Above all else: protect the children

From the time we were expecting our first child, at least until the last one left for college, I saw myself as having ONE JOB ABOVE ALL OTHERS: protecting my children and keeping them safe. Nothing else really mattered. Our first pregnancy ended in miscarriage and so we were frantic to protect the next child.

Education marches on….A letter to my students

My Dearest Students, So now we are embarking on a new adventure in education.  Who could have foreseen this when we first sat down together in January?  Our world has turned upside down just since the last time we met as a class.  I looked sadly at the kitchen counter today because I had bought

Because you taught me…

I’ve come to see my identity, my sense of self, as the sum total of all the encounters I’ve had across nearly six decades: each friend, family member,  student, colleague, and teacher has uniquely touched my life. Most encounters have benefited, taught, or improved me in some small or large way.  Others have wounded or

On the Shoulders of a Giant…

Across my 22 years of schooling I was incredibly fortunate to encounter three remarkable women educators who fostered in me a love of learning, lighted my path, inspired me with their wisdom, and prepared me as an educator. This past week the world lost one of these luminaries: my favorite college professor, academic advisor, and