My grandma’s health is failing. She’s 89 and determined to live on her own, to have her family over for Sunday dinner, for coffee during the week. But she fell a few weekends ago, landed in the hospital, and now an assisted living center. This summer, it felt a bit...
I remember the exact moment of fifth grade — sitting in my desk, watching my teacher explaining a spelling game — when I promised myself that if I ever became a teacher, I would not forget what it felt like to be a student. But I do it all the time. Our desks and...
Late last summer, I had myself convinced that I was zero percent sentimental about sending my youngest child off to kindergarten. In a constant race to keep up with his older brothers, he is my bold and brave one. Fiercely independent, he seemed about ready to start...
Hands down my favorite moments as a teacher are those of authentic engagement — that rare intersection of attention, curiosity, interest, and passion. Every lesson plan, every strategy, every procedure is an attempt to mix a potion that will help...
inˈten(t)SH(ə)n(ə)l/ adjective: done on purpose; deliberate. Synonyms: calculated, conscious, intended, purposeful I talk to my writing students about audience all the time — “Know your audience,” I tell them, “Your tone, your style, your voice...
I’m a sucker for all things nostalgic — old photo albums, worn notes or ticket stubs. I can’t resist the “On this Day” Facebook pictures that pop up, showing me my posts and memories from this day just two, five, eight years ago. I’m a slow, distracted organizer...