger, but it is the truth that the internet can also bring out the ugly side side of humanity. The way to fight to fight the stigma of mental illness is through compassion. Compassion leads us to seeing each other as fellow human being worthy of love and understanding. So let’s try to be more loving and compassionate.
For those of you who are struggling with mental illness, please reach out for help if you have not done so already. If you are or someone you know is ever in a crisis, please reach out to your country’s crisis hotline. The hotline in the United States, where I, live is 988.
Thankyou for reading, and I’ll see guys in the next post!
This week has been Teacher Appreciation Week here in the United States! I have discussed my status as a person with a disability and mental illness several times here on my blog. Many educators I have met have been so understanding of my disability and mental illness. I have written two post about wonderful teachers I have had, and you can read them here and here. This is another post celebrating an excellent teacher.
Years ago when I was in kindergarten, I had two great teachers. However, I spent a significant amount time with one of them. It wasn’t until I was older when I got a chance to talk with her about her experience as an educator that I found out she wasn’t a teacher yet during the time she was teaching me. She was a paraprofessional, and was in the process of becoming a teacher. For those who don’t know what a paraprofessional is, a paraprofessional is a person who “supports teachers and students in many ways. For instance, a paraprofessional can tutor students or assist the teacher with managing the classroom and organizing instructional materials”. Paraprofessionals also help with “providing students with one-on-one guidance and handling behavioral or medical issues”.
It was interesting to find out that one of my kindergarten teachers was not exactly a teacher yet. However, then again, I should not have been so surprised. I was a student with special needs who needed extra attention, and giving students the extra attention they need is part of a paraprofessional’s job. My kindergarten teacher did not just give me extra attention though. She was extremely kind, loving, and patient. Even at my very young age of five, I knew she cared deeply for me, and so I cared deeply for her in return. She eventually did become a full fledged teacher, running her own classes and then eventually a department head.
I admire and appreciate her for the time she took to not only nurture my learning, but also my well-being. I definitely felt special with her, but I’m sure I was not her only student who felt this way. It is clear she is a passionate educator. Miss. H, Thankyou for everything, and happy teacher’s appreciation week.
Hi all! Welcome back to my blog! As some of you may know, I deal with mental illness. I have depression and borderline personality disorder. For a long time, I was hesitant to reach out for help with my mental health, but I finally starting going to therapy in 2019. Even though I decided to get help with my mental health, I was still very hesitant to take medication. I’m usually hesitant about taking new medication, but I was even more reluctant to take psychiatric medication. I am now on an antidepressant and an antipsychotic. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16.5 percent of American adults were taking medication for mental illness in 2020. A combination of therapy and medication is the most effective way to manage mental illness.
The different types of psychiatric medications are antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, stimulants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers. Antidepressants are mainly used to treat depression, although they can also be used to treat anxiety, pain, and insomnia as well. Anti-anxiety medications are used to treat anxiety, although antidepressants can also be used for anxiety and are usually prescribed initially before anti-anxiety medication. Stimulants are used to treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It can also treat narcolepsy. Stimulants can improve alertness and focus. Antipsychotics are used to treat psychosis. Conditions that involve psychosis are bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and severe psychotic depression. Mood stabilizers are often used to treat bipolar disorder, but can be used to help with mood regulation in other mental illnesses as well. Psychiatric medication can be very helpful, but they have their cons as well. This is why there are those who warn against taking psychiatric medication, including members of the British royal family.
Thomas Kingston, a member of the British royal family through marriage, died by suicide in February last year in 2024. His family was left devastated, and are now advocating for better communication between doctors and patients about the serious side effects of psychiatric medications. The coroner who handled looking into the cause of Mr. Kingston’s death also warned about the side effects of psychiatric medications. Psychiatric medications do have some serious side effects. With antidepressants, some side effects are upset stomach, headache, or sexual dysfunction. In young people under the age of 25, antidepressants can cause suicidal thoughts. Some children on stimulants feel unlike their usual selves. Antipsychotics can cause stroke or death in older adults. Older first generation antipsychotics, often called typical antipsychotics, can lead a condition called Tardive dyskinesia, which is when muscles in the body move uncontrollably. People on newer generation antipsychotics, or atypical antipsychotics, generally need to have their weight, glucose levels, and lipid levels monitored by their doctor. One very commonly used mood stabilizer is lithium. Those who take lithium need to have their lithium levels routinely checked, as overdosing on lithium can cause serious side effects. Also, stopping any psychiatric medication abruptly can lead to withdrawal symptoms. Hopefully, Mr. Thomas Kingston was informed about the side effects of the particular medication he was prescribed.
One of the medications Kingston was at first prescribed was sertraline. After returning to his doctor and reporting that the medication was not working, he was put on citalopram. At the time of his death, Kingston had stopped taking the antidepressants. As mentioned previously, stopping psychiatric medication can lead to withdrawal symptoms. It is very imperative that mental health professionals are transparent about the side effects of psychiatric drugs, but it is also very important that patients closely follow the instructions of the doctor.
