A Teacher's Ruminations

Source: http://www.planwallpaper.com/static/images/thank-you-clothesline-752x483.jpg I had a hard time writing this post. In fact, I kept putting it off all week and now, a week and a day later, I am forced to write something. I feel like I should have a big, inspiring story about a former student who contacted me years later to thank me for being his or her teacher.  But, sadly, I don't have a story like that though after 30 years of teaching, it seems like I should. At least, I don't have one big story. I have small moments.  It seems like those should count, too. They're important. Aren't they? I can excuse myself by saying that of the 30 years I've been in education, I spent seven out of the classroom, and so I lost contact with a lot of kids and their families. But, that sounds lame. What is true (read: less lame) is that I have never stayed more than six years in one school site and I've moved from North to South America and back again tw...

Writing has always been a cathartic activity for me. I write when I'm upset or confused and, after just a few minutes, I start to feel better. Writing about failures or challenging situations helps me clarify my thinking so that I can sort through the muck and figure out what my next steps might be. Writing allows me to uncover what was hidden and is no longer so. Writing can free me up so I can discover a better version of myself. To uncover something I didn't know. To sift through the parts in order to get to the whole. The whole that matters. Writing does that for me. And, just as quickly, a perceived barrier to making my writing public can shut me down. If I can't write publicly about a controversial topic without feeling vulnerable, then I feel lost. Untethered. Groundless. Without a backbone. Trapped. I want to write without worrying that I will offend someone. But the fact of the matter is that every piece of good, honest writing will alway...