The Pixel Classroom with Annick Rauch

speaker-0: Well, everybody, welcome to the new season of the Pixel Classroom Podcast here. And this of course will be episode two thirty-eight in the regular ones too. So we've done our introduction. This is our first guest, and I think I couldn't have picked a better returning guest here to the Pixel Classroom Podcast here. So we got our here, as I said, our grade one French immersion teacher, author of Femominal, which of course is a great teacher, mom of four boys of the avid runner, a breast cancer diagnosed at thirty H changed her perspective on life and taught her to stop. Waiting for someday and start living fully here and now. She is a passionate, but encouraging others to pursue the dreams while also navigating the beautiful, messy realities of work, motherhood, and life. And I'd like to welcome back to the Pixel Classroom and hopefully my piece on that too. And Nick Rouch and welcome back to the Pixel Classroom Podcast.

speaker-1: Thank you so much, Ryan. It's so fun to be back here and to chat with you.

speaker-0: ⁓ same here. Thank you for working with the schedule and everything else. I mean, you've been through a lot the last couple of years and I know you had shared w she'll probably be talking about the episode too and the fact that you were actually running the marathon where on the local news there too talking about ⁓ your piece too. I was just like, Wow, I I have to applaud her. That's absolutely amazing what you did it, but Those who ⁓ have to go all the way back to ⁓ episode what was it, a hundred and seventy nine to find out about our original talk here before your diagnosis. Wha ⁓ what tell us a little bit about yourself, what you've done for the career, also ⁓ you know, going into here about with everything with your breast cancer diagnosis and of course you're working through that too to now to be like I said, amazing running a marathon and everything.

speaker-1: Yeah, it seems like a lot's happened since the last time I was on this ⁓ this podcast. So mm I think that well, first I'm ⁓ like you said, first grade French immersion teacher. I've been teaching for this is gonna be year seventeen for me, so getting up there. Yeah, I'm but

speaker-0: I I'm in year sixteen now going into seventeen, so you've got a year on me.

speaker-1: Yeah, yeah, amazing. ⁓ so yeah, things kinda took a drastic turn not long after I was on your podcast actually, because I remember on your podcast we were talking about how blessed I was because I had the opportunity to open up a brand new school. And yes. When we recorded the podcast, I was saying that I was gonna get that opportunity again the following year because our current school had two programs, the French version and the English, and then the following year we were going to split up those two programs and my French immersion group was gonna go to a brand new building, brand new school and start that new school. Right. ⁓ but little did I know when we recorded that I found out that I had breast cancer in April of twenty twenty five and I have been off off on leave since then. I'm going back in September. So I've been in my classroom over the last week and this we I was there again today just to try to get things rolling and ready again. But I'm pumped to be going back. I really love what I do. I'm going back halftime so that I can take care of myself at the same time. But ⁓ yeah, this is it's been a wild last year and a half for sure.

speaker-0: Yeah, it has. I mean, I've been following you, commenting everything else. I mean, like I said, family members, we've been talking about that too. So it you it's been pretty much my mom mom too, she was a breast cancer survivor herself too. I remember her diagnosis and here she is ⁓ twelve years later, doing very well, very healthy, you know, grandma again and ⁓ taking care of her life and everything. So that's an interesting thing, especially because sitting here and you're in Canada versus here and like I said, ⁓ I also switched school districts in the last time we talked as well too. I'm starting my second year with ⁓ DHS. But that's also interesting. too 'cause like I said, you've been you've been on the leave and you're going back here in a couple weeks hard to believe here. What was you know, what how did you know, how did that work going to especially 'cause you were getting ready to start with a new school, the new classes and now I mean, like I said, you kind of had the brakes pumped on you and I mean, especially being a mom of four boys and married and everything else. You know, how what was that transition like within that time? I mean, it's it's it's ⁓ definitely an incredible journey.

