Book Month Challenge Day 27: Favorite collection of stories
The Secrets of a Fire King by Kim Edwards. Have you heard of the book The Memory Keeper’s Daughter? That was by Kim Edwards. But this book is better than that one. These stories span continents and cultures and a variety of relationships. Here are synopses of my 3 favorite stories from the book: Spring, [...]
Book Month Challenge Day 9: Favorite Adult Fiction Book
Oh, this one is so hard! Like I said on Day 1, I have several favorite books, but can never pick just one absolute favorite!!! The one I’m choosing for this post is a little known book that needs to be a well-known book. And I love, love, love this novel. The Saffron Kitchen by [...]
When You Know You’ll Never Quite Be Home
Blame it on spending my childhood in two countries. Blame it on bouncing back and forth between two languages. Between two cultures. I used to feel Thai and American. But never quite fully either one. It’s like being Abnegation and Dauntless. And being neither of them. Friends have been going to Thailand and posting pictures. [...]
Lenten Reflections: Celebrating Lent in Japan
This guest post is written by my friend Melissa Reed, who was in my MFA program. She currently lives in Japan, and you can read about her adventures there at her blog, There and Back Again. Here’s her bio: I’m twenty-five years old and from Paducah, Kentucky. I graduated from Murray State University with a [...]
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 [...]
Poetry Friday
Mi Historia By David Dominguez My red pickup choked on burnt oil as I drove down Highway 99. In wind-tattered garbage bags I had packed my whole life: two pairs of jeans, a few T-shirts, an a pair of work boots. My truck needed work, and through the blue smoke rising from under the hood, [...]
“English Only” Only Hurts
I am an ESL (English as a Second Language – although I prefer the term ESOL – English to Speakers of Other Languages) teacher in an English Only state. And it makes me mad. Why? Because English-Only strategies rarely produce fully bilingual and bi-literate children. (English Only means that there is no bilingual education in [...]
Scripps National Spelling Bee
I missed it. I MISSED it! I completely forgot to watch the Scripps Spelling Bee last night! Check out this link to read about the winner, Anamika Veeramani, an Indian-American. The article points out that the Bee has been won by Indian-Americans quite frequently. I have taught several Indian immigrants, and let me say all [...]
This is Why I’m Not a Stay-at-Home Mom
Today was the last day of our two-week Fall Break. I now need a break from my Fall Break. Not that I’m ready to go back to work, though! The first day of break, Ephraim (my 2-year-old) went to time out 3 times and got spanked 2 times – all before noon. That was the [...]
Poem Day
Roof by David Dominguez At lunch, I go watch the Mexicanos who are putting the ceiling on my house. They don’t like me the moment I park at the curb. Extension cords crisscross the slab. I nod at the fellow with the saw. He’s watching my feet, nervous I’ll trip and pull the diamond-cut teeth [...]
