Today was a great day. First, I got a clean bill of health from my doctor. “Your blood counts are great,” she said. “Your organs are happy,” she said. “I’ll check back in 6 months,” she said. Then, I went for an hour long walk with my husband and our sweet puppy. Later in the… Read more

Have you ever made a mistake while teaching? In a subject that you were feeling on shaky ground to begin with? Or in a subject where you were trying out some new instructional routines? Well, yeah. That was me today. Twice! While parents and guardians were more likely than not listening in while out of… Read more

I am learning to say, no. In fact, I am always learning to say, no. Why is it so hard? Saying no is part of how I am setting boundaries for myself. Saying no is how I am taking care of myself. Saying no is how I am preserving my sanity. Tomorrow I have two… Read more

At the end of every day I try to quit work by 5:30. I try to stop checking emails. I try to shut down my computer. I try to leave my office space and venture up to be with my family. Some days, I can do that. Other days, I struggle. Since I’m teaching online,… Read more

I belong to two different, but incredibly special, educator communities. In one group we meet monthly on Zoom around a topic of interest. In the second group we meet several times a week to share personal and professional stories and to write. In both groups, we carry on conversations when we’re not gathered together in… Read more

Today I participated in Day #2 of the Ethical ELA Open Write. I wrote a pantoum. I’ve never written one before. When I read the process for writing a pantoum, my first thought was: Woah! I will never be able to do that. Then, I decided to try it out. I’ve been writing about my… Read more

Today I went shopping. Even though the warmer temperatures beckoned me to go for a walk, I went shopping instead. While I was in the store I kept thinking: “do I really need this?” every time I put something else in my cart. When I was growing up “going shopping” was a happy event. One… Read more

The last couple of days have been a blur. Half-day of teaching yesterday. Then, parent-guardian-teacher conferences in the afternoon and into the evening. More conferences this morning and early afternoon. With some in between time to catch up on, and add to, my to-do list. Now, I’m ready to take a break. Push my work… Read more

Parent-guardian-teacher conferences have always served as a barometer of how things are going. Not the only measure, but an important one. More so now than in-person because parents and guardians are present in my classroom 24/7. The hear me. They see me. They know when I’m frustrated. They hear our laughter. They hear our silence.… Read more