Heat Weirdlastname This is something that makes me crazy. We have been told that if someone repeatedly declines invitations, is always “busy,” and so on, that we should take the hint, read the subtext, know that they’re just not interested, and move on. We have also been told that people are busy, have a lot going on, … Read more
I usually wear Vibram Five Fingers. When The Kid was three, we were in a store, picking up some things to start a garden. Looking at the gardening gloves, he exclaimed, “Mama! I know what those look like! They look like TOE SHOES!!” It’s all a matter of perspective, and what you’re familiar with first. … Read more
I have had so many conversations with colleagues near and far recently, and there have been two themes with regards to deficiencies in many of our students (though I wish I could say the problem was limited to just students…). One is attention to detail. How do you teach attention to detail? A student in … Read more
On this day in 1912, Arizona became a state. Here are some fun facts about the Grand Canyon State: It is the 48th state, followed only by Hawaii and Alaska. It is also called the Copper State, leading the nation in copper production. The southernmost border was drawn that way to intentionally prevent a seaport. … Read more
I accepted a challenge on Halloween to blog daily. Beginning November 1, I’ve shared my writing here every day. Sometimes it’s easy; sometimes less so. I was never worried about having enough to say; I have plenty of thoughts to share and writing is so much easier for me than talking. I expected my biggest … Read more
Asking questions from a place of curiosity (as opposed to from a place of judgement) isn’t invasive. How can we ever get to know people and grow relationships if we can’t ask questions? If you’re a safe person to me, I am reasonably sure there aren’t any questions you can’t ask. (If you’re not, that’s … Read more
I have a handful of comic strips bookmarked and read them every day. One of them is Frazz. I started following him on Facebook, and it turns out he writes a paragraph or two every day with a post of his strip. I dig it. The following is from February 7. (If you use Facebook, … Read more
We had another track meet yesterday. A lot of places were traded in the last 10 feet. (Not always 1st/2nd.) Most kids ran hard all the way through. But a fair number of kids pulled up before the finish line. Missed out on a last-minute take or were taken just before the line. As anyone … Read more
The following popped up in my Facebook memories: The crap this morning reminded me that while I am privileged enough to choose not to be here next year…or even just not to be in this neighborhood in the evenings and on the weekends…my kids here don’t have that choice. I didn’t earn this life. It … Read more
You run. It doesn’t matter if you run fast or not. (It doesn’t matter how you define “fast.”) It doesn’t matter if you run short distances, long distances, or crazy long distances. It doesn’t matter what your body shape is. We sometimes have trouble giving ourselves a label when we feel like we’re “less than” … Read more