Category: teacher

Challenger Explosion and Subbing in San Diego

Posted in baby, California, English as a Foreign Language, ESL, memoir, Mexico, newlywed, Ramona, space shuttle, Spanish, Spanish class, teacher, teaching, TijuanaLeave a comment

(re-run) It was a Tuesday, my third week of substitute teaching in Ramona, California.  The Middle School Spanish teacher before me had left in October after a former student told her therapist that he had sexually molested her while on his high school track team. The teacher was terminated, and the string of substitute teachers… Continue reading Challenger Explosion and Subbing in San Diego

Maybe, Maybe Not

Posted in confidence, dating, Depression, education, Elite Singles, hiking, introvert, library, Masters' degree, meet and greet, Meet-up, teacherLeave a comment

(re-run) Sabrina had a master’s degree and a professional job.  She went online to meet a guy with an equal education. She tried a site called Elite Singles.  She found Curtis, and they talked on the phone a few times. They decided to get together for a meet and greet. Curtis had been a teacher.… Continue reading Maybe, Maybe Not

It’s Easier to Ask for Forgiveness

Posted in 1970s, artist, California, classroom, Iowa, marijuana, memoir, permission, regret, forgiveness, teacher, vines, weekendLeave a comment

(re-run) When I was a third-year teacher in 1979, I had a new school and a new classroom. One wall was white concrete blocks, cold and uninviting. Nothing would stick to it, so I couldn’t hang up posters, classwork, decorations, anything. That wall really bugged me. At the time, I was dating an artist, a… Continue reading It’s Easier to Ask for Forgiveness

Black Jamaicans or African Americans?

Posted in Blacks, Central Americans, Cuba, history, Jamaicans, Jeopardy, Kamala Harris, memoir, North Americans, Portuguese, slavery, South America, Spanish, teacher, textbooks3 Comments

(re-run) Someone on Facebook said that Kamala Harris isn’t really African-American because her black father was from Jamaica. Here’s a news flash. Blacks in Jamaica are descendants of slaves, just as blacks from Venezuela, Brazil, Barbados, anywhere in the Americas are, as well. Jeopardy the other night had an answer that said: 40% of all… Continue reading Black Jamaicans or African Americans?

Oopsy Daisy: Month 3 with the Rescue Dog

Posted in animal adoption, animal rescue, California, caregiver, dog training, dogs, humor, memoir, relationships, teacher, teachingLeave a comment

(re-run from 2018) Month number three with the rescue dog has revealed more reasons why she was surrendered. When it’s cold and rainy, Daisy prefers to pee indoors, especially in a dark room when no one is watching. Daisy is agile enough to jump on and walk across the table, as in, where we eat.… Continue reading Oopsy Daisy: Month 3 with the Rescue Dog

Dieting, Body Image, and Stay Out of my Business

Posted in anorexia, body image, bulimia, college, diet, Karen Carpenter, memoir, mental health, mental illness, pregnancy, restricting, teacher, teaching, weight lossLeave a comment

(re-run) “Are you going to eat all of that?” I was sitting at a table in the teachers’ lounge, my lunch spread out before me. There was a sandwich, a red apple, carrot sticks and a glass of juice, maybe a chocolate or two. Why was the teacher I barely knew commenting on my lunch?… Continue reading Dieting, Body Image, and Stay Out of my Business

Grandma’s Basement

Posted in basement, childhood, confidence, dungeon, grandma, grandpa, kindergarten, memoir, playpen, sarcasm, shame, teacher, wringer washerLeave a comment

(re-run) My grandpa and his dad built a house into the side of a hill. The main floor had three small bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room and stairs to the kitchen below. The kitchen looked out over the hill down to the creek and had windows and a back door with a screen door.… Continue reading Grandma’s Basement

Tartan Plaids and an Angry Boy

Posted in anger management, chorus, GAP, grandma, memoir, Monterey county, plaid, power company, tartan plaid, teacher, thrift stores, weather, winterLeave a comment

Monday afternoon the power went out in Monterey. There were high winds. I ran to the Goodwill after working in the wind, picking up pine cones, twigs, tree moss, and branches, and will have to do it again the next time I go down there to check on my little house. While I was there,… Continue reading Tartan Plaids and an Angry Boy

Dieting, Body Image, and Stay Out of my Business

Posted in anorexia, body image, bulimia, college, diet, Karen Carpenter, memoir, mental health, mental illness, pregnancy, restricting, teacher, teaching, weight loss1 Comment

(re-run) “Are you going to eat all of that?” I was sitting at a table in the teachers’ lounge, my lunch spread out before me. There was a sandwich, a red apple, carrot sticks and a glass of juice, maybe a chocolate or two. Why was the teacher I barely knew commenting on my lunch?… Continue reading Dieting, Body Image, and Stay Out of my Business

The Tennis Shoe and the Broken Window

Posted in classmates, college, high school, Iowa, Iowa State University, locker room, memoir, physical fitness, physical fitness award, softball, teacher, windowLeave a comment

(re-run) It was senior year in high school. I was on my last semester of PE, my least favorite class. I maintained a straight-A average in all other classes. Not PE. It alternated between a B and a C. I was feeling good. We were in our next-to last unit, the physical fitness award. I… Continue reading The Tennis Shoe and the Broken Window