speaker-1: Yeah, you know, it's kind of like one of those things that just forces you to pause and stop everything because nothing else matters, right? Like really we're talking life and death at this point. So ⁓ I was diagnosed in April and that was on a Friday. I remember getting the call from my doctor during a P D day on a Friday and ⁓ after I found out I stayed at school late that day to prep for my sub for the following Monday. And then come Monday I went back to school again and planned for the rest of the week. I took that whole week off just to try to wrap my head around what was going on, go to appointments and whatnot, and then I went back to school for three days the week after that just to get my ducks in a row. And then I've been off ever since. I had a lumpectomy surgery, a lymph node biopsy, which was also a surgery. I had a port inserted, which was a third surgery. ⁓ I had eight rounds of chemotherapy. a whole month of radiation and I have been done active treatment since the end of January 2026. So since then I've just tried to rebuilding my strength and you alluded to the fact that I just ran a marathon. So that's all part of my journey, which we can talk about more. But yeah, it's really I just had to stop doing what I was doing so that I could focus on myself and take care of myself because you can't pour from for from an empty cup and You know, you just you need you come first, really. And that's something that it's hard as teachers us to put prioritize ourselves, but nothing like this to show me that that's so important.

speaker-0: Yeah, and I think you're absolutely right about how sometimes we do not put ourselves first. We sometimes put it for students or for others and it does it gets very taxing and draining. I mean, I was diagnosed ⁓ several months ago with ⁓ sleep apnea and I had focused so much on other things happening, I didn't really take time myself. I said it'll be another day, I'll get it, and I finally got it taken care of, and I've since then started my therapy, my CPAP and everything. I have to say in the last three weeks I've been on it. I've definitely known better resting, more area too, but yeah, I didn't stop either. I was more worried about the next thing where about the f about the sk the class or about the students. You know, I was, you know, first year in a new district. And I did find out that's not probably the best to do that because you you know, we kind of get lost in that shuffle. And I mean you're you had the biggest, you know, much bigger journey than I did. And coming from that with your diagnosis. But you know, how how did that work very well going into the marathon too? Because like I said, you were in the local news as well too, as I saw.

speaker-1: Well, and maybe before I touch on that, I just wanna say that like you're you're saying how like we're always putting other people first and whatever. And something that I learned through this is that we're so worried that our kids are gonna miss us at school or nobody can replace us or, you know, they'll be in some sort of deficit because we're not there to do just like we're supposed to be. But the truth of the ⁓ matter is that we are replaceable and there are other teachers out there who can. ⁓ go in there and do what they need to do so that we can take care of ourselves. So we need to stop trying to to just say that we we are the only person that can do this. We can step away and take care of ourselves and we should prioritize our own health so that we can be the best versions of ourselves for others. But we that really does start by looking at ourselves and taking care of ourselves. So the marathon you asked about It was always something that was in the back of my mind, always a bucket list items that I really wanted to do. I I've ran a handful of half marathons. If you're watching on video you can see all my middle hair kind of Yeah. So I've I've loved running since just I started right before the pandemic and never looked back. It's been amazing for mentally, physically. And so I always had this goal that maybe one day I could reach for the marathon and

speaker-0: Exactly, the I feed.

speaker-1: Through chemotherapy, it was I can honest to God say that it was the worst worst thing that I've ever gone through. And I kept telling myself, if I can get through this, there's nothing that I can't do. Like the physical, the mental, all of it was so difficult. So if I can get through chemo, I can run a marathon, no problem. So that was kind of like my light at the end of the tunnel, thinking like, this is the time. I will have the time off work. I can rebuild myself, I can work on myself and I can try to pursue this wildly big dream of mine. And so I did. I started training and it was very difficult at first because just walking, just going up the stairs was completely I was out of breath because chemo had wrecked my body. And ⁓ so it was a very slow build, but I did I ended up getting there. I get I ended up getting to that start line and cross that finish line and ⁓ it was quite the emotional moment for sure.

speaker-0: ⁓ I I absolutely can believe it. I mean, it comes for like I said, the hard stairs. Yeah, like I said, my own mother, that was her things. I mean, she's lived in the same house for forty odd years. But and you'd think, ⁓ just cut no, it was hard for her just to get up six set of stairs just to get in there and then go down another twelve set of stairs just to do laundry on a regular basis. But yeah, it was quite the mission for her as well, too. But yeah, to hear all that. I mean, like you said, you started running before the pandemic and everything of twenty twenty, and I like I had gone back to it a bit myself during the pandemic and I've kind of got Back on my bike riding this last year, which I was always known as on my bike and riding through town. I've gotten more into that. But it was also challenged because as I say, you're it's like riding a bike, but then you gotta get on the bike and next thing you know, ⁓ I gotta go three miles, now I gotta go four miles, and ⁓ I gotta slow down and now I'm kind of out of breath and you're just you know, it's it's quite the adjustment to get back into that kind of Not only, you know, routine, but also trying to just get back to that strength level. So yeah, I mean, I absolutely can't believe it. I have to say I'm very proud of you for what you've done through and what you've been through. I mean, I thought it was ⁓ amazing here. You know, I've been following your journey with that ever since too. So it's been absolutely incredible.

