Who am I?

That totally depends on who you ask. To my son and his friends, I’m Mom, MzGregory (which is totally not my name), Mama J, and a host of other terms of endearment. Those are my babies, so I answer to all of it. This is my number one job, my first priority, and what I put before everything except my own health.

To my students, I am the hardest English teacher they have ever had. Not because I’m so hard or because my class is so complicated — it’s because my standards for them are high. At my school, I have more teaching experience than everyone on staff, and I’d consider it a personal failure if my students weren’t learning. So their grades might not be great, but by the time they leave my class, they will know how to write everything from narrative essays to research papers.

To my friends and family, I’m just Jaki. Unintentionally funny, thoughtful, and loving. I’m a daughter, sister, aunt, niece, and cousin. There’s nothing better than spending time with family, and I’m fortunate that my family is close enough that we count each other as friends as well as relatives.

And I write. Maybe I should’ve led with that since that’s the one thing I do that’s all for me. I mean, it’s great when someone reads something I’ve written and enjoys it, but I don’t need that part. Writing keeps me sane. I write with every emotion. I journal my dreams. I take the voices from my head and bring them to life on the page. For me, to write is to be free.

So. That’s me.