Making the choice of whether or not to take psychiatric medication is a serious decision to make. It is important to know that everyone’s body reacts differently to medication. Some people may suffer bad side effects. However, there are many people who experience minimal side effects or none at all and find psychiatric medications to be life saving. Whether or not a person should take medication or not doesn’t have an easy answer. However, being informed can make the decision to take medication and dealing with medication easier.
Hello everyone! Well guys, we are at the beginning of a new year again! As I was thinking about what I wanted to post next on my blog, I began thinking about how far I have come on my journey with working on my mental health. I started working on my mental health in 2020. I started from being afraid of going to therapy to firmly advocating for it. I went from being against psychiatric medication to believing in their effectiveness.
My journey has not been easy, and I have had a few depressive episodes and break downs. Last year though, I am proud to say that I have not had any depressive episodes or breakdowns. I’ve been feeling more confident than I’ve ever felt before. I’m doing so well with my mental health that I am even having less therapy sessions. At the beginning of my mental health journey, I was going to therapy 3 times a week. That’s how bad my mental health was. Now I’m seeing a therapist once every two weeks. My mental health is not perfect, but I feel so different than I felt before starting my mental health journey. I never thought I would reach to a point where I would be able to say I truly loved myself. I have never felt better. I am very much looking forward to another year of mental stability.
Hello all! Missed me? It’s been a while! I’m really sorry about that! I’ve been a little busy! I’m going to college soon, so I’ve been pretty busy preparing! I haven’t even been on social media in a while, and I particularly enjoy Twitter! I haven’t forgotten about my blog though! I don’t plan on ever giving up on this blog no matter what!
With that update out of the way, let’s move on to another topic: coffee! Did you know that October 1st was National Coffee Day? How many of you out there love coffee? If you didn’t know before, I live in the United States, and we love coffee over here! According to the National Coffee Association, 7 in 10 Americans consume coffee every week, and the average American drinks more than 3 cups of coffee per day.
In honor of this popular drink, I thought I would tell you about my first time drinking coffee! I saw two teenage girls making a drink at a machine while I was waiting in a waiting room at a school. I thought the girls were making hot chocolate, and I wanted some too. The problem was they weren’t making hot chocolate! They were making coffee, and a small child shouldn’t be drinking coffee! One of the teenage girls pointed that out, but the other girl said it was fine and made a cup for me. It was delicious! It was so good that I wanted to a second cup. Unfortunately, I didn’t know how to work the machine, and the two teenage girls had already left. I decided to try my luck on my own with the machine, but before before I could figure out what I was doing, I was caught by my very upset mother.
I hope you enjoyed my little story! Do you like coffee? How often do you drink coffee, if at all? When was your first time drinking coffee? Thankyou for visiting and reading! Until next time!
Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog! I’m so excited to share this news with all you! As you can tell from the title, I’m on Tiny Buddha!I’m sure Tiny Buddha needs no introduction! It is a popular blog that has been around since 2009! Wow! I admire the founder Lori Deschene and her work on Tiny Buddha, and I admire the fact that she allows others to share their wisdom and stories on the blog as well! When I reached out to Ms. Deschene, I was surprised and delighted that she actually responded! She was very kind and her responses were swift! It’s truly an honor to be featured on her blog Tiny Buddha!
To be featured on Tiny Buddha, your post should be at least one thousand words. My style of blogging is writing long posts, but I don’t usually write posts that reach one thousand words! I’m so proud of myself! I’m particularly happy with this post, and hope you all take something away from it. To read the post, visit Tiny Buddha! My post is called Lessons from a Late Bloomer Who Wanted to Be Famous! You can also click here.
Hello all! Welcome back to my blog! Fellow blogger Sunny Larue Wormely tagged me on Facebook to write a blog post about summer fun for her blog! The prompt is below:
Hi guys I’m back again with another ask it’s time for blog. I was inspired by a childhood memory of summer. I thought it would be fun to do a writing prompt. You can also write a poem on a summer memory. it’s up to you.
As the sun blazed overhead, the small coastal town came alive with the sounds of laughter and the scent of salt in the air.
Write a story about a group of friends who embark on a spontaneous road trip, seeking adventure, love, and self-discovery during a scorching summer heatwave.
What unexpected challenges will they face, and how will they come together to make this a summer to remember?
Please keep your entry to under 2000 characters or between 290 – 500 words. If you decide on a poem please keep your entry under 200 characters or between 30 -50 words. The deadline is June 29th by 6pm PST or 9pm EST or 7pm GST (Europe). Your entry will be posted to the site the 3rd week of July 2024.
Please keep in mind words are powerful and they can help brighten someone day. I hope you participate in sharing and having some FUN!
I gladly accepted the challenge and wrote a poem!
Sunny is a dear blogging friend. She loves martinis and pop culture. She often discusses pop culture on her blog and on her YouTube channel. She is a strong mental health advocate and also writes about living with mental illness from her personal experience.
Life with Charli 