-
Bad Teacher or Bad Parent
I was perusing Facebook when I found this post: 6 Telling Signs Your Child Has a Bad Teacher I became immediately annoyed. Really? If your child’s bored or disinterested with school, let’s blame it on the teacher? No. That’s not taking responsibility for your child’s education. That’s a blame game. Imagine spending hours on the weekend preparing lessons you’re excited to share in the classroom. You’re standing in front of the room, ready to teach your incredible lesson, and eighty percent of the class is sitting, listening, ready to begin. Just as the other twenty percent settle down, a student lets one rip, sending the class into hysterics and four of his teammates up…
-
Classroom Catharsis
I stood in front of the first class of the day, a student’s journal in hand. Since I began teaching 6th grade, I’ve had the students write for ten minutes on any subject they want. Some write stories, others write about what’s happening in their life. Some enjoy getting up in front of class and reading and others ask me to read for them. Sharing is completely optional. I read the first line of her journal out loud. I stopped. I read the rest silently making sure it was appropriate to share with the class. It was…but how was I going to get through it? Exhaustion had caught up to me, knocking down…
-
An Interesting Dinner With My Teenage Son
I put the following quote on the board and asked the 6th graders what it meant. “Each of us has a fire in our hearts for something. It’s our goal in life to find it and keep it lit.” Mary Lou Retton Most of the students were unsure until I asked them what my purpose was. Then hands went up and I received answers of writer, teacher, and mom. They could see my purpose but not their own until I asked them what they like to do. The room buzzed with everything from singing and soccer to baking and dance. I explained that when I was their age I enjoyed writing stories. I suggested…
-
Our Tennessee Vacation
“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” John Muir As a young teen growing up in Pennsylvania I would take long walks through the woods near our house. There was something about being among the trees, listening to the birds and watching the sunlight cascade down through the leaves. I always felt at peace. Those days of being in nature were calling to me. I needed to leave the familiar palm trees behind in search of maple, birch, and hickory. I’m not one who enjoys tent camping. Cabins with a jacuzzi are more my idea of roughing it. It had been over ten years since we…
-
Why I teach
“…until one sees with one’s own eyes and comes to feel with one’s own heart, one will never understand other people.” Eleanor Roosevelt “When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die.” Eleanor Roosevelt I’ve been watching, The Roosevelts, a Ken Burns documentary on PBS. Several years ago, I spent time in Hyde Park New York and toured their houses. In fact while we ventured the grounds of Val-Kill, we were asked to keep silent because Ken Burns was filming. I learned of Eleanor Roosevelt’s commitment to helping others. I brought home a book of Eleanor’s quotes and a bookmark. Both sit on my desk as reminders that as I go through daily life I must be conscious of my responsibility…
-
Looking Back, Feeling Gratitude, And Moving Forward
“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melody Beattie Every night before going to sleep I think of the day’s happiest moments. My thankful moments. It could be anything from listening to my favorite songs in the car, hugging my son, to opening a Fed Ex package and finding the proof of my new book. I remember the good in every day. Doing this calms me and reminds me to be grateful. I’ve learned that the moments which give me greatest joy are the ones that bring an overwhelming sense of peace–peace knowing that love is within me and all around me. Just…
