Black History Month is coming to a close, but it is not too late to squeeze in a lesson or two to celebrate and recognize the significance of this time. Growing up, I was taught the following lies about America: … Continue reading Black History Month
Do you ever learn something for the first time that you have known your entire life? I’ve always known, intellectually, that the word advent means the arrival of something or someone notable, and that the advent season is all about … Continue reading On Waiting: Advent 2020
Eric (a pseudonym) was the kind of student who was never where he was supposed to be when he was supposed to be there. While I never taught him, I met him performing sweep duty in the hallways each day during my planning period. Sweep duty involved walking the hallways close to my classroom and “sweeping” kids to their next class, singing tardy slips as needed. I came to know Eric well, because he needed “sweeping” every single day. Each day I found him in the hallway, he had a new reason for being late to class, as though each … Continue reading On Teaching and Mothering
Not that many years ago, I was in a relationship that I thought would last. Even though I never took the man I dated “home” to meet my family, I wanted to at the time. I wasn’t sure how comfortable … Continue reading Racism, Antiracism, and You
During this time of COVID-19, I have seen my social media feed flooded with memes on parents and teachers homeschooling their kids. Some of you might have seen this post from a very honest student named Ben: Many of you … Continue reading On Homeschooling (what it is, and why that is not what you are doing right now)
Readers, I began this journey to establishing an online presence as an educator and blogger last year. While I’ve blogged off and on for several years, I determined to use this platform to tell stories, share ideas, and provide teaching resources. So many of you have commented to me that you have enjoyed one or more post. I would like to encourage you to share this website with your fellow educators, and to subscribe to receive regular updates on new content. I commit to emailing no more than once a week, and any email would be to share new posts … Continue reading Subscribe & Enter to Win!
Today is April 1, which, for many, means a day of tomfoolery and trickery. I’ve always hated April Fools Day, but that’s irrelevant. I LOVE April 1 because it is the start of National Poetry Month! In the Age of COVID-19, you are probably displaced from your classroom and distanced from your students. Many of you are delivering online instruction with very few resources. Coming up with lesson ideas might prove to be difficult, and you might wonder how you can stimulate your students’ thinking while not overwhelming them when they, too, are feeling all the feels. One writing exercise … Continue reading Let the Poems Begin!
My Dear Fellow Educator, I see you. You are the one over there at home trying to take care of yourself and your family in the midst of chaos and uncertainty. You may not be a healthcare provider or first responder, but you are used to being in the frontline of the daily battle to maintain a healthy, thriving society. Except today, you aren’t allowed to go to battle. On a normal day, you deliver multiple lessons, answer hundreds – no, thousands – of questions, provide academic guidance and personal counseling, listen to students with problems much greater than yours, … Continue reading An Open Letter to Teachers during a Global Pandemic
In light of all that is happening in the world, I want to say first that I pray you and yours are well. This is a very uncertain time for so many, and I know we are all reeling from … Continue reading Peru: The Place
I have flown more miles and walked more steps to get to a destination than I did to get to the Amazon jungle, but I have never made a journey quite like this one! Three plane rides, a bus ride, … Continue reading Peru: The Journey
We Teach Who We Are 