speaker-1: Thank you so much, Ryan. I appreciate it.

speaker-0: You're welcome. And on that, I think I'll do that. I could probably do some share screen for the video here and everything. So, you know, it's a ton thing we were getting into, but phenomenal. You know, your book here, it's hard to believe. I mean, I got my copy still. I've actually lent it out and everything. But ⁓ you know, what was some of the work you did when you put into ⁓ writing this book originally now and also how far it's come? I mean, it's kind of gotten back on the map. It's kind of been it's hard to believe it's what now it's been how many how long since we got it released now? I know I remember too, because I remember when I got this and I read this and I Ananik, I love this book and ⁓ you need to be on the That's kinda what happened. But ⁓ yeah, I mean it's pretty amazing pieces about the secret and the part is like some of your classroom tips as well as yours and talking about your other journeys ⁓ that you went through as well too, especially with four boys and hockey and everything in between. But you know, what was some of the early starts that got you with Phenomenal and now, you know, looking back at it now, like, you know, where how far it's come since you released.

speaker-1: Yeah. So the whole reason why this book came too was because everybody that didn't know me personally would look at me professionally and see that I was doing all of these innovative things and then when they found out that I was a busy mom of four boys, they couldn't wrap their head around how I was doing all that I was doing. And so they kept coming to me like I was this incredible person and I didn't feel so incredible. I was just Doing what I had to do to survive and to thrive at school and to follow my passions. And so as people kept coming to me and asking for advice, I started writing about it. I started blogging about it. And people were saying that it was resonating. And I love to help others, so I just kind of kept going, kept writing, kept sharing my lessons, kept learning ⁓ kept sharing my journey. And eventually I just decided, hey, let me pitch this idea, see if We could turn these lessons that I've learned into a book that could potentially help others. And what's interesting is obviously this book came out before my whole cancer diagnosis cancer journey. And what was super cool was through my treatments, through the diagnosis, through the hardships that I endured over the last year and a bit, I really found myself rereading and revisiting some of the lessons that I'd written about. Because I don't know about you, Ryan, but Just because I wrote about it doesn't mean that I'm this master at it. Often I need

speaker-0: Right. Yeah. I mean someone who's been trying to work on his book in the last several months is it's start stop start stop then I go back and look at and like I don't know. I'm the and people are like, ⁓ but look at you, you write something. I'm not an expert writer and sometimes, you know, you we're we're always critical of our own work as well, too.

speaker-1: Totally. But it's just it was just super cool to see that things that I learnt pre cancer still applied and were very relevant and helpful while I was going through these other new challenging parts of my life that weren't necessarily completely tied to teaching, but they were just lessons that were helping me live more fully and get through these hard things. So

speaker-0: Yeah, and like I said, on your website, as I'm showing here in the video in the live stream and everything else, you can actually follow the different blog entries and everything here too. Like I said, pink pair of shorts in the exact right moment, two things can be true, and so forth and so forth, going right up to this most recent one. Why not me pursuing your dreams without sacrificing yourself from just as this is recorded here in late August, August 24th, getting released ⁓ September eighth. So yeah, I mean you can see how that journey is. You can go to our website, it'll be in the show notes, and of course you can see about your journey. And that's something too, because I like I said I don't blog like I used to. My my my my reputation is a lot of do. I've also focused a lot on either the podcast now, my classroom, or I work a lot of my collection reviews for ⁓ Spider Man Crawl Space these days. But you know, what what what does keep having you come back to, you know, the writing, the blogging? I did blogging for f close to fourteen years before I just kind of found out the podcast was kind of serving that that itch that I really like to do in story and I just like I I I just can't do blogging anymore. I said this is kind of where I so it evolved at that. But for you, you know, what you know, you said yourself, revisiting the book, what makes you keep coming back for those blog entries and

speaker-1: Yeah, so like you, I used to blog much more consistently. For several years I was publishing once a week for sure, at least once a week. And that kinda has slowed down some. But what keeps me coming back is how writing for me is such ⁓ a powerful way for me to process what I'm going through, to refine my thinking, to kinda clarify what it is that that I believe or that I'm going through and It's kind of just like this way that I get to journal publicly and the reason that I share is because I hope that it will help somebody. Like I don't I've never felt alone and I would never want anybody else to feel alone. So if by me sharing can help somebody else, then that's what I'm all about.

