24 | HR Connection
My Mother’s Wildest Dream
Taniece Thompson-Smith Abilene ISD THE GRIP THAT I GRAPPLE WITH I always chuckle when colleagues ask me about my mom or tell me how much they love her or how cute she was that day. Some still share how much they cried with us. At the time, I don’t think she had any clue about the lasting impact that she would have on others. Now you must be wondering why they would remember my mom. Well, if you saw what they saw that day, you would remember her too. She was the funny, exhilarating, and enthusiastic mom in her seventies, who literally ran across the stage to surprise me when my region deemed me worthy to represent them as the 2023 Region 14 Teacher of the Year. When they surprised me on stage that day, I had no idea that my mom, husband and two girls were hiding backstage. When they got the que to walk towards me,
she bolted faster than Usain Bolt would sprint 100 meters. Her grip on me in that moment somehow diffused the strong sense of victory that you can only appreciate after hardships only few people could even understand. I knew exactly how she felt, and why this moment was so monumental. That grip reminded me that the next generation had risen from the circumstances of a one room apartment with seven siblings and parents, sharing a toilet and kitchen in a tenement yard with neighbors. Her grip reminded me that she had to abandon education to provide for her family, but it was not in vain. All the hopes and dreams she had for her children were coming to fruition. Her grip reminded me that she could actually touch those dreams. Tears streamed down our faces in full view of an audience of thousands of people from our school district who were present for our convocation. They didn’t know our story, but they
could feel it. Everyone had a front row seat to the raw emotions that surfaced, as the screens all around the room zoomed in on the vulnerable moment that will live in sacred infamy in my heart. They knew it was bigger than that hug we exchanged. Some powerful forces had collided on stage. I still grapple with this grip daily. How do I continue to elevate our family’s trajectory in my own children, and be the best that I can so my students can transcend theirs? THE BUDDING OF A DREAM How did a girl like me get here? Growing up on an island in a third world country, I was so sure that even the chance to get on a plane would remain a figment of my imagination. Yet, somehow, so many people’s faith in me, coupled with my own intrinsic motivation has propelled me on a journey that I can now mark as one of the most extraordinary times in my life. I know, you must be wondering,