Location: Crestwood Village, Crestwood Village

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Happy School Year to All - Great Adventures In Store!

Tis the last of the summer, a bright sunny day With the kick off of school just a few hours away You would think, having done this 30-some times before That there’d be no excitement, that it could be a bore The paper is hung and the tables are clean, I’ve picked out lots of texts we’ll ask “What does this mean?” Writing tasks have been crafted to find out what you think And each 45 minutes will go by in a blink We’ll do research and blogging, journal all through the year, But the big question, always, is Why are we here? There’s the AP exam that we tackle in May There’s the SAT, ACT, PARCC with no play Maybe grades, or the challenge, or because your mom said, But none of these get to the why in my head I do not teach English for my love of the books Or the way when we write that our handwriting looks I am here because words and the baggage they bring Tell us how to be human - do the humanest things Like to love and be brave and show up in your life, ...
Read more

My summer note-writing project

As the days of June roll into July, and I have had a minute to breathe after the close of school, I sit down and write a short note to each of my graduated seniors. It’s something I started a bunch of years ago, then stopped for some reason I don’t remember (most likely laziness) But I resurrected the practice about 8 or 10 years ago. I try to finish my note-writing project by the middle of July - time to have a bit of perspective on the school year, but before they leave for college. I congratulate them on their graduation, and I thank them for all of the hard work they put into AP English, and all the contributions they made to our learning community throughout our time together. I include something memorable that they leave as a legacy to the spirit of our classroom. And I remind them that they have a fine set of tools to help them make their way in the world. Basically, I want them to know that their voice has been valued, and their presence has mattered. I hope that they have...
Read more

Even now, beginner's mind

One of the books I am reading this summer is Zen Teacher: Creating Focus, Simplicity, and Tranquility in the Classroom by Dan Tricarico. I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of Zen. I think because inside I always felt so crazed and chaotic, that the idea of just breathing and being seemed impossible to me.   It doesn’t feel impossible any more. I have had some impactful teachers along the way to help me make contact with that peaceful presence that we all have somewhere. Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones introduced me to the notion of writing as a zen practice. Henry Thoreau always reminds me to “live deliberately.” And countless classrooms of students have taught me how to be present in the moment. (I don’t think teaching and learning can work any other way.) Along with the idea of being present in the moment, another zen idea I love is Beginner’s Mind or Shoshin. I have been teaching for 30 years. I have probably taught 11th grade for at least 20 of...
Read more