Another Indiegogo Campaign, Another Day

[Amy Berkhoudt]

Hi friends,

I miss you all. Remember that time when we wanted to keep in touch? Now I just come to you when I need something. Haha. No, but seriously :o)

Our organization is in a pretty tight spot when it comes to funding right now (but who isn't, AMIRITE?).

Can y'all pass this along to you networks? We need a little help in the world of social media, etc.

Here's the link to our latest blog post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/detroit-food-academy/detroit-food-academy---th_b_3867473.html

And here's our Indiegogo campaign:
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/detroit-food-academy/x/4005441

SO MUCH LOVE MISS YOU GUYS!

Amy

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Amy Berkhoudt

Cell: 313.649.5282

a...@detroitfoodacademy.com

 

Executive Director of Programs

Detroit Food & Entrepreneurship Academy

http://www.detroitfoodacademy.com

Intern Coordinator 2013

James and Grace Lee Boggs School
http://boggseducationalcenter.org/

[Jane Keir]

Hey Friends,

I think the not keeping in touch thing is my fault! Let's be real...was supposed to send a whip around calendar out and I never did. I apologize!!! I will get on that soon!

Miss you all!!!
Jane

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[Candace Burckhardt]

Amy, 

I love it! I passed it on to my friends and family. My birthday's this weekend, so hopefully that will compel a few people to donate. :-) 

I hope you are all doing well. I'm sure we all have a lot to catch up on in each other's lives. For me, I've quit my job in the woods and have joined the local district. It's been fabulous so far. I'm teaching elementary special education, which is a little out of my element, but I have a lot of great supports at my school and in our district. I'm looking forward to being home more and this fit much more closely with my goals. I'm the first new hire in over 5 years. Most of the teachers have been there between 15-25 years and are still great at what they do. It raises a lot of questions for me about assumptions I've made in the past about veteran teachers and even the difference in the quality of schooling for low-income and middle-income students. 

My non-profit has been put on hold after I was almost sued for violation of my no-compete agreement at work. They threatened a lawsuit after I told them I was resigning. They don't really have anything winnable, but I don't have the time or energy to deal with it at the moment, so I'm trying to decide what my next step will be. This all leaves me at a weird place with my tikkun project. 

It'd be wonderful to get an update on how things are going for everyone else. I hope fall is treating you all nicely. 

Candace

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[Jane Keir]

Happy New Year friends!!!

 

Happy Birthday Candace!!! Congratulations on your new job! It sounds wonderful! I am so happy for you!!! I would love to hear more about what are deciding to do for your Tikkun project in the midst of this job change. You are not alone girl! I am seriously considering looking for new employment which would mean I quit my job...and would need to find a new Tikkun project.

 

I am miserable in my current job -- remember my desire to find balance? Impossible! The demands are so high at my current school that I am working at all hours and on weekends and I am still behind! I've only been teaching for 4 weeks and I am already burned out. I just can't see the year getting any easier. It's worse than my first year teaching. I am also not feeling passionate about teaching and I really miss public health. I miss being done at 5:00 and actually being done without papers to grade, parents to call, demerits to log, etc. I am very disappointed in myself and in this situation. I thought I found a place where I could teach that would be sustainable -- it sounded great when I went to the interview.

 

I thought that teaching sex ed would make it worth it...but I am miserable. I just found this job and I'm worried about trying to find another job. I also feel guilty for wanting to quit because of my poor students. They're great and they don't deserve to have their teacher quit on them. But I am so exhausted and I am not achieving in any other parts of my life. I signed up for J-date (finally) but I haven't been on the site since I started teaching because I have no time. I never see my friends, my dogs are neglected, and I am not exercising. I am proud to say that I've been doing my laundry...but I can't seem to find the time or energy to fold it so I've been sporting the wrinkled look all week! :-)

 

I hope the rest of you are doing a lot better than I am!

 

With love,

Jane

 

 

[Amy Berkhoudt]

Dear friends,

Thank you for your support and passing our Indiegogo campaign along. We have $1250 to raise and 5 days left! Huge gains in a small amount of time, for sure. 

Jane, I'm really sorry to hear that you are miserable. You HAVE TO take care of yourself. How effective of a teacher can you really be if you're feeling like a shell of a person? Are you practicing a true Shabbat? Don't be afraid to say "no" to things, girl. Nobody expects you to be a martyr except for yourself. Let's talk one-on-one soon. Let me know when you have a minute :)  

So, I have some life updates and I am in need of some guidance. First, I have this weird urge to dye my hair platinum blonde. Though I am definitely NOT going to do that... the urge means that there is some serious stuff that I need to work out in my life. Perhaps you all could help guide the way? Or give me a sip of advice? 

I will now display my spread of stuff:

Specimen 1: My mom has a 70% chance of having Auto Immune Hepatitis. It's a disease where your body attacks your liver. She could be real sick and I feel a real urge to move back to Hawaii. I just found out when I visited her a few weeks ago. 

Specimen 2: I hadn't collected a pay check for the last two months because we've been totally broke as an organization. BUT, we just found out on Friday that we won a Skillman grant for $75,000! It's a nice pat on the back, but I'm still having serious problems with my co-director. I think I talked to most of you about this. 

Specimen 3: I was just offered a pretty secure position in Hawaii with Teach For America on their operations team. I, umm, how do I say this... I don't know how I feel about working for TFA. 

Specimen 4: My boyfriend of three years, David, is kind of freaking out about all these new changes and has suddenly dropped the "M" Bomb <-- marriage. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat. 

Specimen 5: David will not move to Hawaii. Maybe the west coast... but preferably he'd like to stay in Detroit. 

Ok. What should I do? Stay in Detroit? Move to Hawaii? Find a compromise? LA? 

Give me all yr advices. 

I also realize that I may need to give more context and would be more than happy to hop on the phone with whoever has 20-30 mins. 

Lastly, if this life dilemma is overwhelming you... you have zero obligation to reply. I will love you no less for your silence. lol. 

So much love,

Amy