One thing I have realized as I have aged is that I have a creative soul. My past should have included more art history and art classes in high school and even at the college I attended as a young nursing student, which boasts one of the best fine art schools in the country! Shortly…
Does anyone besides me get out of bed to write something down? This has been a fairly common occurrence for me over the last five years or so. It seems to happen when I am trying to work through a problem, have a parenting issue, decide how to address something, or occasionally, like last night,…
Yesterday was World Poetry Day and it also so happened to be my weekly meeting with the third graders in my writer’s circle group. I was a little on edge because the week before, one of my students had started sobbing twenty minutes into our meeting, while writing Haiku poetry. But, as I arrived at…
The cycle of airport rudeness; another way of saying what comes around goes around! Recently, two of my family members had to take multiple flights across the country to visit a sick relative and investigate a prospective university for attending graduate school. Due to the locations of the destinations, multiple flights were involved. Some of…
It is not a popular topic in education today, arguably it probably was not ever given attention by the demands of the masses. But, gifted and talented education (GATE) or talented and gifted programs (TAG) address the learning needs of the students at the other end of the spectrum. The educational spectrum. At one end…
Growing up, I was never a fan of birds. On a trip to the zoo when I was much younger than ten, I witnessed a girl with red hair be attacked by a bird in the aviary at the local Zoo. Needless to say, it left an impression on me. Then, there was the…
Last summer I bought a Meyer Lemon tree at Wal-Mart for $14.00. As a Master Gardener, I’ve always wanted to try to grow lemons, so I saw the tree as my chance to do so. Our summers are hot and sometimes humid in the mid-west, but our winter’s can be harsh. I thought I could…
I’ve been thinking a lot about connecting with students lately. Part of the reason for doing so is that I am taking a graduate course on the Models of Teaching and Learning. The text for this course is set up in “families” of models and has been informative. Believe it or not, many of the…
I love to sleep. However, I do not consider myself a “napper”. Naps are great but they typically interfere with my nighttime sleep and I guard that very carefully. Admittedly, I am prone to insomnia. I have times when I just cannot seem to get my brain to shut off. So, after much reading on…
Luckily, I have raised three readers. My entire immediate family loves to read. This started early with my boys, reading to each of them at bedtime. Now, they have been known to devour books when the spirit moves them. And, it moves them quite often. Even with busy schedules, heavy course loads, sports, and/or music…