Time to Take a Break from Teaching

I have been teaching about bees and beekeeping for over 25 years! As evidenced by the attached Columbus Dispatch article from May 2002 . In 2014 I was hired to be the staff apiarist at the same Central Ohio nature center where I was teaching the 2002 classes featured in the Dispatch article. There I was tasked with developing bee centered educational programs and beekeeper training programs. I taught the curriculum and classes I developed all over the state of Ohio and across the country at various beekeeping conferences, events, and beekeeping clubs.  Eight years ago, I began teaching courses at The Columbus Garden School here in Columbus.

Then 2020… And to make a long story a little shorter… Devon and I decided to start our own bee business.  Like starting any business, it was a bit hectic and chaotic, especially at first, especially in 2020. And that was before our house fire and the year of rebuilding that followed. But even through that challenging year I kept educating; making presentations, teaching classes, and hosting workshops whenever enough students would sign up. Both Devon and I have put a lot of effort, sweat, and hard work into building the business to a point where it could start to support us full time. While there were set backs and obstacles all along the way, we finally arrived at 2026 as a fully self-employed couple.

As we looked forward into 2026 and beyond we knew that we would have to shift and adjust our priorities in order to ensure the health and wellbeing of our bees, our business, and ourselves. As a result of evaluating what our priorities should be it has become clear that it is time for me to take a break from teaching. There are all kinds of factors that have gone into this decision, but the long and short of it is that I need to focus on caring for, improving, and increasing the bees that we keep as well as making sure that I am prioritizing myself, my time, and my relationship with Devon.

Will I miss teaching classes? I don’t know. But I do know that I am going to be extremely busy with the bees, the business, and even doing some of the other things that I love… like more haiku. I even have plans to host a Haiku Deathmatch later this spring, which is something I have not done for close to a decade. And the excitement I feel about being able to host a haiku deathmatch assures me that taking a break from teaching is absolutely the right decision regardless of whether or not I miss it.