What Children Have Taught Me

January 3, 2024.Reading time 2 minutes.

When I was a teacher, I created a mailbox for each of my students on the bulletin board. It consisted of an envelope, decorated by each child, posted to the board. It was strictly for communication between the individual student and myself. As I taught high school, many of my colleagues doubted the efficacy of such an effort. They […]

A Triggered Response

May 5, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

Don’t know about you, but I read each post with a slightly different eye this week, looking for one that provoked a response. Many did, but none more than Tina Stewart’s Brakebill’s post: Already Lost. Early in my teaching career, I had a troubled student, who was assigned to three out of four classes with […]

Curiosity is the Mind of a Child

October 29, 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

“Grandma, you are just like my mom!” We are snuggled in against the cold night air, having a sleep over. “Well, I am your mom’s Mom.” “Yeah,” she says hugging me tighter, “she’s your kid!” At five, Sloane likes to explore connections, turning things over, understanding things from different angles. The next day, she finds […]

That Kid

June 4, 2017.Reading time 4 minutes.

I am that kid. First day of school, teacher proudly organized, in charge, forgets she is addressing humans not machines programmed to comply. I cannot tolerate oppression: authority already overbearing in my life. I am a pressure cooker, combustible, ready to explode, like an uncorked grenade counting down the seconds. “We need to set some […]

Churry

December 20, 2016.Reading time 6 minutes.

Cognitive functioning is currently down a notch. (I know I’ve complained of this before, but bear with me – I think it merits understanding.) I found a recipe for Easy Lentil Curry on the blog: Simple Vegan. Since I love curries and lentils, I decided “easy” must mean it is doable even for me. Part […]

Educational Walls

August 1, 2016.Reading time 7 minutes.

I have this recurring dream that I am teaching a class, composed of adults and adolescents, which is spread out over three rooms. Try as I might to build community through ice breaking activities, it is physically impossible to reach all the students at one time. I am reminded of how it feels to teach […]

Just for Today

Therapy is drudging up old feelings – places where I tend to get stuck. I don’t have the answers I need to move on yet, so all I can do is breathe through the moments and be mindful in the present.

Nature is Like That

A wren showed up the other day,heard him before I saw him,took over the Chickadee nest,killed the babies and settled in.Nature is like that. I witness with horror and awethe chickadees move on –reproduction is industry –I watch the wren couple nowbuild their nest and sing aloud Goldfinches love the chase,yellow darts of joy;I shoo […]