https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98 Click the + button under the school that you are connected with. Please share one aspect of your identity that you find as a source of strength and/or challenge. Please include your name and your connection to this community as the subject. Optional: include a picture to represent your identity. If done early, feel free to 'like' or comment on other's responses. en-us 2023-01-12 01:29:27 UTC 2023-01-27 02:19:53 UTC hello@padlet.com katherineburton https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2441653167 I identify as a millennial. It feels like a loaded term sometimes with negative stereotyping being a leading response. We may be different. We are still growing and finding our place in the world. I find strength in our resilience, acceptance, and innovation.]]> 2023-01-12 02:03:10 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2441653167 https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2455317197 I am pretty easygoing and maybe people think I’m a free spirit but I also struggle with anxiety and ADHD. This is challenging but it’s also a strength because I can empathize with many other people who have the same or similar thoughts and behaviors and I can advocate for them. ]]> 2023-01-24 20:29:01 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2455317197 https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2457054341 I feel like I have many "invisible" identities; one being diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder at 15 and another getting sober at 22. I used to be very private about each of these challenges, which are also sources of strength, but the older I get, the less I care about what others think of me. And if sharing these things about myself helps one person, then disclosing was worth it. ]]> 2023-01-26 03:15:17 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2457054341 https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2457057421 One identity I hold is as a co-parent in a divorced/blended family. I experience many of the challenges of a single/solo mom in the day-to-day, but also have co-parents to collaborate with when it comes to the "big" stuff. 

It can be challenging because the dynamic requires a lot of communication, flexibility, and grace.  It is also very rewarding because our kids have great examples of healthy dialogue, healthy relationships, and extra parent figures to love on them.]]> 2023-01-26 03:19:56 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2457057421 https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2457086382 For much of my life, I viewed being highly sensitive as a challenge. The level of anxiety, sensory overload, and internalizing the emotions of others often felt excessive. It wasn’t until I became a mother and began to raise a child with a similar profile that I was able to see our shared traits as inner strengths. It no longer feels like “too much” when you think of it as sharing your compassion, understanding, and attention to detail with the world. ]]> 2023-01-26 04:08:15 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2457086382 https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458063738 I identify as queer and find strength (and joy!) in queer communities. I also find strength from understanding being "other"ed and in having navigated homophobic and transphobic family relationships. My identity is also a struggle in some ways right now because I have been choosing to keep it hidden/secret in most settings in order to protect my spouse. For various reasons I am grateful for this privilege, but in many other ways I am incredibly conflicted by it.]]> 2023-01-26 18:49:35 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458063738 https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458139781 Hello! I wrote something here a couple of days ago and then pulled it because it felt too vulnerable. Now that others have shared so openly, I'm feeling more confident! I identify proudly as a member of a transgender family. That's my way of saying someone in my family is transgender while maintaining their privacy. It is still a fine line to walk sometimes (Emily, I can relate!)--balancing respect for privacy with a desire to be open and advocate. Becoming a trans family has made me aware of my privilege in so many ways and allowed me to explore my identity more freely, too. ]]> 2023-01-26 19:48:19 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458139781 https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458280230 I identify as being a first-generation American since my parents immigrated here from India in the late 60s/early 70s. I think a lot about navigating life at different stages "between" two cultures and finding spaces where I felt like I could belong. As a parent, I now reflect on what aspects of my upbringing I'd like to keep and what aspects were challenging. My hope is that my children will be able to feel connected to their cultural heritage and continue to experience the "best of both worlds."]]> 2023-01-26 22:29:40 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458280230 https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458288962 I’m a single mom and am a descendant of slaves, indigenous people, and Europeans. I consider myself biracial. My experiences growing up in the South as a person with brown skin has led me to develop mistrust and caution. It has also created a lot of empathy and joy and a unique perspective. My European ancestry brings me privilege that I work to acknowledge and use to try to improve life for my community.]]> 2023-01-26 22:43:45 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458288962 stacy_phelan https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458301829 I identify as a mom of a child with autism. I find it is both a challenge and a strength.

