Back to the Blogging World

Every time I teach Genius Hour, I promise to do my own project along with the students. This allows me to model the steps of the process for them, but even more, it forces me to live out lifelong learning in front of them (not that lifelong learning is a problem for me... I don't...

Reflections from the Pause Button

I should write something. That thought has passed through my head multiple times over the past few *ahem* months since my last update.  I've tried a few times.  I came close to a complete post once, but nothing ever came to fruition.  And yet, I still keep getting new followers and new comments on old...

I type when I can’t focus.

I've been a bit overwhelmed lately. It's that frustrating phase when work and grading piles up while my life hops on a roller coaster. Students turned in research papers last Thursday. Please don't ask how many I've reviewed yet. The answer is not enough. I need to tackle them soon, though, because I'll receive another...

My Blog isn’t My Mark

The signs may not be obvious, but they're there for the keen observer.  I haven't written a book review since April.  I've been much less consistent at replying to comments.  My posts have dropped from twice a week to once a week, and this one is late.  The previous two posts were both responses to...

If All the World’s a Stage, Who’s My Audience?

I've been blogging for over a year, but I'm still not used to this concept that my writing has an audience.  What's even more weird is that I can't really pinpoint my audience.  When I write a post, who am I writing to? Sometimes I'm writing directly to teens.  I know I have a lot...

Writing From My Past

Sometimes I wonder if the amount I write about my own adolescence is weird for a normal adult.  I've been out of high school for 10 years now.  I have a wonderful marriage, a strong career, and a life that I’m proud of.  Shouldn't I be able to leave my teen years behind me? But...

On Swimming Pools, the Duck-Billed Platypus, and Writing

I write to process the world around me.  I don't write to be read by others.  Not really.  It's kind of weird to me that I have an audience now.  As a teen I would have been horrified to find out people were reading the angsty things I wrote.  In college and my early twenties,...

The Traditional “I’ve Just Been Freshly Pressed!” Post

This couldn't have come on a crazier weekend.  When I received the initial e-mail and the comments began pouring in, I was away from home, focused on being there for someone who needed me.  Had I been home, being Freshly Pressed would have been the highlight of my weekend.  Had I been home, I could...

The Introduction to an Unwritten Book

Explanation:  I can still see the old classroom with uneven hardwood floors, creaky tables, and ancient green chalkboards.  A group of seven young women sat facing me, scribbling away on mock SAT exams while I kept time and fended off boredom.  As I often do, I picked up my notebook and started to write. For...

My Dream Class

Maybe it's because I'm currently spending my weekdays with 3rd graders, but I've decided that I want to form a class out of my teen bloggers and spend every day teaching them. Wow.  I just said "my" like I had something to do with their work, which I definitely don't.  Sorry, teens. Actually, almost all...