Category Archives: inspiration

Exploration — Lewisandclark style

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Wintery and chilly, with blustery winds, cloud cover, and even sprinkles of rain, today was the perfect day for my class to take its annual “Lewis and Clark” expedition to Washington Park.  In the couple of days leading up to … Continue reading →

Posted in education, experience, inspiration, lessons, photography, teaching | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bonnie — a woman who paved her own road

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

My mom’s friend Bonnie  died several years ago. She was only 59,  considerably older than my mom when she died, but still too young. I accidentally discovered that she had died when I posted about Glen Campbell‘s performance at the … Continue reading →

Posted in connection, experience, family, feminism, friendship, inspiration | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Words and pictures

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

Gorilla Girl continues to produce art.  She combines words and pictures, uses a variety of materials, and tells stories with her pictures.  This recent creation seemed complete, so I thought I should move it to a display surface.  Gorilla Girl … Continue reading →

Posted in art, family, inspiration | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Why 7th graders are awesome

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

On the way to my classroom yesterday, my eager, energetic, and curious 7th grade student came rushing up to me, exclaiming, “Ms. D, I need to borrow a book from your class!  I was annotating my book so hard (her … Continue reading →

Posted in education, inspiration, lessons, teaching, unexpected gifts, writing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

“In Memoriam: Martin Luther King, Jr.” by June Jordan

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

In Memoriam: Martin Luther King, Jr. By June Jordan I honey people murder mercy U.S.A. the milkland turn to monsters teach to kill to violate pull down destroy the weakly freedom growing fruit from being born America tomorrow yesterday rip … Continue reading →

Posted in inspiration, June Jordan, poems | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Union Maid

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Today was the first day back at work/school after the winter break, and really, it was a good day with my students, despite their sleepy and jet-lagged energy levels.  They jumped in and were eager to get the ball rolling … Continue reading →

Posted in class, community, education, inspiration, language, union | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Christmas at dusk

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention
Posted in holidays, inspiration, photography, winter | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Every atom

Posted on September 3, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

I am not a believer.  I don’t believe in god, and fate has never really held much allure for me, despite the fact that a former lover tried to convince me that fate had brought us together (note well:  former).  … Continue reading →

Posted in connection, experience, family, inspiration, reincarnation, unexpected gifts | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

The end of endless summer

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

This post might have been titled Bike Riding in Michigan: Why did that chicken  (NOT) cross the road? I’ve been thinking about writing this post for weeks, and every time I go for a ride in Michigan, I remember something … Continue reading →

Posted in biking, connection, experience, ice cream, inspiration, life forms, summer, tranquility | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

DIY wars: who is behind shutting down artisan ice cream makers?

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

The Chicago Tribune recently did a story on local ice cream makers being shutdown by the Illinois Department of Public health for not having a dairy license. The article noted that the artisan ice cream makers in Chicago had followed … Continue reading →

Posted in consumerism, food, inspiration | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments