I flew to Alaska unannounced and found my daughter slowly slipping away in a silent hospice room, while the man who had once vowed to stand by her side was celebrating his honeymoon beneath the bright Bahamian sun. By the time morning broke, the comfortable future he thought was guaranteed had already started collapsing.

her students on the refrigerator.

Then I launched the Lily Brooks Teacher Relief Foundation.

At first, it was small.

A grant for a teacher needing travel money for treatment in Seattle.

Emergency rent for a science teacher recovering from surgery.

Books for underfunded classrooms.

Then the work grew.

Alaska teachers began sending letters. Principals called.continue reading …