AGAIN

Again: A Teacher's Journey of Becoming
By Stacie Kling

What does it mean to become-and keep becoming-inside a system that asks for everything?

Again is a coming-of-age story for educators disguised as a collection of raw, luminous poetry. Through vivid metaphors and an unflinching voice, Stacie Kling chronicles nearly three decades in the classroom-a journey marked by triumphs, heartbreaks, and the quiet, relentless search for identity.

These poems reveal the kaleidoscope of emotions that define a teacher's life: the weight of impossible expectations, the ache of self-doubt, and the haunting presence of a "hitchhiking ghost" of shifting identity. Yet woven through every line is an abiding love for children and the stubborn hope that keeps teachers returning-again and again.

Organized into three transformative arcs-Becoming, Awakening, and Summiting-this collection invites readers to witness the evolution of both a human and a professional. It is more than memoir in verse; it is a mirror for every educator who has ever wondered: Who am I becoming?