Holy crap, 2 ½ years have passed since we were last able to be together in person. Our last community connector was in 2019, and on Friday, May 20th, we finally had the opportunity to authentically connect in person with our First Teacher community at the beautiful Boston Nature Center (BNC). Covid has been hard, and it has pushed our community in many ways we weren’t expecting - including the support of those who were able to be present, and many who were unable to join us that night - you were missed.

We were so thankful to be at BNC - a place where nature is preserved and enjoyed. The night was about thanking our community for their continued support during a challenging 2+ years, for going above and beyond to help sustain our movement while everyone has been doing their best to survive. Covid allowed us to make an unexpected connection, one that was genuinely felt while we safely met in person.

The cherry on top was being there in the presence of each other. Nights like these allow the many people who make our community have the opportunity to talk to one other and understand each other’s story. We heard testimonies from each other, which allowed us to connect to the challenge we all faced, and helped to embrace each other even more.

We got to honor and hear the exciting news that Shantae will be taking a new position as principal of a Boston Public School, where we hope our mission of increasing parent’s confidence as their child’s most important brain builder and fiercest advocate will continue.

As the night went on, you could feel the atmosphere was loving and literally, “Breath of Fresh Air”. People danced, played and just got to speak to other adults with love and no interruption!

We are so thankful to our community for really loving on us and standing with us through these past 2 years. We are thankful to continue to love and celebrate the beauty of our community and its uniqueness. We look forward to making many more lasting memories and the building up of our community. We are honored and thankful for all the love and support!

-First Teacher Team