Heat Weirdlastname Just want to go on record … I have been known to say—and will continue to say—that sweets aren’t really food and to pitch leftovers. I’m not saying they’re not delicious or that they have no significance outside of health concerns. There are lots of sweet treats that are fantastic! And many have significant emotional … Read more
If you save the sweets for the kids because “you don’t need it,” or indulge them on a regular basis in dessert-type foods, your perspective on sweets might be still tied to calories or weight and not linked to health. (Or maybe you just don’t care, which is also possible. Or you care but just … Read more
I saw a meme, a chart for interpreting what women mean: when they say this, they mean this. I hate it. There seems to be a cultural acceptance that women don’t say what they mean. Men know it’s true. Women joke about its truth. Have I mentioned that I hate it? First of all, people … Read more
I noticed an interesting juxtaposition of defense mechanisms. A few people I know don’t laugh or joke with people they don’t know, or people they don’t feel comfortable with. Laughing is vulnerable, and they’re not comfortable with that level of intimacy without a corresponding level of trust. Quite a few of my students laugh and … Read more
My five most popular posts in February: A small tribute to Michelle Giant disappointment at the climbing gym Are they busy or “busy”? Perspective How do you teach… And five others that didn’t quite make that cut but are worthy: Gratitude and musings: impactful teachers Budgets and teaching and capitalism “Michael would be proud.” When … Read more
I’m a big fan of reducing plastic consumption. It started when I was in chemo and a friend gifted me a Klean Kanteen. In the years since then, I’ve built up a healthy stainless steel water bottle collection, replaced all of my food storage containers with glass or stainless steel, eliminated disposables from the kitchen. … Read more
“If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.” — Fred Rogers I love this. It reminds me that not … Read more
I was 31 when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It was around then that support groups for young adults with cancer and survivors of cancer were starting to pop up. I learned about one called I’m Too Young for This (some years later renamed Stupid Cancer). No idea how I learned about it, but … Read more
I have heard people say that they can’t retire, or their spouse can’t retire, because they’d be bored. They’d have nothing to do. I can’t imagine. There are so many things I want to do and learn and try that I suspect that if I retired immediately and lived 50 more years, I would have … Read more
I saw a meme that depicted a student climbing a ladder where the rungs were the arms of teachers and coaches. I saw a video of a recently-retired band teacher honored with a surprise concert and a massive instrument donation to his school. I reread a note from a former student who I had taught … Read more