If I Am The Face of My Classroom, Then You Are The Backbone
As Mental Health Awareness month comes to an end and there has been so much talk about what is being done and what isn’t being done and why shouldn’t more
Read MoreYear: 2019
Grandma Smell, Brain Fog, No Metabolism, The Sag, and Fat Armpits…
Last week a student told me she liked the way I smelled. I said thanks and that’s so nice. She said you smell like my grandma. Seriously? I’m preparing to
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The Voice of THOSE KIDS: Please don’t focus on my story. Focus on Me.
I’ve been through a lot. That’s not an excuse. It’s a fact. I don’t want to share what happened to me and I actually really don’t like when people think
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Baja Lessons…Pause Versión en inglés y español incluida
Something about Baja speaks to me. I think it’s a little bit of everything – the people, the land, the ocean, the sunshine, the adventures, the food, and yes, the
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And Now It’s Day 34…
Day 1 was about survival. It sounds a little dramatic, but it really was all about life or death for me. I just wanted to wake up from surgery. I
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THOSE KIDS: The One Who Changed Everything
That one interaction changed the way I teach. It changed everything. The student wasn’t a good student and most of the time was difficult to even like. He was one of THOSE
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At Least It’s Not an A** Out on The Side of a Sand Dune Kind of Day…
Some days literally kick my butt. Recently it was 8:47am and I sat down at my desk thinking this is going to be the longest day ever…mind you…we don’t get
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The Voice of THOSE KIDS: I’d Rather Be Not Liked for Being Mean Than Not Liked for Being Me
The minute I hit school, it was pretty much game over for me. I was one of THOSE KIDS. It didn’t matter what I did or didn’t do – you
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What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?
Fear. I don’t like to think about it much. I like being the person who is strong and capable and taking on life every day. I think of myself as
Read MoreThe VOICES of THOSE KIDS
During preservice a few years ago, I ran into a group of new teachers at lunch. We had a brief conversation about where we worked. When they heard where I taught, a PRTF (Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility), one of the teachers said, “Good for you. I couldn’t work with THOSE kids.” I said, “You do realize when THOSE kids leave […]
Learning is Not Closed
Changing aren’t coming. They’re here. Everything is changing. Again. Hard decisions were made in most of our communities. Precautions and restrictions and shut downs. Quarantines and capacities and illnesses. I know emotions are high and opinions are all over the place. Not everyone agrees or understands. Some will make the transition relatively easily and some it’s going to hit hard. […]