On Educating

Real or Real-ish

December 10, 2011
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Real or Real-ish

In which I tried to explain to the kids that our little “artificial” tree is actually “real.” Existentialism 101 Me: We are putting up our tree this afternoon. Kid 1: Is it a real tree? Me: Well,...

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What Can You Do in 10 Minutes?

May 31, 2011
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What can you get done in 10 Minutes? Right now, my kids are brushing teeth and puttering about in the last few minutes before school, I am stealing away (aside really… they are...

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All Hail the Right Brain!

April 26, 2011
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All Hail the Right Brain!

Or, On the Research of Choosing You. Neuroscientists have been doing a lot of good work for those of us who consider ourselves creative, artistic and “right-brained.” Personally, I think we are all this way!...

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How To Write Around It

April 7, 2011
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How To Write Around It

Yesterday in class, my student Mike had clearly lost faith. I didn’t know why. But I could see that he was lost. I had asked the entire class to write for a page in response...

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In Praise of My Homeschool Homies

March 22, 2011
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In Praise of My Homeschool Homies

I used to be one of those annoying, know-it-alls about education. “School is the only place for a child to learn what it is REALLY like out there in the world.” I’d sneer. Well,...

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Charisma Will Get You… Somewhere

March 18, 2011
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Charisma Will Get You… Somewhere

“Lenny” walked into my classroom today with NOTHING in his hands. “Bye Lenny. Go get yours books, paper, a pen.” On a scale from 1 to 10, I adore Lenny, at like a 9.2. He...

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Sexy Ballerinas & Sweaty Marky Mark

February 8, 2011
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Sexy Ballerinas & Sweaty Marky Mark

Or, Why I Won’t Tell You that this is “A Post About BLEEPinism,” Because If I Did You Wouldn’t Read It “Why don’t more “enlightened” men talk about their role in gender and family...

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To Be of Use: Beyond Making Do

December 13, 2010
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To Be of Use: Beyond Making Do

Here’s a tandem response today: integrating #Reverb10′s Day 13 prompt on “Action,” asking  “What’s your next step?” with my dovetailed thoughts to Tara’s question posed to us: “Why do you make?” (I am...

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Embracing our Inner Madonna

October 20, 2010
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Embracing our Inner Madonna

It’s another We Scout Wednesday! Thanks Tara! Everyday my life is being reformed by the choice to be  “teacher of children,” big and small, at work and at home. So I was glad Tara asked: What...

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Enter the Storm

October 12, 2010
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Enter the Storm

I like to see people who write –all people who sit down and write, not just those who call themselves “writers” — to try to write beautifully and meaningfully. One of the writing concepts that I teach...

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“It’s All Up in the Air”

April 26, 2010
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“It’s All Up in the Air”

Valerie Weaver-Zercher’s musings on “The Philo-Lilac” (available only in hardcopy… not yet available online) in Orion Magazine this month poses the question I am pondering myself– what’s that emptiness and loss of rejection in...

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Steeling Myself

December 8, 2008
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The good news is that I have completed a semester’s worth of teaching. The bad news is that I must somehow complete a semester’s worth of grading, if I can, in four and half days. That includes those...

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January 2012

Wonderful.

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