speaker-0: No, and I think that's a really good point too about like I said, how you can feel 'cause like I said, there's been times I know in my own life where it has felt like it's alone you know, I have been alone. I mean, one thing is sharing in my experiences, which actually kind of brings into that larger family. But yeah, I mean it does work about how that feeling but also kind of showing the other reaching out to other people as well.

speaker-1: Yeah, exactly. And even so much so that through my cancer out n not long after I was diagnosed, I decided that I wanted to create a little series of reels that I did on Instagram to try to educate others. ⁓ because I was forced after my diagnosis to learn a lot of things that I wish I had known sooner. And I thought, well, hey, if I can share these things that I've learnt because I've been forced to with others who are not in my shoes, then maybe they'll be able to advocate for themselves or push for extra screening or ask a different question when they're at their doctor's office. So that was just another example that I kind of used my not so fun situation to help others. I did the same thing for my students. I did another series of reels for kids to try to explain to kids what's going on with me, their teacher, and how breast cancer is affecting me, just to try to help them to see that I'm okay. And for them to understand a little bit more of what was going on with me since I did kind of leave them part way through the school year.

speaker-0: Yeah, and I I think that's a very important thing too. I mean, I remember back when we ⁓ in the pandemic, I had ⁓ I had been ⁓ exposed and I was actually gone for almost a couple for two weeks and I was doing ⁓ online posting and several of my students showed up Halloween night outside my home, you know, just trying to see how I was doing the reels and it was kind of really good to just see them all there back in ⁓ Halloween of twenty twenty. So yeah, I mean it it it it sometimes it is the educational pieces on that too. I know several of my students always find my Instagram and I've said myself my Insta Instagram tends to both be personal and professional, so I try to share some stuff. So sometimes I'll do things about my walks, sometimes I'll do it some of my shares, and sometimes some of my pixel projects. And then sometimes it's just like I was out and about and my computer has fallen apart. But here, look at my flowers. My flowers look good. Meanwhile, my garden has died. Can everybody they're like, Well, try this next time for a lift garden. Like, ⁓ that's a good idea. Thanks, guys.

speaker-1: That's great, such a great way to connect too, right?

speaker-0: ⁓ it is, absolutely. So, you know, with all this coming up, I mean, you're getting ready to start the school year again. So what what what what are these plans here? Once you're, you know, you're back in, you're sitting behind, the bell has rung like it has on this episode. And ⁓ you know, getting back into the into that, 'cause I mean you've been yeah, I mean, like I said, you've been outside the classroom for almost a year and a half here going to school, the new situation, the immersion. I mean, let's face it, I mean, it's a new year going into here, especially up in Canada. So what what you know, what is this, you know, journey you're you know, hoping to accomplish as well as kind of getting back into some of as they say, you know, the old pair of shoes and ⁓ walking walking down familiar territory.

speaker-1: Yeah, which I'm very grateful that I'm going back to grade one because that's my jam and I feel more most confident there. But yeah, it'll definitely be a change because I'm not going back as the same person as I was before. Cancer's changed me and there's no going back to who I was or what I was before. So I think it's just gonna be learning to listen to myself. I'm very excited because I know that I love teaching and I know that I will love my students. I'm very nervous because I've never taught halftime. So I don't know sharing my space, sharing subject areas, all of the like sharing report card writing. I don't know how that's gonna go for me. I don't I'm I'm very curious to know if I think it'll be worth it. Like if it'll be more work for me to you know, like I'm such a control freak. So will it will it be hard for me to let somebody else do something the way that they wanna do it and I just do my thing or ⁓ so I'm a little bit anxious about that, but I think it will be really nice for me to just have I still tire super easily. So I having one day off after I've worked a full day will really allow me to rest and recharge so that I can be my best self for my students. So yeah, I'm really excited, a little bit nervous, kind of a mixed bag, but I think it'll be really nice.

