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The blank page is daunting. Even when I walk away. Do something else. Live in the moment. Still, the blank page taunts me. Plays with my patience. Laughs in my face. Calls me back anyway, like I knew it would. And I oblige. I come back not just because I’m committed to writing every day.… Read more

There is a conversation happening among teachers in some places. The topic is controversial, but only if you think the conversation is intended to censor you. To silence you. To tender you culpable. To question your professional decisions and choices, rather than to elevate and uplift non-white voices. If you can get beyond your own… Read more

Today was a good day. Today I connected with more kids. Today I became known in our online class for certain things I say, like “newsflash”, “peeps”, and “Of course, I’m muted!” Today we laughed. Today we worked hard. Yes, we worked hard in our online space. Today I am tired. But it’s a good… Read more

Some days, like today, I feel exhausted. Some days, like today, I think that I just can’t do this all over again tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that. Some days, like today, all I want to do is watch Netflix for hours at a time. Some days, like today, I am… Read more

Last year I wasn’t able to participate in the Slice of Life March Challenge because I was recovering from cancer treatment. Not only wasn’t I able to sustain something as taxing as writing and sharing every day, but I was barely able to read or write much of anything. And, I wasn’t eating a whole… Read more

In April, it will be a year since my mom passed away. This week my brother and I sold her condo in Miami. My brother has promised to send me some pictures and other things he found when he cleaned her apartment to get it ready to sell. I can imagine the pictures that he… Read more

I am a people pleaser. I am also a rule follower. Explosive combination, wouldn’t you agree? Sometimes, pleasing someone and following the rules is not a problem. At other times, in order to please someone, I must break the rules. And still at other times, in order to follow the rules, I will likely disappoint… Read more

Staring at a blank page (or screen) can be brutal. I know this to be true in my head. But I recently experienced this in my body for the first time in a long time. I was unproductive and unmoored. I was restless and distracted. I didn’t have a plan (read: a list of writing… Read more

I recently started a new practice. I first heard about it on the Teach Write site. I won’t lie: I took off with it like a dog with a bone. This is a very simple, but powerful practice. List all of the “wins”, or accomplishments, for the day or week. Sometimes I set a timer.… Read more

You know that excitement you get when things are just flowing? Everything seems to be working just the way you envisioned it. You remembered to do everything you were supposed to do. You shifted smoothly from task to task. You toggled seamlessly from Google Meet to Microsoft Teams meetings and back again. Your to-do list… Read more