Category: teaching

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

Fleetwood Who?

Posted in 1970s, Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Iowa, Iowa State University, memoir, Nebraska, Spain, Stevie Nicks, student teaching, Study abroad, teaching, travel, Venezuela1 Comment

Whenever a Fleetwood Mac song comes on, everyone around me goes gah-gah.  I admit that the Rumours album is a good one, but I just don’t feel it like everyone else does.  The other month, I tried to figure out why that is. At karaoke, many of my girlfriends want to sing Fleetwood Mac songs.… Continue reading Fleetwood Who?

Gore No More

Posted in 8th graders, Beatles, Brad Pitt, concentration camps, Diary of Anne Frank, Disney channel, gore, Holocaust, Iowa, media, memoir, movie, news, nightmares, Rob Lowe, teaching, TVLeave a comment

I have a low tolerance for gore and violence in the media. I tried out a new show on Monday nights called The Cleaning Lady. It comes on right after 911 Lonestar, a show with Rob Lowe as a fire captain of a Texas firehouse with a quirky crew. Did I mention Rob Lowe? I’ve… Continue reading Gore No More

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

(re-run) 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… Continue reading Just for the Halibut

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

“Are you going to eat all 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? How was… Continue reading Dieting, Body Image, and Stay Out of my Business

The Neighbors, the Pit Bull, 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, teaching1 Comment

(re-run) 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… Continue reading The Neighbors, the Pit Bull, and the Daily Pooper

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

(re-run) 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… Continue reading The Neighbors, the Loose Pitbull, and the Daily Pooper

Peace Corps Fail

Posted in dogs, memoir, Midwestern, Peace Corps, postal service, relationships, Spain, teaching, travel, Venezuela1 Comment

(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

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