I believe that having this type of experience has allowed me to develop compassion, strength, and resilience, as well as an understanding of the special needs community and the issues that come with being a parent of a child with special needs. It has also taught me perseeance and allowed me to become an advocate for my child and for other children with special needs. It has also made me more patient and allowed me to look at the world from a different perspective.]]> 2023-01-26 23:09:51 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458301829 https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458313757 Despite often feeling overwhelmed, I find strength and pride as a parent of happy, healthy, active kids. Sometimes I can't believe what I've allowed to crop up on our calendars, nor how many stops I make in a day as a chauffeur, but when we get to bedtime I'm tired but also proud.]]> 2023-01-26 23:29:47 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458313757 https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458315151 Taryn Quiroa Sullivan
Hey! Happy I finally was able to join one of these meetings

Female!]]> 2023-01-26 23:32:45 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458315151 https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458315476 I'm dyslexic , and as a child, I was diagnosed with "unspecified developmental disorder"- I also have some intellectual strengths making me " 2e". I spent decades thinking my intelligence was the only thing that others saw as worthy and the only thing that provided me safety. The strength I took from that is that I now see and fight to uphold the ideal that everyone's value is inherent unto themselves. That everyone deserves respect and a sense of safety. ]]> 2023-01-26 23:33:24 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458315476 https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458316003 A part of my identity that is important to me is the relationship I had with my dad and being a person who lives with grief for 11 years now. A part of my identity that is challenging for me is being Israeli (and slightly Jewish) because in progressive circles people make a lot of assumptions about me based on that. ]]> 2023-01-26 23:34:29 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458316003 https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458316418 Dede Galdston- Superintendent
Thank you for hosting this cross elementary Diversity Council meeting.  I am grateful to be part of this. ]]> 2023-01-26 23:35:22 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458316418 https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458316642 One part of my identify is my Syrian heritage. While I feel a very special connection to this heritage, it is often not known by others. It gives me strength because of it's connection to my syrian grandmother on my father's side who I had the privilege of knowing into my 20s. She was a special woman and I have many special memories with her. My son Leo is named after this grandmother's father. ]]> 2023-01-26 23:35:49 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458316642 https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458317713 Thank you for hosting this meeting. I am excited to join you.]]> 2023-01-26 23:37:56 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458317713 amandafeldman https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458320239 I identify as a teacher but also a neurodivergent and an advocate.    I beat to my own drum and had parents who encouraged me to be an individual.   I was diagnosed as an adult with ADD (adhd inattentive type) but spent a long time learning how to compensate for a disorder that I had no idea I had.  I work mostly with the autism population and I enjoy our kids and so much of this job.  I want to help advocate for those who cannot mostly because I was brought up with siblings who had learning disabilities and mental health disorders but who were lucky enough to have parents who were able to advocate for them. Everyone should be able to have a voice and I'm happy to aid in that.]]> 2023-01-26 23:42:43 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458320239 https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458320757
Thank you for inviting our school's diversity council and hosting this event. 

Along with being the principal at Watertown Middle School, I am the first child of immigrant parents to be born and raised in America. I am of the Chinese diaspora, with roots in Taiwan and the Philippines. I bring my experiences as a student of color who struggled to balance extremely different school and home cultures growing up in a public school system in upstate New York to the daily work I do at WMS. ]]> 2023-01-26 23:43:43 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458320757 https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458321248 An identity I am leaning into these days is that of "Sandwich Parent"--a parent of young kids while being the primary support and caregiver for my parent with her own significant needs. ]]> 2023-01-26 23:44:42 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458321248 https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458340986 I identify as a single parent and co-parent as it shapes how I go through this fun, wild, crazy parenting experience. There are positive and not as positive aspects to this dynamic it. I'm grateful to have a kind co-parent and I hope my child benefits from our efforts at communication and cooperation.]]> 2023-01-27 00:16:13 UTC https://padlet.com/katherineburton/llyeeabv2hp5dn98/wish/2458340986