Tag 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

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

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

Why I teach

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

This email  came to me this evening.  Sometimes, teaching 7th grade is hard. Recently, with hormones flaring, it has been a challenge. But, all in all, I have the best job in the world.  Evidence follows. “What do you think … Continue reading →

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“A Teacher’s Lament” by Kalli Dakos

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

Don’t tell me the cat ate your math sheet, And your spelling words went down the drain, And you couldn’t decipher your homework, Because it was soaked in the rain. Don’t tell me you slaved for hours On the project … Continue reading →

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The bicycle thief

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

When I was in college, I dated a boy who was an artist. I still have two of his sketches hanging on my walls (EE calls it the wall of honor, or something).  When we hung new art by a … Continue reading →

Posted in biking, class, education, experience, painting | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments