As a junior high school student I began to have a special interest in singing. I was encouraged by my music teacher and then in high school I participated in as many singing groups as I could. One of the groups was our high school select choir which sang some spectacularly wonderful and challenging music. There was such a sense … Read More
The Common Sense of my Grandmother
I have found myself thinking lately of the house my grandparents lived in when I was young, She always said it was a happy house…..as though it was the house itself that created the happiness, but the truth of it is……It was my grandmother. Today I wanted to share some of the wisdom I have gained from her stories, and … Read More
Learning Through Chewing
I was running late, once again, to a group therapy session in a tall glass office building near Georgetown in the District of Columbia, and, once again, I hadn’t eaten beforehand. I hopped off my bike, locked it up and hurried through the tall glass doors and up the elevator. I punched in the door code and walked through the … Read More
Shakespeare
In high school, after my best friend’s parents sent her away to boarding school and my parents didn’t, school became a pretty lonely scene for me. Not only because of her absence and my grappling with my lesbian identity in a pre- Gay-Straight Alliance world, but maybe even more so because I was a wanna-be intellectual in a population where, … Read More
Never give up
There was one point in my life when everything I would see or think of was the negative side of things. I could not be happy or ever satisfied with anything in my life because of how bad and selfish I was. My mom was working hard shifts at SAM’s to keep up with bills, which made her depressed and … Read More
sleepy little town
What ever happened to the sleepy little towns? Big city moving into the farm lands expanding until the walls buckle. A town where everyone knew each other and crime is not a factor.
Kids say the darnedest things
I drive a school bus as well as work in the local elementary school cafeteria. I see some of the same children during the day as I drive on my school so those children I get to know quite well. One particular student is the most talkative and always has a smile and a story or conversation for me every … Read More
Regret
I once had an amazing grandmother who practically raised me but, like all great things, she had to go. When I was young, I spent every day at her house, but, as I got older, my visits became few and far between. I spent my time with friends and sports so I thought of that as an excuse not to … Read More
Well Rounded Education is Best
I was in third grade when a very caring teacher, Mrs. DeCarlo, realized that although I was “smart,” I struggled in class and that maybe something was going on. I got evaluated for IQ and learning disorders and they discovered I was Dyslexic. Having a label to put with my struggles helped me to get the right interventions needed to … Read More
Be Careful what you say — Words crush or grow one's learning
Growing up in Arlington Heights, Illinois (outside of Chicago), I struggled with learning. Being made fun of by classmates and teachers as well was an everyday occurrence. It was clear to my parents that I was not a dumb child but no one could seem to get me to learn in the manner or the way that the “Normal Kids” … Read More
