Yesterday was a spectacular day. Slightly cooler than Sunday but clear and sunny. We went to the end of the world, the Point Reyes Lighthouse. To get to it you climb down a long staircase that you must eventually walk up. There were no whales when we were there, but apparently the weekend brought sightings…
Walk to the Beach
So yesterday we took a moderate trail to the beach. It is a well established trail and it is clear that people are making certain that it is passable (cutting downed trees for example). It is a beautiful trail, with switchbacks to make the descent to the beach something that is manageable for a couple…
Tides + Mountains
We are traveling for break, a different kind of brain break than the February recess as we are visiting family and determined to explore in a way that we did not explore the beach in Mexico. The weather is lovely in Northern California compared to Chicago in April. Flowers (rhododendron, hydrangea, tulips, poppies) are blooming…
Shopping List for Monday’s Classes
I could not be more excited for next week. It is the culmination of a design project from my classes this week. Yes, I’m an English Teacher, but language isn’t all about books, and a lot can be learned from taking a chance. My favorite conference in recent years has been Constructing Modern Knowledge in…
Two minutes in defense of reading
Last night was the annual curriculum night, and I went off book a bit. I didn’t use my three minutes to tell the parents what I teach; they have the curriculum guide for that. I used it to defend reading. So here goes: A recent study from Emory University titled “Short- and Long-Term Effects of…
Learning About Learning: Varnishing
So what does refinishing three old doors teach me about teaching and learning? This is one of those projects that we put off. For years. When we renovated our old house (built ca 1860) in 2000, we didn’t use crappy new doors or expensive, authentic new doors – we used all the lovely old raised…
Three Plantations
We started the day at Whitney Plantation. This is the only one of the tours that we have been on that tells the story of antebellum Louisiana from the point of view of the slaves. Narratives here have been constructed from the stories that were collected by Alan Lomax and the Federal Writers Project. Because…
I Saw in Louisiana a Live-Oak Growing
by Walt Whitman I saw in Louisiana a live-oak growing, All alone stood it, and the moss hung down from the branches; Without any companion it grew there, uttering joyous leaves of dark green, And its look, rude, unbending, lusty, made me think of myself; But I wonder’d how it could utter joyous leaves, standing…
The Mansions of Natchez
Natchez. Pronounced like Matches. Compared to a city like Jackson, MS, it is a tiny little speck on the Mississippi. But that speck is OLD (one of the oldest settlements in the lower Mississippi), and because it was not held under siege for 47 days like Vicksburg, it survived mostly intact from the war….
Windsor Ruins
Evocative. Haunting. Unstable. Unlucky. Quiet. Windsor survived the Civil War only to burn to the ground, victim of a casual cigarette smoker. We were the only people there mid-morning. It was peaceful, lovely, and a bit sad. It’s a must visit.
Vicksburg Battlefield
I have never considered myself a Civil War geek, although my house was built in the 1860s, but I have always been interested in US History. When I was in four I created a pageant for my class of Lincoln’s last fateful trip to the Theater, and when I student-taught I had an American Studies…
Traveling down the river
A good friend of mine who teaches at a private school in NYC invited me to join her on her summer ramblings. She teaches Huck Finn, and she wanted to get closer to the River and to Twain’s Life on the Mississippi. She was starting in Cairo, IL and driving down to New Orleans….
Living on the Lip of Insanity 