Georgia I had a moment that caused me to gasp this morning as I encountered another obituary for a school mate. I graduated high school in 1971 and our class has lost somewhere between 15 and 20 members since that June. It is becoming more frequent. At the 30th reunion, as we paid tribute to the … Read more
Every year in celebration of the 4th of July, National Public Radio broadcasts a reading of the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, each paragraph read by a different network correspondent. This blend of voices bringing life to this remarkable document is inspiring and poignant but I frequently miss parts of it … Read more
A quick note before I hit the road for Poughkeepsie to meet up with my colleagues Maria Marewski and Tim Sutton of the Children’s Media Project and Sue Lesser from the Arlington School District. We are co-presenting a workshop on media arts in the classroom at the NECAP Conference for teaching artists in Providence, RI, tomorrow. I … Read more
I just finished watching “Freedom Writers” for the first time. Admittedly, I should have run right out to the theaters for the first screening but I did not want to: 1) be disappointed, 2) see the same old superhero teacher flick, 3) rehash “Dangerous MInds,” 4) be drop kicked into the work I do as … Read more
Friday was the beginning of the summer “no more putting off the details” mood, no more jerry-rigged anything in the house, time to get the damned plants in the ground or planters, but FIRST, the wireless router has been inconsistent for weeks and I still did not have a backup drive to support my life … Read more
Dear Secretary Duncan: First, I would like to congratulate you on your appointment. I trust the intention and knowledge of President Obama enough to believe that your selection for this post is the best option in his opinion; therefore, I look forward to change that you will institute to support our students and teachers, our … Read more
Friday was my last day at the elementary school where I have taught a total of 2 weeks in the past month. I mentioned the student who wanted to give me her own nickname when we met the first day of that residency. While I waited in the wing’s common area for a class of … Read more
It has been a busy few weeks, the end of the school year, the last weeks with students for me. I am finishing up my work a couple of weeks prior to the end of the school year. I see the pressure to get everything done before the close of school, before the final exams, … Read more
As I introduced myself to a self-contained class of special needs children this week, one student looked at me with a big smile and asked, “Can I call you Muffin?” I smiled and wondered why Muffin. I did think that Ms. Popoff was the better choice for the situation but I keep thinking of that … Read more
I will always be grateful to my 4th grade teacher, Ms. Kathleen Crouch, for many reasons. It was in her class that I started to identify as a writer, for one thing. It was in her class that I started to think beyond myself to the outer world and all it can be. It was … Read more