Memoir
Lessons From Splinters
The last time I had a splinter I was a pre-teen. Yes, I have managed to remain splinter free for nearly 30 years. Until this Monday night….
Words That Piss Me Off
I have to tell you that I have a thing about the word “juxtaposition.” That word pisses me off….
Does Size Matter?
For the first time in my life, I plan to attend a Budget meeting for my local school district, set for March 14, 2011. Why? It is my understanding that in my district no one attends these meetings, and I’d like to understand the process by which these cuts will be made….
Lessons on Slowing Down
People often ask me, as a person who has spent nearly twenty years in the classroom, what I think about AP classes. Should their child take this AP or that AP? And they are often surprised by my my response that nobody gives a shit about AP classes. Really….
Lessons on Valentine's Day
Today I shall chronicle some very special Valentine’s Day memories….
Teacher's Pets: It's Not What You Think
They say some folks are dog people and some are cat people.
Sadly, I guess we are the people who can’t be either….
Cat Fight
Back in April, hubby and I went outside to play a nice light game of tennis, just to bat a few balls around – no need for keeping score, no problem with hitting a ball that has bounced three even four times.
In the middle of our friendly little game, a cat jumped from the top of the fence surrounding the court into a nearby tree. Squawks ensued and shplat! a whole nest of baby birds fell onto the court, right at hubby’s feet. One was critically injured. Its neck had been severed and its legs were spread out every which way. One hopped off into the nearby bushes to take cover (you might say, the smart one of the bunch), and the third hopped, stumblingly, across the court towards the net, trying to escape impending doom. Meanwhile, the mama bird screeched loudly. Shrieking. I imagined she was calling, “My babies! My babies!”…
Lessons From Nan, Who Passed On June 16, 2004
I will always remember Nan, wearing a snazzy pair of purple pants, sitting on the gold couch in my parents’ living room. Just sitting quietly, patiently, watching my brother and me as we made up games or put on little shows. Many years later, she would sit in the same place, doze off an on, awaking with an almost apologetic smile. Agatha Christie once said, “I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable . . . but through it all, I know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.” I believe Nan knew this, too….
Contemplating Quitting The Classroom
I have been thinking that this will be my last semester in the classroom. It’s been a hard year for a variety of reasons, but I have been thinking I just am not connecting with my students the way I used to. Part of it may be that I am getting older. I have somehow become an “old-fashioned teacher” who doesn’t show movies, rely on Smart Boards or Power Point presentations. In other words, I have always been able to “be my own show,” create my own bells and whistles, and that was enough. I was enough.
This year is different. I feel… old….
Oy Vey: Tips to Non-Jews About Bar & Bat Mitzvah Giving
I received an email from an old friend not too long ago. She sounded kinda panicky:
Renna:
I have been invited to go to a Bat Mitzvah in NYC for a co-worker’s daughter. What do I give? Help!
Jenna 🙂
That Jenna. She brought me right back to October 25, 1979 when I celebrated my own bat mitzvah in Syracuse, New York. …