I think that my major role as an educator is to invite joy. I have always thought this from the beginning of my career over forty years ago. Maybe it’s because I started teaching in a nursery school. You can’t help to be joyful when teaching two, three, and four-year-old children. They actually exude joie de vivre and happily invite adults into their world. It’s a great place to dwell.
Tag: encouragement
What Girls are Made of – Part 2
In each poem, I want to create a snapshot of childhood and how girls navigate in the world. I’m going to take time to think back on what was important to me back then.
Finding my Way
Nurturing Creativity: Sing-a-Song
“I have a story to tell you,” she said. At first, I was thinking, “I have no time for stories. I wish I didn’t sit in the hallway. I got so much work to do!” But here I was, and I knew the art teacher always has such funny stories, so I took a deep breath and made myself present. I turned to the eager art teacher and listened.
A Mother’s Perfect Love
My mother, Vivian, would have been 100 years old this past Friday. She has been gone almost nine years, almost a decade. How can that be? It seems like yesterday.
Bright Encouragement
Many of her co-workers call her “a ray of sunshine,” and she truly is. Laura always has a smile on her face, sees the positive sides of all situations, and her classroom bustles with excitement.
A Child’s Valentine
February means red and pink hearts, lace, fabric, scissors, glue – a collage of loving kindness. Children cut out jagged hearts with lots of glue and mounds of glitter and sequins. They make a joyous mess, and they are so happy and excited that their exuberance becomes contagious.
Power to Pause
My thoughts came in quick, short phrases. They begged to be placed into poetry. January is a perfect month for reflection; I'm able to center my thoughts when I compose poetry. Everything falls into place. I'm comforted by the rhythm of my thinking.
Icarus Found: A Poem Remembered
I began recreating the poem silently in my head as I drove. It was had three stanzas maybe four. I couldn’t remember the exact words, but as I recited it my head, I got closer and closer to the original poem. The rhythm of the road helped me to remember.
Learn Something
This summer, I have been concentrating on healing my body and spirit, which has entailed a lot of physical therapy and many walks in gardens and parks. Usually, I read a lot during the summer but this summer I have only read a couple of books so far. I decided to jump-start my reading by turning to a classic, The Once and Future King by T.H. White. I knew of the legend of King Arthur mainly from the Disney animated film, The Sword in the Stone. I loved that story because it was filled with hope, faith, and possibility. It helped me to become braver and more courageous. It gave me hope that even a small person could grow into someone who could right wrongs and defeat evil. As an anxious, insecure child, this legend especially appealed to me.
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 