This past week, I had the chance to do some volunteering. Specifically, my students and I packed food (vitamins, veggies, soy, rice) to be sent around the world to feed the chronically malnourished. We rolled up our sleeves and then got FDA compliant. That meant removing everything from Fitbits to earrings and then scrubbing up. … [Read more…]
My bookcase also broke this year. So did a lamp and a picture frame. Though we are still months from the end of the year, by my very rough estimates from a largely imperfect student-run checkout system, over fifty books are missing from my classroom library. Nevermind the ones that have come back with cracked … [Read more…]
Today, the best full-time job I’ve ever had is ending. Don’t get me wrong. I’m going back to a pretty fantastic one. But as I pull out of our driveway and say goodbye to my maternity leave, I can’t help but think about the sixteen-pound drooling baby bossman who made that job so wonderful. I’ve … [Read more…]
“That’s it? $60?” My husband’s reaction to his first paycheck of the school year was dramatically different from mine. I was thrilled. Thanks to his graduate classes, he is bringing in an extra $120 after taxes each month. To him, it was such a small amount of money in light of the time, effort, and … [Read more…]
It’s back to school time. School supplies are on sale, parents are snapping photos, and students are celebrating. Or not. It also means that legions of professionals are about to roll up their sleeves and welcome another crop kiddos with open arms and unabated enthusiasm. With school on the brain, a very thoughtful neighbor of … [Read more…]
With so much conversation about the student loan crisis and speculation about the necessity–or lack thereof–of bachelor’s degrees, it makes sense to be skeptical about pursuing graduate work. Unless you are an educator. Then, at some point in your career, you will most certainly find yourself signing up for more school. But how much of … [Read more…]
Teaching: it’s one of the most celebrated and most maligned professions around. Some days, we work too hard for far too little. Other days, we are glorified babysitters getting away with highway robbery. Whatever your opinions are on education, I’m not here to sway you. What I thought I’d do instead is give you a … [Read more…]
Have you ever gone a month without being asked to contribute to a group gift at work? In nine years of teaching, I’m almost positive I haven’t. If it isn’t a bride-to-be and her shower, it’s a new baby on the way, meal train for an ailing coworker, or a bouquet of flowers delivered to … [Read more…]
This blog has helped me grow financially. It has introduced me to ideas and insights, writers and friends I couldn’t imagine a little more than a year ago. This blog has also helped me start to live more purposefully. What I never imagined, though, was that my struggles with blogging–more than my successes–would really help … [Read more…]
December is a lot of things for a lot of people. For me? Well, it’s mostly a race to finish A Christmas Carol before winter break begins. The Dickens classic is part of the curriculum so I’m up to my eyeballs in ghosts, chains, and mince pies. While the iconic antihero Ebenezer Scrooge is typically … [Read more…]