Category: teaching

Not That Smart

Posted in 6th grade, alarm clock, art, essay question, learning styles, memoir, parent-teacher conference, principal, report card, Spanish, student, teacher, teaching, test takerLeave a comment

I’ve always been a good student.  I am a solid test taker, being able to eliminate the most unlikely answers on a mulitple choice test, narrowing it down to what must be correct. I can also write a killer essay for essay questions. Except for the one time that I wet my pants in kindergarten,… Continue reading Not That Smart

Deciding for your Children

Posted in artist, books, California, children, Chinese food, Chinese restaurant, daughter, donations, garage sales, Iowa, library, memoir, parents, self-fulfilling prophecy, teacher, teaching, writersLeave a comment

(re-run) It’s funny how something pops into your brain and you think, that would make a good blog post. Today I mailed 100 books to a librarian in Menlo Park. They are old kids’ books that my children read back in the day.  My librarian Facebook friend asked for books for her students to read… Continue reading Deciding for your Children

Just for the Halibut

Posted in back ache, California, cancer, Christmas, Facebook, father, Father's Day, funeral, hospital, Iowa, memoir, punster, Spain, Spanish, student teaching, teaching, VenezuelaLeave a comment

Father’s Day has come and gone. I saw many black and white photos of men on Facebook, people my age honoring their deceased dads. I didn’t have a good photo of Dad to post, just silly ones or childhood ones. It never occurred to me 34 years ago that I would someday want a good… Continue reading Just for the Halibut

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

Posted in dating, English, high school, Home Ec, humor, Iowa, memoir, middle school, Nebraska, problem, self-fulfilling prophecy, small town, Spanish, student, teacher, teaching, typewriters2 Comments

It was a few days before the kids would come – 7th and 8th graders. I left my job as a high school Spanish teacher and would now be teaching English to middle schoolers.  It was a way to get out of a podunk town in Nebraska and into a big city in Iowa (Council… Continue reading Self-fulfilling Prophecy

Sneaking into the Pool

Posted in airport, Angel Falls, beach, Canaima, dysentery, hotel pool, humor, Iowa State University, memoir, microbes, relationships, teaching, travel, Venezuela, worst1 Comment

(re-run) While student teaching in Venezuela, we learned how to have fun with not much money. One of the American teachers had stolen a couple of striped beach towels from an upscale hotel (Tamanaco Internacional) and she had been sneaking into the hotel pool for years. “Just carry the towel and act like you belong,”… Continue reading Sneaking into the Pool

Sneaking into the Pool

Posted in airport, Angel Falls, beach, Canaima, dysentery, hotel pool, humor, Iowa State University, memoir, microbes, relationships, teaching, travel, Venezuela, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) While student teaching in Venezuela, we learned how to have fun with not much money. One of the American teachers had stolen a couple of striped beach towels from an upscale hotel, and she had been sneaking into the hotel pool for years. “Just carry the towel and act like you belong,” Linda said.… Continue reading Sneaking into the Pool

The Neighbors, the Loose Pitbull, and the Daily Pooper

Posted in animal control, antique store, California, children, confrontation, dogs, Frisbee, high school, leash, memoir, middle school, neighbors, pit bull, poop, teachingLeave a comment

We bought a house on a street that was a long court with two courts coming off of it. We were up at the top, and it was a great and safe place for my kids to walk our greyhound mix dog. Until it wasn’t. “That was a short walk,” I said when they trooped… Continue reading The Neighbors, the Loose Pitbull, and the Daily Pooper

Trading Up in Omaha

Posted in Council Bluffs, dating, house, Iowa, Japan, military, Nebraska, Omaha, teaching, Virginia, weddingLeave a comment

(re-run) Alice got a teaching job in Council Bluffs, Iowa. She decided to live across the Missouri River in Omaha in an old Victorian that had been converted into apartments. A military guy from Maryland moved in upstairs. She ran into him in the hallway after a bike ride one evening when he was coming… Continue reading Trading Up in Omaha

Give Them a Chance

Posted in artist, books, California, children, Chinese food, Chinese restaurant, daughter, donations, garage sales, Iowa, library, memoir, parents, self-fulfilling prophecy, teacher, teaching, writersLeave a comment

(re-run) It’s funny how something pops into your brain and you think, that would make a good blog post. Today I mailed 100 books to a librarian in Menlo Park. They are old kids’ books that my children read back in the day.  My librarian Facebook friend asked for books for her students to read… Continue reading Give Them a Chance

Peace Corps Fail

Posted in dogs, memoir, Midwestern, Peace Corps, postal service, relationships, Spain, teaching, travel, Venezuela2 Comments

(re-run) It was in the spring of my first year of teaching when the call came. I was at Greenwood Elementary in Greenwood, Nebraska. I had applied to the Peace Corps the year before. They had just seen my application. They wanted to fly me to Chicago for an interview that weekend. They gave me… Continue reading Peace Corps Fail