speaker-0: No, and I'm looking forward to the journey and following you how that's going as well for you. But no, I'm re you know, I'm really looking forward to seeing how you do get back in. And as someone who has had to work f half time themselves in one of his old schools many years ago, too, it it's it's definitely a process. I mean, it's definitely new. It can be very rewarding, though. One thing I was able to is lean on my co-teacher as well, too, which really helped me grow as an educator as well doing because they'd been doing it longer than I had at that point in time. But it was kind of very nice to ⁓ do that split time. But also the point too, like I said, I could then step away on a two. Tuesday go do my other tech and other work for the school and then come back to the classroom on Thursday and then teach my lesson. So it was a nice balance of things. So hopefully you'll have similar experience too as you get back into that too.

speaker-1: Yeah, I hope so too. And you know what? There's no way to know without trying it. So here we

speaker-0: No, there's not. And then like I said, I mean, before you know it, it's gonna be hockey season again. Are you gonna get the hockey mom up there and have the boys bruising like usual? Or do you I know it's kinda hard to believe, like wait, we're already getting sports. Like I hear we had our big ⁓ rival school this past weekend. Unfortunately we had bad weather on Friday, got rescheduled and sadly we lost. So, you know, we're all getting there, but otherwise, you know, Friday, Friday night lights go on, I'm ready to

speaker-1: But starting already. We're ⁓ full of four

speaker-0: throw on the walkie, throw on my ⁓ gear and ⁓ Just get back in it, just enjoy it. It's so funny because I've never been a big sports guy. I I played soccer and basketball myself in school, and hard to believe I have my 30th anniversary reunion coming up here in two months. Hard to believe. But ⁓ it's just something about I like going to the game, talking with the students, interacting with the staff, and just enjoying the game, whether we win or lose or play too. But it's it I'm kind of looking forward to get back into that kind of retune Friday night lights kind of feast too. And my son's driving now and I gotta get a journey.

speaker-1: Yeah, my my oldest is going for his driver's test ⁓ the beginning of September, so I'm with you. It's

speaker-0: Yeah, it'd be if not end of J December, first beginning of j of January since his birthday is in ⁓ January and then my niece just started school. I can't believe she's old enough to be going and then my oldest niece is getting married next summer, so I'm gonna be having quite the journey. I'm actually going to Honduras for that wedding. I've never been to Central America. I've got the passport, everything done, and I'm gonna work out So that's gonna be quite the journey. So I said this year is the year is the keep doing what I doing, hopefully improve, make sure the students enjoy it. The school is a better place and work towards, you know, that journey to ⁓ Honduras here in a little bit. So that's gonna it is. I think I'm gonna and I'm gonna do new things on the podcast, a little check in like here's what we're working on this week and here's what I learned. So the way I'm kinda getting back to like I'm a video blog with the podcast. To just talk about things, you know, still talk about what I'm in the classroom, what have I learned, but at the same time as I used to do it a long time ago on the blog and that's something now I think I will be returning to this.

speaker-1: That's fantastic. Fantastic. Great.

speaker-0: Well you know it is. I mean we both got great plans and everything and Nick, you know, this has been great. I mean, where can we buy your book? How can we get a hold of you? And you better be following her on Instagram, everybody. I know I am. She pops up every time, right here on the phone, right here.

speaker-1: Yeah, so best best place to find me is on Instagram. That's where I'm most active, which is at Anik Roque, A N N I C K R A U C H H. I'm still trying to share lots there. And with me going back into the classroom, I hope to share more classroom stuff. Lately it's been more mom and cancer type stuff. ⁓ but yeah, follow me there. And my book is available on Amazon or anywhere else you find books, and it's phenomenal teacher, like phenomenal, but with an extra ⁓

speaker-0: Exactly, 'cause you she's the phenomenal. Yeah, you're welcome and you they've burned up. But no, it's been amazing here and I c and I'm looking so much forward to you getting back in the classroom and we know keep up here, keep in touch and we'll do that. So

speaker-1: Thank you. Yeah, thank you so much, Ryan. Thanks for having me on and best of luck to you with this new season and with your school year and a great wedding in Honduras.

speaker-0: That's the plan. Thank you so much. Everybody else, thank you for joining us on the Pixel Classroom podcast, and we'll talk to everybody.