schools
Getting Ready to Plant in a School Garden
For the last two weeks, I’ve been making regular trips to the school gardens I now manage. They are vast and I am not yet done cleaning up the plants, now dead, left to serve as winter interest and perhaps some sources of food for the birds. I am about two thirds of the way…
An Important Quote for Leaders
Today’s blog post will be brief. Primarily this is due to digging around in my stacks of papers, handouts, and folders for visual aids I need to help me make a presentation tomorrow morning. The presentation will be to an entire staff of elementary school teachers, none of whom know me very well. A few…
Silent Sunday: Milkweed
Procrastination Fueled by Inefficiency, Disorganization, and Devaluing
Procrastination is not usually something that affects me personally. Character traits such as being highly organized, efficient, motivated, and goal orientated are more likely terms you might hear to describe me and my work ethic. However, here I am procrastinating! I should be working on my graduate course work this morning. Still left to do…
The Fate of PTO: Are all Parent Teacher Organizations the Same?
Last night I went to a TEAM meeting at the school where I serve as Garden Club Advisor. TEAM is their version of the PTO association. I do not know and could not find what that acronym stands for. I went to the meeting to introduce myself to the parents and briefly explain what we…
Use Your Voting Rights Tomorrow
Tomorrow is the school board election in our town. There are two incumbents and one challenger for two seats. Are you going to vote? How well do you feel you know the candidates? Do you feel like you know what issues for which they each stand? Do you value the importance of a new voice…
The Intangibles of an After-School Garden Club
For thirteen years I ran an after school garden club at our local elementary school. From 2004-2017, I met with students once or twice a month to delve into the world of plants, garden based organisms, and our local environment. Through my recent graduate work, I am starting to put this whole experience into a…
Giving Back to National History Day
Have you ever heard of National History Day (NHD)? Let me tell you about my past experience with it as I reference my three sons. Then, I will elaborate on the experience I had with it today at our regional competition. One Website – that progressed from school to regionals and on to the…
Inefficiency in High School Scheduling
The high school schedule during the last two weeks has been extremely frustrating. While the cancellation and rescheduling of things like our Spring athletic code meeting, an early release and a late start all due to weather are understandable, the seemingly continual changes made to class schedules are not. A state bound wrestling team, term…