Category Archives: coaching

Shake it off, and get right back on the bike

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

One of the new buzz words in education is “resilience,” and even though this notion of helping students build inner strength to deal with the obstacles, failures, and disappointments of life seems like a good idea, I wonder why it … Continue reading →

Posted in biking, children, class, coaching, education, experience, growth, teaching | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Simplifying: harder than a simple equation

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

A few days ago, I raised the issue of simplification with my husband. It had been a particularly challenging week, with mid-day doctor appointments for my mother-in-law, therapy for Monkey Man, parent-teacher conferences at my school, and a few days … Continue reading →

Posted in coaching, dreams, education, expectations, experience | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

When inspiration fails

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Ironically, my good friend, fellow blogger, and novelist, Deb Hanrahan, bestowed upon me a Liebster Award. I hardly deserve such awards, especially since I have been so uninspired that I’ve written not a single word since early September. Perhaps this … Continue reading →

Posted in coaching, community, connection, experience, food, friends, friendship, lessons, unexpected gifts, writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

God, catholics and superheroes

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

On Sunday, my husband was honored with an award for the work he does at a coach at St. Ignatius by an organization called Sports Faith International.  One of his student-athletes nominated him for the Hometown Heroes Award.  As our … Continue reading →

Posted in abortion, adoption, coaching, education, expectations, experience, family, language, lessons | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

On the road again

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

This weekend, I drove for miles, most of it through central Illinois. Maybe because I was driving Gorilla Girl and Monkey Man who were snoozing on and off, and maybe because I was listening to favorite old songs on my … Continue reading →

Posted in coaching, friends, growth, identity, inspiration, motherhood, transformation, travel | 2 Comments

Making it work

Posted on October 31, 2010 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Gorilla Girl’s and Monkey Man’s nursery teacher uses the phrase “make it work” when she is cajoling stubborn three and four year-olds to make nice, join the group, or otherwise adhere to the rules of decent, community-oriented behavior. I’ve watched … Continue reading →

Posted in autumn, coaching, community, growth | 3 Comments