Originally published in TEACH Magazine, June 2026 Issue
By LaDona Tyson
This year is a “Year of No” for me. Actually, it’s my very first Year of No. My entire career has always been “Yes.”
Yes to professional development opportunities that sometimes yielded ideas and new teaching techniques, but often the days away just added more stress once I returned. Yes to career opportunities that were valuable in networking, but required more personal time to prepare and often meant delegating my favorite parts of the job. Yes to clubs, committees, and organizations that were excellent and needed and that would only “take a little bit of time here and there,” but often left me hustling to get it all done every day.
Dr. LaDona Tyson is in her 18th year as Director of Choral Groups at Pearl River Community College, where she directs the PRCC Singers chamber choir and the contemporary a cappella groups The Voices and Currents, whose ensembles have performed at regional and national ACDA conferences. She holds degrees from William Carey College and the University of Southern Mississippi, and is an active leader in choral education, currently serving as Past-President of the Mississippi chapter of ACDA.
