I was born on a commune in the remote wilderness of British Columbia. We lived 100 miles from the nearest town, with no electricity. We moved to the States when I was 8, and I went to a small parochial school until 5th grade. In 5th grade I began public school and for all intents and purposes joined mainstream culture for the first time. I wore a homemade dress. When I boarded the bus my busdriver asked: "What are you wearing? A quilt?" I wish I could say that was the worst moment of my childhood, but the truth is I never quite got my bearings in school. I always felt on the outside. At home, though, the opposite was true. I was surrounded by love, empowered to be me and only me. Because of this strong foundation in home and family, when my first child was born I left the workforce to focus on creating a home for my new family. Now, with my littlest two in school, I'm hoping to bring my experience and my understanding of how it feels to be outside and how it feels to be inside, to our children in schools.