The last week of school always comes in like a lion and leaves like a lion- a whirlwind of activities, emotions, and goodbyes. I have found throughout the years to brace myself the previous weekend, readying myself for the endless
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Deep and Wide
“Deep and wide, deep and wide…” goes the children’s gospel song that circulates through my head during these trying two months of my life. I’ve lost my second job that supports my teacher salary, and on top of it, I
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Pop the Bubble
April 22, 2018 Dear Children, When I mentioned possibly not being at school on Thursday, you looked confused. “Why won’t you be here? Why don’t you want to be with us? Did we do something wrong?” When my own son
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It’s All About Survival
I’m so excited for our Teach-In at the Capitol this Wednesday, March 28th!! I was asked by a friend why educators are needing to protest at the Capitol. Such a simple question; shouldn’t it deserve a simple answer? If I
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Sacrificing for Students
On March 2nd, “CBS This Morning” took their national audience inside the Arizona classroom. The banner underneath had a very powerful statement, “Sacrificing for Students.” This was an interesting Twitter post for me, as I was reading it while sitting
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Today is a Good Day!
It came back. The district-required “Intent to Return” form was sitting in my teacher mailbox. I placed it on my desk this week and stared at it during the few free moments I had. “List your top 3 choices for
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My One Word for 2018
My niece and nephew visited my Arizona home for the first time during this Winter Break. I was very excited—we haven’t spent a lot of time together in the past 12 years of their lives as they live in Oregon.
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Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust
We lost another one. Another new teacher has left the building, the classroom, and the students. But we didn’t just lose a teacher. A teacher has lost her faith and trust in education. Every time I watch this go down,
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The Technology Epidemic
This morning an interesting story was reported by the “Today” show, describing how the fast food restaurant “McDonalds” is testing phone lockers to encourage conversation at the table. The video clip showed the joy and wonder of a small child
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A Few of My Favorite Things
I entered into No Man’s Land this school year. It’s a stinky, emotionally complex yet surprisingly fun land called… sixth grade! Who knew I would be personally and professionally challenged by a very diverse group of tweens? Several colleagues have
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