This week has been stressful once again. We’ve been in New York since last Thursday the 14th. My Dad was admitted to the hospital on the 13th after seeing his oncology doctor in her office. My sister was with him and drove him to the ER. By nine that night, he had a hospital bed…
As part of our writers’ circle, we produced a third-grade newspaper for four years, from 2014-to 2017. The papers were all published from late April to late May, towards the end of the school year. All third-grade classrooms got copies that were two-sided and contained four-page spreads. And the classroom teachers allowed them to read…
I thought about not posting today. But, when I considered this, I thought about how hard I’ve worked over the last one and a half years to network with fellow Poetry Friday participants. They have grown to be an important source of support and opportunity for me. Therefore, I knew I had to come up…
When I used to write poetry with students, I tried to decrease the intimidation they’d inevitably feel about writing poetry by helping them find relatable topics – topics they already knew something about – both as individuals and as part of our group. Color, as I’ve written before, was always both an easy and and…
White. White is a marshmallow, All soft and chewy. White is a cloud, All wispy and bright. White is the color of a blinding snowfall at night, when you trip over your snowman who gives you a fright. I see visions of ghosts at Halloween, and skeletons, too, with a brilliantly…
Exploring Haiku Poems when I taught Writer’s Circle was one of my favorite activities. Some of the Haiku I offer today (the first and last) are examples from those lessons, as I would write alongside my students. The others are those Haiku that were inspired today by my previous writing. Although Haiku is meant to…
Learning to Snowshoe The thermometer on my phone told me it was seven below zero (-7) as I awoke to drive 40 pairs of snowshoes to a remote terrain in an adjacent county last Saturday morning. This is part of my new job. We had about 40 hikers signed up to join us at a…
via Daily Prompt: Pink I have an affinity for the color pink. Pink petunias are a regular addition to my container gardens and plots at this time of year. Pale pink lipstick is my favorite shade to wear. Pink outfits for baby girls but not teens is a trend. Pink is a color with a…
This morning I got some great news! Thirteen students who attend enrichment opportunities I offer at one of local elementary schools will have their Haiku poetry published in the Young American Poetry Digest for this year! Wow! Thirteen students! I have helped students to submit their poetry to this compilation for the last six years,…