Anchors in the Storm
Life is crazy right now. Since the school year started, I have had only one full day to actually sit at my desk and work. The rest of the time I am visiting teachers, meeting with principals, planning PDs (Professional Development) with teammates, presenting PDs to teachers, and somehow trying to fit in all my [...]
On Humility (And Nursing a Bruised Ego)
Yesterday Madeleine got her card moved from green to yellow – for the first time EVER!! She made it all the way through kindergarten and first grade without having her card pulled. There were a lot of tears on the way home yesterday. She didn’t do anything terrible; she was just supposed to be sitting [...]
To My Daughter, On the Eve of Starting Second Grade
Dear Madeleine, I don’t know how we’ve come to this point. Yesterday, we sold a bunch of your baby clothes at our yard sale and I cringed inside as I had to let each piece go. All those little moments of wonder and awe and joy – not just from you, but from your dad [...]
Book Month Challenge Day 25: Favorite Book You Read In School
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. My senior year in high school I took a class called 20th Century History. It was awesome. The teacher, Mr. Bradshaw, was so cool. He was one of those teachers that makes you want to come to class every day. We did all kinds of fun stuff in his class [...]
Book Month Challenge Day 23: Book You Tell People You’ve Read, But Really Haven’t Finished
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I have to admit I struggle a little through Jane Austen books. I’m not sure if it’s the long sentences or nineteenth century English or something else. I haven’t picked up Pride and Prejudice in a while, though. Maybe now that I’m older I would enjoy it. I don’t [...]
Why My Job Rules
Why my job sucks: For the past 3 weeks, I’ve had to travel to high schools and middle schools to administer a speaking test to EL students. The SAME test. Over and over. ALL day long. Why my job rules: I’ve gotten to meet a bunch of cool students. At one high school, I met [...]
Versatile Blogger
My poet friend Bri nominated me for a Versatile Blogger Award! Bri and I got our MFAs together. We were the only girls with several other guy poets. I was so glad Bri was there to show me the ropes during my first residency, and I’m glad we became friends. When you are nominated for [...]
A Semester in the Coaching Life
An instructional coach, that is. Specifically an English Learners coach. Over the past decade, the school district I work for has adopted a instructional coaching model as part of it’s professional development and push to raise test scores. I can’t speak for middle and high schools, but every elementary school has a Literacy Coach and [...]
I Am Parenting Myself
I had an uh-oh moment today. I realized how much my daughter is going to be just like me when I was a kid/teen. For the most part, I was happy, outgoing, and well adjusted. For the most part, Madeleine is all those things, too. But I was also very emotional (hey, I was a [...]
Countdown to Christmas
Sorry for the lack of posts. Seriously, I have about 10 ideas floating around up there, but I have been busy with the following: Arguing with Ephraim about whether or not it’s pajama day at school. Evidently “we didn’t get a note” does not fit in with the cognitive skills of a four year old. [...]
