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After an unpleasant incident last week, my husband reminded me of a simple truth: my classroom is my haven and my students are my North Star. When relationships with colleagues become challenging, my students remind me about why I do what I do. When the world seems to be imploding, I turn to my students.… Read more

As I sit in my car waiting for my son to finish his guitar lesson, I have time to think about all of the things I have on my to-do list and a few more that I need to add. Some days it feels like all I do is change the date* at the top… Read more

I have started journaling every day. Although I’ve always kept a teacher journal, I’ve only occasionally kept a personal journal. My goal is to write a page every day about one thing I’m thinking about or grappling with. In a recent journal entry I wrote about fear, in general, and “being afraid”, more specifically. Being… Read more

About three weeks ago I wrote a blog post about my plan (tweaked from previous years) for finding my #OLW22. Well, in the middle of the best laid plans life tends to get in the way. And, that’s what happened to me. I got pretty sick at the beginning of the month and although I’m… Read more

Every year I try to come up with one little word for the year. A word that will guide my passage through a new set of experiences. A word that will make an impact in my life. A word that will inspire my creative side. A word that will make a significant addition to my… Read more

We decorated cookies to launch the holiday season, a first for our family of five that has now grown to nine with sons-in-law and granddaughters. We enjoyed a badly needed spa date, a gift from our children; they know how to give memorable presents. So we could get ready for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner,… Read more

The alarm goes off at 3:00 am and then again at 3:15. I also set it for 3:30, but I wake up before it can go off again. I reluctantly unfurl my body from the warmth of the covers and sit up on the edge of the bed. I check the sticky note on my… Read more

I am working on a book project. It’s not the same book project as the last 5 book projects that never got off the ground. It’s a brand new book project that started taking root in my mind when I was interviewed on the podcast, I Wish I Knew EDU. I have written several pages… Read more

Disclaimer: This subject of this post is a work in progress. I look forward to your feedback in the comments. Currently, I make room in my classroom schedule for writing and reading workshop at least four times a week, each. Technically speaking, that would be approximately one hour of reading and writing every day. Some… Read more