Why I Wrote The Pretty Truth About Education

by Maria Williams

I did not write this book because I hated teaching. I wrote it because I loved it. I loved it so much that it broke my heart. Nineteen years in the classroom will do that to you.

I loved being someone’s safe place for seven hours a day.
I loved inside jokes with students.
I loved watching lightbulb moments.
I loved the magic of spirit weeks and the chaos of Dr. Seuss Day.

But what you didn’t always see was the weight.

The meetings where I wondered if I was doing enough.
The data charts that made me question my worth.
The nights I replayed conversations in my head.
The guilt of leaving my own boys after pouring everything into someone else’s.

Teaching was never just a job for me. It was heart work.

And heart work is beautiful—
but it is also exhausting.

Somewhere along the way, I realized teachers were whispering the same things in hallways that I had whispered:

“I don’t know if I can keep doing this.”
“I love these kids, but I am tired.”
“Why does it feel like it’s never enough?”

And then we would straighten our lanyards, walk into a staff meeting, and pretend we were fine.

That is why I wrote The Pretty Truth About Education.

Not to complain. Not to criticize. Not to tell teachers to quit. I wrote it to say the quiet parts out loud.

To tell teachers they are allowed to love their job and still struggle.
To tell them they can be incredible and still feel overwhelmed.
To tell them they are enough — even on the days the data says otherwise.

Because the pretty truth is this:

You are carrying more than people realize.

And I see you.

The Lunch That Kept Me Going (Most Days)

Let’s talk about teacher lunch.

You know… the 17 minutes you inhale while answering emails and breaking up a hallway argument.

My “I am trying to be a balanced adult” lunch was almost always the same:

Mediterranean Teacher Bowl (I have always been a fan of Mediterranean Food!)

• Grilled chicken
• Quinoa
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cucumber
• Red onion
• Feta
• Kalamata olives
• Big squeeze of lemon
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Sprinkle of salt, pepper, and oregano

Simple. Fresh. Healthy.

It made me feel like I had at least one thing in my life under control.

Now. Let me be very honest. On the really hard days? That lunch was just… too healthy. Too responsible. Too optimistic. And occasionally, purely for research purposes, I would find myself casually strolling past the cafeteria.

Just to “say hi.” To the lunch ladies. Who somehow always had fresh chicken nuggets.

And let me tell you… nothing bonds educators faster than a contraband nugget eaten standing over a stainless steel counter.

Balance, right?

The Real Reason

But here is what I want teachers to know. The reason I wrote this book has nothing to do with curriculum maps or behavior charts, but has everything to do with you.

The teacher who stays late.
The teacher who spends her own money.
The teacher who worries about a student over the weekend.
The teacher who smiles in the hallway and cries in the car.

You are not dramatic.
You are not weak.
You are human.

And this profession asks a lot of humans.

I wrote this book because when I left the classroom, what I missed most was being someone’s safe space. So now I am trying to be a safe space for teachers. Through pages instead of lesson plans. Through words instead of whiteboards.

I am rooting for you.

On Monday mornings.
On testing days.
On the “I can’t believe it’s only Wednesday” afternoons.
On the days you feel like you are crushing it.
And especially on the days you feel like you are not.

The pretty truth about education is that you can only do so much in a system that asks for everything. And what you are doing… is already meaningful. So pack the healthy lunch. Sneak the nugget when needed. Love your students. Protect your heart. And remember: You do not have to earn your worth in the staff meeting.

You already have it.

Want More Pretty Truth in Your Life?

If this resonated with you, you will love my book, The Pretty Truth About Education. Written for every teacher who has ever cried in the car and walked back in the next morning anyway.

✨ Click Buy the Book and it will take you to our Books page.

Always rooting for you,
Maria

Buy The Pretty Truth About Education