The muted, burnished colors reflected in the mountain pools were so incredibly soothing. They blended together in wavy lines. The trees, the leaves, the water became one, and I wanted to plunge in and cover myself in autumnal splendor. It is in these moments that the real and the imagined join forces and cast a magical energy.
Tag: Writing
Daily Dose of Joy
 I put down my briefcase, sat carefully down on a small chair, and introduced myself to a table of three-year-old girls. I started my teaching career working with three-year-olds. I remember days of play, imagination, and song so fondly.
Welcoming Autumn: Home in the Woods
It's not easy settling back in even though I have had a lot of practice! My mind is a jumble, my home is a mess of summer and school paraphernalia, and there are lists upon lists upon list of things to accomplish. It takes at least the first two weeks of September to feel back home in my rightful place. The sacks of apples and displays of assorted pumpkins at the grocery store helps. Autumn is coming, and I can take a deep breath, find an easy rhythm, and enjoy what is unfolding before me.
Igniting Curiosity: How Skateboarding Sparks Learning
All this skateboarding got me to thinking about how children learn. Increasingly, learning seems to have become more and more passive. Teachers and technology dole out information and kids are expected to take the information and hold on to it, but I’m not sure the kids understand the importance of the information and how to take it farther. And there is so much information, it’s hard to determine what to hold on to, what is true, and what is not important.  I’m wondering in my work with children this year, how I can spark that skatepark enthusiasm.
Artist at Play in Maine
Art is a little less familiar to me. When I take a photo, I compose in the moment and then it is finished almost instantaneously. I want to see if I can play with photographic images much the way I play with words when I compose poetry. I want to make sure I keep that playful, childlike mindset. I hope this artful adventure will teach me something new about the creative process. As I age, I want the world to stay fresh. I want to keep my curiosity.and youthful perspective.
Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman
Recently, a good friend told me about Nell Painter’s book, Old in Art School. I knew immediately that I had to push it up to first on my summer reading list. I am indulging in Nell’s journey from Princeton history academic to an BFA at Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of Visual Arts to an MFA from the prestigious Rhode Island School of design. Much of Nell’s book is familiar because she is a Jersey girl and I also attended Rutgers as both an undergraduate and graduate. The essential questions of what is art and who is an artist repeat as a refrain in this memoir. I took a long slow read, trying my best to experience what Nell had lived.
Working in the Wonder Studio: Creative Spirit
I have noticed in the last few years that the 5th grade students love to fabricate small intricate items during their final Wonder Studio sessions. I’m not sure if it’s because they want to be able to quickly complete projects that they can take home as mementoes of their Primary School years, or that they are working on a math PBL unit on Tiny Houses, so their minds just naturally go to the miniature. However, most of the students are making objects other than items for their tiny houses, even though I bought materials that would allow them to construct tiny furniture and other accoutrements.
Handmade Mother’s Day
Sometimes, I think - "No one cares, this is a lot of work, maybe I should stop doing this." But then there are days, when I see fifteen eager faces at the front door clamoring to get in and start their work - their work of mess and industry and love.
Stormy Weather: Celebrating Poetry Month
I loved stringing words together. I loved the way they formed in my mouth and rushed out into the air. Poetry was magical, and I felt I had some of that magic in me. Now, as a poet and teacher, I enjoy bringing that love of the spoken word to children. This month, Deborah, my friend and dear librarian at the school where I teach, invited me to be the guest poet during her library times with 1st through 4th graders.
Cooking Inspiration from The Pasta Queen: Poetry and Passion
I have been binge watching Nadia Caterina Munno, the Pasta Queen. She is incredibly passionate about Italian food. Her show is a treat alternating from places in Italy to her kitchen in Florida. She is smart, funny, and spicy. What a personality! I love watching and listening to her.
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 