Why I’m Making a Rite of Passage Ceremony Today
Today, we celebrate my daughter by a rite of passage ceremony that we’ve been thinking about for a long time. We are getting her ears pierced. As I think about rites of passage, I realize that precious few exist in our culture to celebrate girlhood–not adolescence or graduation or marriage–but just being a young girl. […]
You Weren’t Alone Today
Do you remember when I cried while mopping my kitchen floor because I was thankful for the filth? Well, today I bring out my mop to clean the floor once again, but this time, I think of a different narrative. I imagine who else in the world is mopping a kitchen floor at this exact […]
Would We Have Done This?
Down the big hill and towards the school, some new neighbors moved in last Spring. I met them once, and since then, our paths have not crossed. Nobody on my street really knows them. Our community holds Trick-or-Treating on Thursday night, and as we approach this new family’s house last night, we are already freezing […]
Your Most Memorable Act
Last year, my daughter’s teacher asked me to provide some healthy Halloween treats for the 2nd grade party. Everyone knows how terrible I am at anything involving baking, crafts, or decorating. I try, but when it comes right down to it, I’m just not good at these things. Halloween Boo Platter I am good at […]
Be Impressively Vulnerable
Yesterday, I admit to my dear friend that I’m not good at being vulnerable. I’m better at listening and giving advice and pretending I have it all together. I’m better at being cheery and funny than admitting when I’m not feeling well. Maybe, deep down, I think that folks won’t love me as much if […]
This Doesn’t Happen Every Day
As we walk to school, we find a cell phone and keys tucked away into the hollow of a tree. These treasures arrive some days and leave by afternoon. It’s so. . . intriguing. I imagine the tree in To Kill a Mockingbird and the gifts the children discover as they walk to school. […]
3 Rules of Civility
As I teach about “civility”–showing politeness and regard for others–I realize how foreign of a concept kindness has become. I ask the class why it’s so hard to be civil. We practice writing arguments that persuade others, and adopting a civil tone makes all the difference when trying to persuade. “It’s more interesting to be […]
A Glorious Death
Autumn Leaves I’m looking up into the autumn leaves, and I realize I’m watching a glorious death. These colors–this vibrant display of glory–come at the point of death (technically the disintegration of chlorophyll). This beautiful moment represents the end of life for these leaves. I don’t name it as tragic. I revel in this autumn […]
Annoyed or Delighted?
Whenever it’s time to make up a bed with fresh, clean sheets, it’s as if the cats know. They run to the bedroom. Soon, I wrestle two kitties out from underneath the sheets. They return to burrow and tumble, peek out and retreat. I coax them out, urge them to the side of the bed, […]
Your 30 Minutes of Free Time
I ask my students what they would do if I gave them 30 minutes of free time. What if I let class out early? How would they spend their time if I gave them recess? With unexpected minutes given them, they’d drink more coffee. They’d study more for the exam at 10:00 AM. They’d prepare […]