handwritten on April 1, 2019
One of my former students is currently the only poet to be participating in our Hartwood Elementary Public Seaking Event. She has been writing dilligently for weeks crafting her poem about the symbolic colors of the rainbow. And as I was reading her piece, I realized that she may have gone a bit too far because as we were talking about the colors of the rainbow, I found myself reading a stanza completely devoted to the color brown.
Now this student is filled with gumption. I'm glad she is because as I verbally questioned her piece, she looked at me with this surprised look on her face and said, "You don't get my rainbow? How could you not get my rainbow?" I said, "I get your rainbow,...
handwritten on March 31, 2019
Tonight I headed to a PSTP gathering with my husband. This is a Physician Scientist Training Program through The University of Pittsburgh Medical School. The individual who runs this beautiful program or at least the social gatherings as well as coordinating the admissions process for incoming freshman as well as other events is a young soul (around my age.) His name is Blair and man does he have a beautiful story (as all people do.)
The first time I met Blair was a few years back. Blair is one of those individuals that has a beautiful light around him at all times. He celebrates life like it is his full-time job. And it is. He promotes the program while always making sure everyone feels...
handwritten on March 30, 2019
My husband and myself have always enjoyed going on long walks. And I think when we got married walks became even more important to create a natural thinking space. For whatever reason-not that we do not talk in everyday life-but we always talk deeper talks when walking. It could be just the motion or the fresh air or the natural freedom that unleashes new ideas and troubling thoughts or important aspirations or inspirations.
Well tonight (due to a few naps) tended to be a later thinking walk than normal. But without hesitation, when one mentioned it to the other, we agreed that we would walk until the light began to fade between the sidewalks and gravel parking lots of the city in which we...
handwritten on March 29, 2019
I had the ultimate pleasure of going into my brother's workspace and whimsical workplace. They say that every environment has some kind of zen to it. And this particular space was no exception with wooden standing desks and space between members, windows flowing into the cityscape and carefully hung lights creating inspirational borders. The space was a relaxing wordflow, a series of interrupted and uninterrupted silences creating a feeling of coziness yet independence and collaboration but not obnoxiously so. Time ran quickly but also slowly enough that I felt secure in knowing I had done "enough" work for the day. I must say other work cultures could learn a thing or two from proper...
handwritten on March 28, 2019
I had the opportunity to visit my mother's classroom today. And though I have been paying particular attention to whimsical encounters, I found probably one of the most important elements of a successful teacher that I have had yet to articulate clearly. I go back and forth with my teaching philosophy because I think at the current state in education I have a lot of inner-turmoil in what I am doing versus what I want to be doing more of. I have been told that this occurs constantly within the span of one's career. Which is a little disheartening knowing that my turmoil will most likely span a lifetime.
Regardless, what became apparent to me in spending 10 minutes in her classroom was this...
