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Elisa Waingort

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A Teacher Musing Out Loud

  • Conversations – They Really Do Help!

    Sometimes it only takes a conversation to address a problem and find a solution. In fact, most problems can be resolved through conversation. (If only world leaders thought so, too! Perhaps many wars and battles could have been avoided…) Kids rise to the occasion and respond in mature ways when they are trusted to do… Read more

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  • Yoga and Living the Life of a BADASS

    I finally went to a yoga class this afternoon. Although I’m not a big yoga person, I have enjoyed going to yoga in the past. However, it has been a long time since I’ve gone; I am intimidated by the usually more experienced participants that populate yoga classes. So, instead of plowing through and not… Read more

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  • My OLW: Badass

    This is not the first time I’ve chosen one little word to guide my year, but this year is different. Most years I struggle to come up with a word that feels right. In fact, most of the words I have chosen in the past were lies. I never felt them or embraced them fully.… Read more

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  • The Holidays

    It’s that time of the year. Exciting and, at times, bittersweet. My house is full. My two daughters and my son are home. My son is 14 and growing fast. My oldest is here with her daughter and husband. (Yes, I’ve been a grandma for seven months! I am abueli, short for abuela in Spanish.)… Read more

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  • Carvel

    Carvel. The ice cream store. A memory. Out of nowhere. A short walk from my house. On Kings Highway. In Brooklyn. We walk there after dinner. For the best soft ice cream in the world. My parents. Younger. Me. Younger. My mother rarely buys her own cone. Eats at least 1/2 of my father’s ice… Read more

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  • December

    December is a stressful month in schools. It’s report card season. All told, from beginning to end, teachers probably spend four weeks working on report cards. Is it worth it? In December there’s an unusual charge in the air and although it’s the same every year, it still catches us by surprise. The children sense… Read more

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  • Naive, gullible – That’s Me

    I have always been very naive. Gullible. Too trusting. Stupid, even. And, I don’t say this lightly, so let it sit for a while. Stupid, even. I can’t imagine why anyone would deliberately undermine me. Especially not someone I interact with every day. Someone I consider a trusted friend or colleague. When something happens to… Read more

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  • A Revelation

    I had a revelation this afternoon You know. One of those aha! moments that is only possible when I write. When I take the time to reflect and write on what’s happening around me, it will come. That revelation. That aha! moment. That sense of: “Duh! But of course! Why didn’t I see that before?”… Read more

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  • I am a teacher

    I am a teacher. I touch minds and hearts. I work hard, long hours, especially during the summer. I am a teacher. I love what I do even when no one notices. As I inch towards the end of my teaching career (I can’t imagine not teaching so I can’t think about retirement, yet), I… Read more

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  • Type and Erase

    I type and erase. Type and erase. Type and erase. Nothing sounds right. Nothing makes sense. I have nothing to say. And, I write anyway. I face the blank page. Like my students. And, write something. Anything. The words on the page say, I’m here. I exist. Crossposted to Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life… Read more

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