As school has started back, I’ve had the great opportunity to be in the classroom again as a substitute teacher. It is certainly a different kind of teaching experience because you are walking in cold not knowing students names, the material, or the social dynamics going on in the classroom. It’s a phenomenon that students …
Sometimes my solo soul (that part of a whole silently shimmering beneath the pool of reflection) demands a turn asking me to escape to portals of pretend- planes of possibility. Sneaking peaks (not stealing them) of sights and sounds of universes revolving around similar streets similar needs: groceries, gas, haircuts. And the smells …
Did you know there were reading brain labs that study how kids learn to read? “The theory of the fourth-grade shift had been based on behavioral data,” says the lead author of the study, Donna Coch. She heads the Reading Brains Lab at Dartmouth College. We actually ran a reading lab in the summer at …
Last week, Willie and I went back to visit the Assisted Living facility where we have been going this summer. Willie was excited to be back in his vest after having been on vacation for the past two weeks as I did hospital visits. He was even more excited to see his friends at the …
I was sitting on our back porch last night watching the puppies sniff the wind and smile knowing that the cool breeze meant that summer was fading away. There was certainly something inside of me that sighed with disappointment that we had to get back to a routine where bedtime had to be stuck to …
On Saturday morning, we went to our library branch for the puppet show and found that they were telling Elephant and Piggie stories. As we listened, I basked in the way there were so many different types of people for us to share the reading quilts with including Arabic-speaking families as well as Hindi-speaking …
I write at night When the house Is still And the moon is out And dreams are real… I write at night When I Am still And my thoughts clear And visions appear… I write at night When I Breathe ruach And the divine whispers There’s more, my dear… I write at night When this …
This past week has been quite busy for my life as a pastor. We helped with Bible School at a partner church, so that they could offer a preschool class as well as hosting our first Emmanuel’s Table. It was an exhausting and exhilarating week as we coordinated pick up for the food and …
This week Willie went to visit two different places. In addition to the seeing Mr. Joe, we were also asked to visit another assisted living community. It was exciting to be asked to go to a new place and visit new people. There’s something about bringing Willie with me that invites a conversation. Today, …
As we start out, I marvel at the neighborhood waking up. Cars starting. Seat belts fastening. Heels clicking. I wonder what they are going to do. They are going to work, certainly but what is work for each of them. A place to wear heels, bring coffee in tumblers, bags full of work stuff. Do …
