There is something comforting about traditions, especially around the holidays. I grew up as an only child, and all of my extended family lived on the East Coast. I didn’t have many big family gatherings growing up, and my mom liked to keep things small and simple. When my parents split when I was a…
Gratitude Looks Different in a Pandemic
It’s Thanksgiving break, normally a time I would be ramping up for a big family gathering, seeing friends I have missed over the course of the semester, and planning for the flurry of events that start now and end the first week of January. But these are different times. Gratitude looks different in a pandemic….
Because I Told Them Public Writing Matters
It has been a long time since I came back to this space. I have wanted to, I have written countless posts in my head. I kept thinking someday, then put it on my Sunday morning calendar, and I watched them come and go. So today I am working on an Op-Ed unit for my…
BE BRAVE.
“August 30th We started the new school year this week, with all of my students returning from last year. We have changed our instructional format, creating more of a tutorial center that supports the independent coursework that students will complete this year. I am challenged to bring this concept to life, as I am used…
It’s Been Seven Years… And I Still Miss You
It doesn’t seem possible, that dad has been gone seven years this week. I will stand in remembrance tonight at services, but although that gives me some peace, it is not how I honor his memory. What I have learned through losing both my parents is that the memories flood back at interesting times. It…
Summertime Allows for Reflection, and a Good Pantry Cleaning!
Summertime is almost over for this educator. Frankly, I am back at work starting Monday because I have a lot to do to change up our program, and when I am home I tend to do the other millions of things pulling at my life before school starts. Today it was laundry, finally planting that…
Building a Digital Space that Connects, not Isolates is Both the Challenge and the Reward.
c We all have methods to organize ourselves for the day. Me? I am a list maker. I get great pleasure in making lists, and taking my flair felt pen and crossing them off one by one. Sometimes I even add something I did just to cross it off. It can be helpful but also…
There Is Beauty in The Work
Those who know we well know that although I love gardens, I am horrible at maintaining them. I have failed epically for literally decades, but I continue to try. The stories are legendary in my house. But I am determined, keep thinking that this is the spring/summer that I will pull this off. And my…
Life Goes On, We All Have a Timeline
There is this amazing young man who posts daily on social media. His name is Nas. At 33 years old, he quit his job and traveled the world making one-minute videos and posted them on Facebook. Why? Because he realized life was short, and that we should make the most of it. He wanted to…
Responding to Send Her Back
I have come to the conclusion that I have a love/hate relationship with social media. We live in a 24 hour a day news cycle, meaning we are bombarded with information, media, images, and videos at an alarming rate. News is no longer confined to an hour in the evening, but instead, we pick up…