Refelections – Page 5 – Living on the Lip of Insanity

Didn’t I?

I’ve been in the house by myself more often in the last two weeks, and this allows me to approach the CD player without fear of being Melodyned to death and to listen to music that I want to listen to without offending my spouse’s sensitive ears and sensibilities. It most importantly allows me to…

Summer’s here

Officially. I love solar milestones on the wheel of the year. My daughters were born on them. One on Yule, 16 years ago. Twins on Imbolc, thirteen years ago. So we come to midsummer – Bergman’s film and Sonheim’s adaptation remind us that there are three “Smiles of a Summer Night” The first smile smiles…

Never-Dull

“Oh my god, what is that smell?” That was what my daughter said when she came into the kitchen. I had just put away the Never-Dull. My favorite Japanese garden shears had rust spots, so I had spent a bit of time rubbing the spots out. And the smell of the Never-Dull brought back memories….

By Our Own Hands

The school that I teach at used to have each of the new teachers tell something about themselves to the school early in that first year. I wrote about it here. But I recently, in a computer archeology moment, found the story that I told that day, so I thought I would share it here:…

A Day of Introspection

It’s raining. I like the rain as it melts the icy, brown snow piles. But it does make things more – dangerous? Slippery? – (and then there is the imminent danger of melting dog poo). I am reading student stories. I wonder of I forgot to teach some things. I am reflecting on philosophical differences…

Break

February Recess is upon us. February Recess, where we save up all those days that the public schools take off (Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Casimir Pulaski Day) and take a week off of school. Ostensibly, it breaks the flu contagion cycle. I’d like to think that it also breaks up the negativity contagion cycle that…

Let Us Do The Dance of Joy!

Friday was the last day of the longest week of the year. The first week back after the December recess is always tough. No one is on their regular sleep schedule, teachers are beginning to freak out because the semester is ending, it is dark in the morning for the drive to work, and it…

I’m Dating a Scientist

The following is the description of an exhibit of publications that a colleague, George Drury, and I have been involved with, shepherded, cheered for, jollied along, facilitated, or created ourselves. The description is for an in-house e-publication. George and I had that odd out of body experience of writing in the third person about ourselves. …

Suddenly Sadness

I found out that a former student of mine was buried today. He was a deeply troubled boy, one who since leaving us here had so much tragedy in his life. He may [or may not] have been responsible for the fire a few years ago that burned his family home, killing both his parents….

If wishes were horses…

I know that I have unrealistic expectations for professional development, and maybe that is because I feel like I spend a lot of time with colleagues (both face to face and virtually) who are always thinking and challenging their own expectations and skill set. The people that I look to for PD daily are the…