Chapter 7: Finding a Space and Place for the Next Step on the High Wire

Living life from the perspective of an African American educator, principal, educational leadership researcher, and mother of three has been an interesting journey. While I have offered the best of my efforts toward educating students trusted to my care, I have had to strategically navigate space and place to acquire an appropriate educational opportunity for my own children. Navigating place and space from the multifaceted perspective of living as a Black woman, a parent, a mother of sons, and a mother of a daughter generated a multitude of reflections through which to situate my contribution. My High Wire story is complex, stretching over at least three mile-deep canyons. The occasional winds and storms required each step be mindfully well examined—each step carefully and surely placed. I’ve walked this wire as tightly as possible, against the odds, while resiliently clinging to my beliefs as my balance pole.