Should I Go Back to School?

I have always dreamed of earning my doctorate. Because wouldn't Dr. Donna be a great name? But if I'm honest, it's more than that.

I love learning. I always have but not just for the sake of adding another certificate to the wall. I want it to matter. I want it to serve a purpose. Why invest time and money into something that does not stir something inside me or make a difference?

And lately, something has been stirring that has kept me up at night. I've seen a need that keeps growing. Every year as a teacher I have seen more and more of my students coming to class carrying trauma. Deaths in the family, arrests, serious mental and physical health issues, sick guardians, unhoused living situations and the list goes on.

Trauma isn't something that stops at the school door. It affects everything about the child. It shapes how they think, how they respond, how they trust, how they regulate their emotions—and yes, how they learn.

We ask them to focus on math when they are worried about where they are sleeping that night. We ask them to write essays when their world feels like it is falling apart.

And teachers feel it too. Being present for students means witnessing their struggles, feeling their pain and carrying some of it themselves. This is called vicarious trauma at it's real. As I take phone calls and read emails about yet another crisis in a student's life, I carry those stories with me. As I watch the news and see tragedy after tragedy, I carry that too. There is a weight that comes with witnessing the trauma of others. And I don't think I'm alone in feeling it.

Schools are starting to address trauma-informed practices, and I am grateful for that. But I still see gaps and see a need for deeper understanding, stronger systems, better teacher support, and practical strategies that actually work in real classrooms.

So when I ask myself, Should I go back to school? the question isn't really about a title anymore. It's about purpose. It's about becoming better equipped to help students who are carrying invisible burdens and helping teachers who are absorbing the emotional weight of their classrooms. It's about providing, developing, and advocating for trauma-informed educational practices that go beyond buzzwords and become sustainable change.

Yes, "Dr. Donna" has a nice ring to it. But as I continue to hear these stories, I know that my decision to go back needs to be based on two questions: Will this new path allow me to serve better? Will it help me fill a need that I see every single day?

And the more I answer yes, the more I realize this decision isn't about ambition. It is about a calling.