Teaching was a challenge and then Covid hit. Thousands of teachers left the profession all over the country to go work in corporate America thinking it would be better than being in the classroom. It’s only been a few years and we’re seeing signs that some of them are beginning to return to teaching. The problem is, the longer they wait the harder the return will be. Educational philosophies, principles, best practices, technologies, and requirements will have left them in the past. Here’s the thing… I did that 30+ years ago. I walked away to work in the Silicon Valley for 25 years. Like me, I believe they will be back as they age they will need a pathway to return to the classroom and a lot of support. Support I didn’t get. It was hard to come back. It took years of hard work to catch up to educational advancements with no help getting there. Systems that were supposed to help, failed. I had to figure it out on my own. I’m thinking maybe if they could walk in my shoes…maybe it would help. I think it would. So, I’d like to focus on Re-entry Teachers. I have ideas and experience, but I find it difficult to solve. The Innovator program could help me flesh this out. If we give this project wings, we could benefit all those re-entry teachers. As a District Curriculum Coach, I meet those re-entry teachers directly. I know them. I hear their stories. I witness their hurdles, the stress it causes. I see some succeed. I see some fail. I wonder, how could I have helped those teachers not to fail? Re-entry teachers need a pathway for success. We need our teachers, all of them.