Only then, did I start to put the traumatic pieces together and how his trauma became my trauma, not on the beaches of Okinawa, but in the suburbs of New Jersey. When my father was a soldier, PTSD was not a known disorder, and there was no help or treatment for World War II veterans.
Category: Writing
Harvesting Pumpkin Time
Gold, red, and orange abound to cheer up the dreary chilly days in the northeast. They offer solace to the bare branches and the November wind.
Poet’s Notebook: White Mountain Color
I started thinking about how to capture what I saw with my camera and how to put words to the beauty I was witnessing. I focused on color and played with ways to express the fall foliage in a new way.
Fall Flow: Haiku for Autumn
This week, I entered a 4th grade classroom to see students at their desks silently moving their lips and quietly tapping their fingers. I heard a hum, “5-7-5... 5,7,5...” and then tapping, clapping, and snapping. I knew immediately what they were busy creating. They were constructing haiku. In the last two weeks, the teacher introduced … Continue reading Fall Flow: Haiku for Autumn
The Gift of Grandmothers
This week, I came across two picture books that reminded me about how important grandmothers are in the lives of children. Grandmothers are wise leaders and mentors. They have gentle and guiding hands. They offer solace for scraped knees, dented feelings, and broken hearts. They can set the world right again. In my own life, … Continue reading The Gift of Grandmothers
The Art of Assessment
In schools across the country and probably across the world, September means assessments. We give all kinds of assessments to get to know our students, or should I say to get to know their academic strengths and weaknesses. I don’t think assessments have anything to do with getting to know our students.
A Fresh Look at Lists
I reluctantly shift away from summer – the beach, the mountains, my independent reading time, the sun. And slowly I enter September already weary from thoughts of all I have to do, all I must do, all the little things that await me.
I Hear America Weeping
This week, I cannot write about education, travel, or art. This week I have to address world events. The disaster that is Afghanistan has weighed heavily on my mind and heart. When disturbed and rattled, I usually turn to poetry to make sense of my feelings. I thought and thought about how I could express … Continue reading I Hear America Weeping
Wildflower Power
We are coming upon the last days of summer. For me, there is something bittersweet about that. I find myself holding on to the warm golden promise of summer. I don’t want it to end. No matter, how much I enjoy the fall, summer is a time that signals renewal and hope. There is so … Continue reading Wildflower Power
Week on the Water
August calls me to come to the water, and so I obey. Salt water and sand - just what I need to slow down, reflect, and write. I take my camera along to record the images that stand out to me.
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 