Melissa Freeman's
          HEART TO HEART

As a child I remember being disappointed when my peers were sent out of the class because of their behavior. At the time I did not fully understand the root cause of my disappointment. I later realized that I believed there was a better way to support children when their behavior was communicating, they need support.  I knew that removing students from class was not a solution. I really wanted my peers to get what they needed academically, socially and emotionally.  I wanted them to be seen and heard, but that was not the culture of the schools I attended. I believe that school, home and local communities should be a place that children feel safe expressing their emotions and receive appropriate support with managing their feelings. I knew I wanted to work with children at the age of fourteen, specifically a teacher. I wanted to normalize feelings in a classroom while teaching. I envisioned my classroom being a safe space for children to learn and grow into emotional intelligent young adults. I did exactly what my passion lead me to do, and everywhere I worked my passion was evident in the community. I was asked in all my leadership roles to take on additional responsibilities. I found myself facilitate professional developments, coach teachers and mentor teachers with responding to children with what I like to call "big feelings". These additional duties were without additional pay, but I found joy in seeing the community improve. I have learned over the years that this is one of my gifts I must share. Working at various types of school cultures such as, therapeutic, alternative, charter and public schools were opportunities for me to master my gift. I am proud to say, I am an expert at teaching staff and families how to appropriately respond to children for 20 plus years!

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