I’ve always loved the saying “everything happens for a reason”—not just because it sounds hopeful, but because it’s been my guiding light since I was little. It’s something my mama said to me so often that it practically became the background music of my childhood. Whether I was facing a disappointment, a challenge, or something just plain confusing, her calm voice would say, “Baby, everything happens for a reason.” And somehow, those words helped everything make a little more sense.

 

Now that I’m becoming a teacher, I realize how deeply that philosophy has shaped me. It taught me to be flexible, to pivot when plans fall apart, and to find beauty in the unexpected. In education, things don’t always go as planned—lessons flop, students have tough days, and the copy machine breaks at the worst possible moment. But instead of seeing those moments as failures, I see them as chances. Chances to grow, adapt, and sometimes discover something even better than what I originally planned.

 

Believing that everything happens for a reason has taught me to trust the process, embrace change, and model resilience for my students. Life (and learning) is unpredictable, and that’s what makes it exciting. So, when my future classroom feels messy or off-script, I’ll smile and remember what my mama always said. Because sometimes, the most powerful lessons come from the plans we didn’t make.