Authoring with Authority
I wonder why I tell my students they’re writers instead of authors. Author is a much more powerful word. I think of authority. I think of taking control of something, in this case language, and making it behave. Both author and authority derive from the same word–meaning to originate, promote, and increase. I love the […]
An Extraordinary Day
Today, I venture in search of nests in the yard for my daughters and me to start monitoring. Instead, I see a lone sparrow egg where no sparrow egg should be. We all gather in the yard, leaving our ordinary Saturday chores aside. We search high and low (even borrowing a huge ladder from our […]
A Precise Life Purpose
I read a clear and precise statement in Exodus that reminds me of a life’s purpose. God says to Moses in Exodus 9:16, “I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” I mention to my husband […]
The Best Nest Indeed
One of my favorite childhood books is The Best Nest, by P.D. Eastman. I happen to love bird nests; I spent hours as a child looking for them in springtime. Something about nests just absolutely enthralls me. If you remember last year, we observed both the Northern Cardinals and the Robins lay beautiful eggs in […]
Your Best Work
Today I evaluate whether or not students attempted “their best work.” It’s part of their participation grade. Did they do their best? Did they work with excellence? How does one evaluate this, anyway? As I think carefully about each student, I realize that my rubric differs from some teachers. It’s not just that students arrived […]
The Licking Kind
I love reading what I was doing on this same day several years ago. It’s a benefit of daily blogging (for those of you still wondering why anyone would blog!). On this same day in 2010, I learned something great that I had forgotten. Here it is, and you can read it below, too. Sometimes […]
A Lesson from a Young Fern
My friend calls me over to where we are gardening, and she points out something extraordinary. Through last season’s ground leaves, new ferns grow. I take a picture of this particular growth strategy. It’s amazing; this unfurling of the fern leaf–the scroll that slowly, slowly, unrolls–happens in order to protect the fronds. The structure itself […]
The Best Way to Make Stained-Glass Cookies (Jolly Rancher Cookies) as Tested by Our Kitchen
Instead of cupcakes this year, my daughter asks for Jolly Rancher Cookies for her birthday class treat. Stained Glass Cookies We tried several different ways to make these delicious and beautiful cookies, and we’d like to report our technique. Every other way we tried resulted in a big mess, but finally, we figured out what […]
As You Are
I tend to fictionalization myself into a character who prays as she should, who behaves as she should, and who conforms her desires and thoughts as she should. After all these years of Christian living, I realize I still create a false self at times because I have a picture in my mind of the […]
I Might Even Wear My Jean Jacket
Tonight, I’ll attend my 6th (maybe 7th, I’ve lost count), S.L.A.M Fair at the elementary school down the street. This Science, Literature, Art, and Music (SLAM) event brings us all so much joy. This is my fancy Friday night: elementary school experiments and performances, pizza, and ice-cream. I’ve actually texted friends to make sure they’ll […]