Bravely Sharing My Voice by Rachel Roberts

When I was a girl, I wrote with abandon.

I wrote about lives I hadn’t lived, places I hadn’t traveled, and people who didn’t exist. I wrote with heart and soul. I wrote so much my third-grade teacher, who knew my strengths and sought to celebrate them rather than squash them, set me up at a computer in the back of the classroom and gave me one assignment: write.

These days, I barely write grocery lists.

What’s the difference between the girl who wrote incessantly, fiercely, and the woman who dumbly stares at a blank page?

Back then, my vocabulary was limited, as were my reading experiences. I literally had a third-grade education. Now, I’m 35, and I’ve been reading nearly all my life. I’ve traveled the world, and I have a master’s degree.

Why is what was once so easy now so painstakingly difficult?

The answer I had been seeking came as I was reading Brene Brown’s Braving the Wilderness. Brown’s book is all about finding your truth and being brave in a world so tossed and torn by divisiveness. Reading this book was serendipitous, as, lately, I have been hesitant to share my voice.

Several weeks ago, I began a blog dedicated to education. I thought this would be a place to share some strategies, but subconsciously, I think my heart just yearned to write again. I posted six entries, and then I couldn’t think of another thing to say.

Or, actually, I could think of a million things to say, but I was afraid to say them.

Somewhere between third grade and now, people began chiseling away at the confidence in my voice. “Don’t put anything in writing,” my well-meaning grandmother used to remark. Those words echo in my mind.

Nowadays, our society is beset by things people say. When the shine wore off my blog, and I began thinking about addressing more serious topics, I found myself wanting to delete my WordPress account for fear of my contributions adding to the world’s discord.

Having a voice, being brave, scared me.

But what example is this setting for the young writers who sit before me each day in the classroom? We all know modeling is one of the most effective strategies in an educator’s toolkit. Let’s use it even when it’s uncomfortable to do so.

My vow to my readers, and more importantly my students, is to bravely share my voice.

I am a woman who writes with abandon.


Rachel Roberts is a 7th grade ELA teacher in Rome, Georgia. This year will be her second year in education. During her previous teaching assignment, she taught 10th grade ELA and theatre. She is passionate about incorporating arts in the classroom and empowering her students as writers. Rachel writes with courage at https://whatjusthappenedorg.wordpress.com.