Tag Archives: teaching
Why Kids Don’t Like My Class
July means that every once in awhile I get moment of teacher panic attack. It’s not like August or a Sunday night school year panic, just a subtle, “the clock is ticking,” moment, a nudge in the direction of panic. … Continue reading
Fred
My dad said that when he ran track that everyone called him Freddie. I don’t know when it happened, but I am pretty sure it was sometime around 2007, when students started calling me Fred. I don’t really like it, … Continue reading
Six it Is
Six is the year little boys seem to turn into kids. Look at that little misplaced tooth… how can one grin contain so much innocence and sneakiness at once? Happy Birthday, Mighty Mighty Quinn. 48 lbs. later (for both of … Continue reading
Quinn’s Song
Lately, when I tuck Quinn in bed, I sing to him. Sean’s been working all night and the older kids tend to be plugged in or never around (or, sigh, living in Seattle), so there are no critics to be … Continue reading
Blink While You Breathe
I have just settled into my seat at Starbucks with the plan of a 2.5 hour grading session while Lizzie is at practice. This image of the kids popped up on my screen. I scrolled to a similar one of them … Continue reading
The Neglected Slice
“I love you. You’re my breathing castle. Gentle, so gentle, We’ll live forever.” -Richard Brautigan I teach students how to write artist statements. I teach (TRY to teach) them how important voice is in writing, especially when writing to colleges who … Continue reading
Crying at Walgreens
“Woah, money won’t do the trick, but it will help. Still, we won’t need it to turn things around.” -The Avett Brothers When I was twenty-four and pregnant with Luke, I supplemented my crap teaching salary by working after school in a … Continue reading
Good to You
“We were together. I forget the rest.” -Walt Whitman We have been in school for two months now and it feels like a year already. Two months without drawing or writing or baking. Two months of chasing in a city that … Continue reading
Eddie, Me, and the One Time I Never Spoke Up
I was seven when my parents transferred me to a private, mixed age level school. Before that, I went to a neighborhood school. The first time I remember actually feeling empathy mixed with fear was in kindergarten, when our fat, … Continue reading
Life Lessons in Denim
Today a girl at school entered my office at 8:00. I don’t know her well, only from a study hall. Once I teased her about how many letter A’s there are in her name. She was wearing gym pants and … Continue reading
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