My Medium Year

A Writer’s Journey on Medium

As 2023 draws to a close, I wanted to reflect on this year with Medium. When the year started, one of my goals was to increase my production on the platform. I wanted to write more and increase the number of followers.

And that’s exactly what I did. Every month in 2023, I would write essays about everything — culture, society, and international events. Some of my pieces garnered attention while others went unnoticed. But my focus was to increase my productivity and I was accomplishing that goal.

It was in September of 2023 that my personal life took an unexpected turn. My career as a teacher in the Boston Public Schools came to an end. My last couple of evaluations were horrible. I didn’t feel they were a true reflection of my abilities as a teacher. Nevertheless, the evaluation panel recommended to the district that I be dismissed from my position.

With my lawyer and union rep working on my exit plan (which is a separate story), I was placed on administrative leave. I was still receiving my teacher’s salary, so I was able to continue to pay my bills and other household expenses. But it also meant that I was free to do what I wanted while I awaited my dismissal date.

New York Fashion Week was happening during the second week of September. I had always wanted to attend the annual fashion event. In fact, in the fall of 2022, I vowed to be at NYFW in 2023. I had been making this vow every year for the past five years and have yet to make it to the event…