Next up is from my photography project, We All Have a Story, is Janet.  Janet's story is one of loss, sacrifice, hope, and love. I met her at a local coffee shop where we discussed everything from children, marriage, and relationships to losing and gaining self-esteem as well as her work as an educator.  For so many of us, we have a lot of personal stories to tell so the interview is such a key part of this process to help focus in on one particular story or concept.  To say Janet has been through the wringer is an understatement, but where she is now is a true statement of the type of person she is. Her daughters mean the world to her and the fact that she chose to be photographed in front of her home speaks to what she has earned on her own.

 In her words:

My Heart

It’s a fragile thing, this heart of mine

It’s been lost, broken & tangled like twine

This heart has been used

This heart has been abused

It’s been shattered when others have felt the truth didn’t matter

When a lover says one thing and does another, pieces break and like the four winds scatter

It’s a fragile thing, this heart of mine.

It seeks light when there’s none, holds on through storms, with a grip from none

And continues to love, and hope, even though love is done

This heart seeks to love where there has been only pain

This heart yearns for companionship amidst angst and strain

It’s been questioned and severed, been leveraged and denied

When lost and broken, this heart has even cried

It’s a fragile thing, this heart of mine… and yet

It loves with a strength stronger than steel

It craves the light and yearns to feel

This heart is willing to suffer again… and again

To ride the storm and endure the pain, for when…

When the once in a lifetime will finally arrive

This heart will heal and at long last shall thrive

It’s a fragile thing, this heart of mine

…But I give it to you

JBE

9/21/2017

Janet Enright

Literacy Specialist

Spry Middle School

For more information about this project, please visit my other posts as well the WHEC-TV 10 news story here.

And feel free to leave a comment for Janet or me!

Each and every person that I met in relation to this project inspired me one way or the other.  Kim opened my eyes to the various challenges faced by educators who work with the developmentally disabled student. Her story speaks to the desire to help, always help, those in need.  That desire evolved and has turned into a passion that is very clear when you see her at work in her classroom.  She provides a calm and positive environment for students and staff which, in turn, gets positive results.

In her words:

My teaching passion started as a nursing student in my last clinical rotation. I was asked to teach a third grade class about the parts of the human eye. I was so excited and prepared a great lesson. I went home and told my husband (at the time) that I was going back to school to be a teacher. This is where my teaching adventure started. Through many discouraging situations including a divorce, being a single mom of an infant, working three to four jobs, having no health care, no pay on vacations, summer and holidays, and never giving up on my passion, I can say I am honored to teach in the Webster Central School District. I get to grow and learn from my students every day -- just as much as they grow and learn. I love going to work and have finally found my career home.

Kimberly Dobson

Special Education Teacher

Schlegel Road Elementary

To read more about this project and other participant's stories Click Here or go to previous posts.  Thank you for visiting and make sure to leave a comment!