Category Archives: education

Trying on jerky pants — or what it’s like to be a 7th grade teacher in February

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

On my way to class the other day, I passed a few colleagues on hallway duty in the break between lunch and the start of classes.  One colleague was waving her arms like a traffic cop, desperately attempting to quell … Continue reading →

Posted in education, growth, lessons | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Lift every voice

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Earlier today, I visited Monkey Man and Gorilla Girl, and all of the kindergarten classes as they participated in the “King Sing,” led by their amazing music teacher. A former principal was visiting the class today to read from Martin’s … Continue reading →

Posted in children, education, holidays, rituals, singing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The perks of being sensitive

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

I recently read The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky for a professional development group on young adult literature.  The main character, Charlie, despite his social awkwardness is a compassionate and surprisingly intuitive soul.  He seems to know … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, children, education | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Taking responsibility

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

The end of the school year is hard in many ways, one of which seems to be ending well, saying goodbye, and making a transition to a new phase of schooling and growing up.  At my school, on one of … Continue reading →

Posted in community, education, lessons, race | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

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

Life in the middle

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

You might be tempted to think that this post will be about surviving one’s middle age, but at the moment, life in the middle is all about the woes of middle school.  This year, I have grown to be quite … Continue reading →

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Hey, Veruca, find any lost notecards down there?

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

My students are busily engaged in writing research papers.  For 7th graders, this is a new process, one that requires a significant amount of time, effort and energy.  This year, I have been impressed by their dedication to searching for … Continue reading →

Posted in education, family, mistakes, motherhood, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Death by CPT code

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

CPT codes — “current procedural terminology” — have become the bane of my existence.  My title is a bit hyperbolic, true, but the codes at the very least are trying my patience.  My family is lucky that we have health … Continue reading →

Posted in education, family | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Diversity day and inclusion: getting personal

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

My school hosted a “Diversity Day” a few weeks ago — with the intent of giving our students some workshop-like experiences that would allow them to explore more deeply our school’s motto: SAILL.  SAILL stands for support, affirm, include, listen … Continue reading →

Posted in community, education, experience, family, identity, motherhood | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

[in Just-] by E. E. Cummings

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

in Just- spring          when the world is mud- luscious the little lame balloonman whistles          far          and wee and eddieandbill come running from marbles and piracies and it’s spring when the world is puddle-wonderful the queer old balloonman whistles far          and             … Continue reading →

Posted in education, experience, poems | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments