As the year comes to an end, I can’t help but reflect on everything I have experienced and accomplished this year.
There are many instances, both in my career and in my personal life, when I pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I worked on patience and kindness, prioritized my mental and emotional health, and learned to say “no” even when it was hard. I focused on musical growth and surprised myself.
Let’s take a walk down Leeann’s 2025 memory lane.
At the beginning of this year, I was still a teacher. I was teaching second grade at Boonesborough Elementary School. The other day, I was looking for a specific video I took in the classroom. After that, I watched a couple more videos. I heard myself interacting with my students, using attention grabbers and various classroom management strategies. I saw videos of different games I played with my students. Once, I passed out NTI packets, and every time I called out a student’s name, the kids cheered like they won an award. There was another video where I had my students line up behind me, and I had to guess who each student was based on their voice saying, “Hi, Ms. Fragosa.” It was actually more difficult than I thought. There was another video where we did the class chant I taught them, which had dance movements. Then, I thought to myself, “I was a really good teacher.”
Sure, my kiddos talked a whole lot, and were full of energy, but I did the best I could with the resources, time, and energy that I had. There’s no kind of tired like a teacher tired. I learned that very quickly. Especially driving an hour and four minutes to school, and then driving an hour and four minutes back home, I felt like a failure as a teacher because I couldn’t fully be there for my kiddos the way I always imagined myself being. It was nice to look back at those videos and realize my kiddos loved me just as much as I loved them. I had students in various leadership roles in the classroom, and almost every student had a classroom job. Every student contributed to the classroom’s success, and my students demonstrated academic growth in test scores from the beginning to the end of the year. If I can recall correctly, every student scored in the green or double green at the end of the year. I succeeded as a teacher, even when it didn’t feel like I had.
The experience feels so long ago, so it’s crazy to think it happened this year.
In May, I finished teaching and spent the summer applying to different schools. I had two interviews, but wasn’t receiving any offers. It’s hard to admit, but I didn’t want any offers. I was burnt out on teaching. I learned that teaching wasn’t what I thought it would be. I’ve said this before, but teaching goes far beyond the job description. Nothing you do ever seems to be enough.
In July, I received an offer to work at the News Journal. Ultimately, it just felt right to say yes, and I am really glad I did. I felt obligated to find a teaching job because it was what my degree was in and what I had worked toward, but I felt pulled to the News Journal. It felt like the next step in my life.
What’s really cool about the News Journal is that I get to use my degree in a different way. I’ve been asked several times this year, “Don’t you regret getting a degree you don’t even use?” and that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Not only did I use my degree as a teacher, but I still use it in the newspaper world. It’s a lot less stressful this way, too. I mostly cover education-based stories, which works for my co-workers because I understand the educational language, and for me because my passion for education is still nurtured. Beyond that, I am growing in the world of photography and creative writing.
Another passion of mine that I grew this year was music.
I competed in two singing competitions.
The first competition was the karaoke competition at the Train Station in July, and I didn’t place in the top three, but I was told I came really close.
In September, I competed in the Laurel County Chicken Festival Karaoke competition with the song, “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan, and won 1st place. I didn’t expect that win at all.
In October, I joined the University of the Cumberlands community band, and we performed a Christmas concert this month. I believe there will be more practices in the new year, and I plan to continue playing with them.
Ultimately, this has been a challenging year. Life has forced change on me in many ways, and I’ve had to adapt, whether I was comfortable or not. I applaud myself for being resilient. The future has always made me nervous because it’s so unpredictable. You never know what life is going to throw your way. I hope I remain adaptable in 2026, and I hope time slows down a little. Hasn’t this year just flown by?
Nonetheless, Happy New Year, reader!
