Oh my goodness, please make Tieghan Gerard's garlic butter shrimp pad thai NOW!!! This was hands down the best meal I've fed the family in the past two weeks. Like so good, I hid the leftovers in the back of the fridge so I could have them all to myself for lunch. #sorrynotsorry Whew! February … Continue reading Whoa, February
Yesterday was tough. The traumatic effects of living in fear sprang to life and we could no longer pretend that everything is business as usual. A student saw an ICE agent in the hallways of our school. A man dressed in khakis and a dark green shirt. Everyone tried to remain calm, but everyone was … Continue reading Knocked down by a feather
Stapled to the wall of my classroom is a world map, around which dozens of cards are posted. On these cards are the introductions my students wrote on the first day of this school year. So much has changed for them since September. Lately, I find myself going back to read these cards over. They are … Continue reading Just pink cards on a wall
In my class of mostly undocumented students, we've been talking about hope. We've been talking about triumph over adversity. We've been talking about staying focused when fear, hate and uncertainty swirl around you. We have plunged head first into the pools of Maya Angelou's fierce words of perseverance. As one of my senior girls said, … Continue reading Undefeated hearts fill my classroom
Little humans. We teach them to be polite and compassionate. We teach them to use their words instead of their fists. We teach them to be active listeners and respectful of others. I watch my daughter learning how to be kind and thoughtful, and experience both relief and dread. Yes, I want my daughter to be … Continue reading Yes, You Can Say the F-Word
We go, or we die. It's a statement that will never leave me. Simple words, weighted in life experiences that I can't fathom, spoken in broken English by an African teenage refugee. This beautiful girl with the brightest smile spoke these words in the same matter of fact way I tell my five-year old that if … Continue reading We Go, or We Die
About a month ago, I finished reading Alice Hoffman's The Dovekeepers. I was riveted by this tale of four indomitable women, who were bound together through loss during the Roman siege of Masada. Women, who under different circumstances would have ostracized one another, instead protected one another. For me, the beauty of this historical fiction was in … Continue reading Thank you is not enough, but thank you.
Every morning on the way to school, my little love and I say our "good morning" prayer. As we drive, I say a little prayer for a day filled with safety, love, and gratitude. Then my sweet girl says her prayer. This morning she remained quiet after I finished, so I turned up the radio … Continue reading Good Morning Prayers
My little person woke up this morning singing Katy Perry's Roar. I thought it was hilarious. I don't know what inspired her to open her eyes to the world belting out "cause I am the champion, and you're gonna hear me roar" with all of the vibrato that she could muster, but I felt that it was … Continue reading Just Shake Off That Bad Blood
Women. We are pretty fabulous. We birth, we nourish, we nurture, we sacrifice, we juggle, we love, we forgive, we endure. We are complicated and we are fierce. We are gentle and we are sensitive. I love being a woman. It's not easy, but I love it. We put so much pressure on ourselves to … Continue reading We Are Enough
