Natalie & Aglaé: Best Friends Forever!

February is Heart Month at The Worthy Educator, honoring those special colleagues who make a difference in our lives and careers, celebrating how longterm, loyal, caring, nurturing, professional friendships enhance our experience as professionals!

Natalie Odom Pough pays tribute to Aglaé Perez:

I have known Aglaé for 19 years. She was assigned to me as my ESOL Aide during my first year of teaching. She basically rescued me at a time where I was bogged down with misinformation and "brand new teacher" abuse. She was the key that allowed me to always be able to reach my students no matter what, and together we did just that.

Somewhere between lesson planning, parenting, and late-night voice notes, our friendship leveled up into something I never could have predicted that first chaotic year. What started in the classroom grew into something fuller and richer, where the real magic lives now. I find myself lingering in the memories that still make me smile: students belting out Fergalicious to celebrate their growth; pushing desks to the side for a math relay review that sent them racing between whiteboards on opposite walls; the way students brought their cultures to school each day and quietly resisted demands to conform; and those side conversations with Aglaé to confirm that “Missy” was, indeed, a term of endearment, validated by the fact that students used it only with us and with other teachers they truly liked. These days, our deepest conversations often happen while binge-watching RuPaul's Drag Race and its many glorious cousins. We'll say, "Just one episode," and suddenly it's midnight, we're texting in all caps, and screaming with pride as one of our former students lights up the screen, confident, brilliant, unapologetic, and clearly destined to take over the world. Watching him shine is a reminder that we were never just teaching content; we were holding space for futures that are now boldly unfolding.

And then there's the avocado saga. For years, I judged Aglaé mercilessly for her obsession. The texture? Offensive. The devotion? Unnecessary. And yet, growth has a sense of humor. One bite turned into reluctant acceptance, then full-on love, and now I live with the quiet humility of knowing she was right all along. What hasn't changed is how she still grounds me through laughter, shared memories, watching our children grow up as cousins, and reminding me who I am when life gets loud. From ESOL aide to life translator, colleague to sister, here we are: cheering for our students on TV, debating avocados, and doing what we've always done best: showing up for each other and believing deeply in what's possible. Same love. Same gratitude. Just better snacks and better TV.

Gabbana, Where would I be without you? I’m almost certain I wouldn’t be an educator—or if I were, I wouldn’t have the same hope and joy for the profession that I do now. Your presence in my life transformed my perspective on education and the profound power of being a classroom teacher. All I ever wanted was to truly reach my students, and you helped me do that. After my first year of stumbling and finding my way, WE were awarded merit pay for the incredible gains our students achieved. I’ll never take full credit for that accomplishment, and one day, you’ll accept that you were just as significant—if not more so—than I was during that pivotal year. I’m so grateful for the friendship and sisterhood we’ve built and for the way our children are growing up as cousins. You’re the friend I never knew I needed, and I’ll always be thankful that you came into my life.

Love you forever, Dolcé!

Natalie Odom Pough

A Worthy Educator

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See our entire celebration of #edufriends and share your tribute to a special colleague or group of peers here so that we can honor you and them!