In the teaching profession, if you’re lucky you get to be part of some absolutely wonderful professional development. Some of the best I can remember was around cultural diversity. The content was not delivered in a new and exciting way, nor was it particularly revolutionary in its content. Still, I learned so very much from… Continue reading What my daughter taught me about race
Please be aware that this post contains spoilers which may affect the holiday celebrations of your family. I have spent a week now focusing on joy and it has been fabulous. There have been some changes in who I am and the way I look at things. It’s been exciting. But it is not to… Continue reading Magic and fairies
After my last post I’ve been actively perusing joy in the world. I’m making a real effort to see joy in others and find what is causing the happiness that can be found. An extraordinary role model in this “joy search” has been Daughter. She is a bundle of excitement and happiness, so I’m trying… Continue reading Finding joy
It was Monday afternoon and I was happily enjoying a glass of water and secretly watching Daughter play in the yard with three good friends. All of these friends are boys, and I was feeling all smug about how awesome Daughter is, “holding her own” with these boys who play at Minecraft and spies and… Continue reading They don’t have to be anything
Today I will be taking a computerized test to be given real authority to have a teaching license in my new state. I have opted to take the three sections of the rest all at once so it will be five hours with breaks between. I am terrified. I’ve been reviewing information and study guides… Continue reading Testing
When I was growing up, “geek” and “nerd” were insults hurled with four-letter-word status. They were two of the worst things you could be and the stereotypes that came along with those words were none too flattering. They implied thick glasses with tape around the bridge, pocket protectors, bow ties, high waisted pants, the terrible… Continue reading A culture of geeks
A few friends asked me to write about Mother’s Day for the blog today. I wasn’t going to. In fact, I have another post ready and loaded because I was hesitant to write about this day for a few reasons. The first and most obvious is that I fear I am losing my mother… Continue reading Mother’s Day
When Daughter was born we got a whole lot of advice. We listened to some, and we ignored some, and we found our balance and it was wonderful. There was also a whole lot of story telling from people peppered in with that advice. I get that now because I love to share stories and… Continue reading I didn’t drop the baby
Lately I have found myself sadly focusing on the apparent inevitability of Daughter growing up, and it’s really been getting me down. Husband and I both have had some rude awakenings where she is concerned lately, and we’ve not been entirely good at handling them. From her changes in appearance and attitude to the questions… Continue reading They grow up
Have you ever noticed how songs seem perfectly innocuous until your child is singing the lyrics? They’re suddenly horribly suggestive and filthy and disgusting. When did the transformation take place? When did everything change? The same type of logic applies to movies that you’ve seen a dozen times, sometimes even as a kid. Out of… Continue reading Parent Eyes
Elephants in the Room 