I love using poetry in the classroom. We read it, think about it, talk about it, write it. When kids first hear the word “poetry” they usually groan (which truly breaks my heart), but when they’re given the opportunity to immerse themselves in the lyrics of their favorite songs, a tiny shift happens. Suddenly, poetry…
Tag: Write Every Day
The 50-Word Story, A Challenge (Write Every Day 18)
Teaching middle school writers is a balance between getting them started and teaching them to edit. Some middle schoolers will write on and on forever, if given the time, wanting to write the “Great American Novel.” They will ramble and roll through plot until it is a maze of confusion. Revision is hard; editing down…
Do you stir or do you shake the paint can? Lessons in a Marriage (Write Every Day 17)
Our 21st wedding anniversary is just around the corner. Last year, when we hit the 20 year mark, I was all about the celebration. This year, I’m all about the reflection. How did we make it this far? Was it anything we did or is just because of sheer, dumb luck? Truth is, because we…
The promises we make to ourselves can be the hardest to keep. (Write Every Day 16)
That picture was taken years ago on a trip to the San Juan Islands. I’m holding my oldest who will now be entering her second year of college, and I love the way the reflection and the mirror seem to hang perfectly in the field. We’re looking forward and backward at the same time. I…
Happy Father’s Day from a Grateful Daughter (Write Every Day #14)
Dear Dad, This picture is one of my favorites of you and whoever that other guy is on the right. It was obviously taken long before I came into your life. Set in Greece, it’s nostalgic and artful — but what makes it special, is that it’s of you. My dad. Today is Father’s Day….
Church Camp: A brief reminder on how to be in the world. (Write Every Day, Lucky 13)
I dropped off daughter #2 for church camp this morning. This will be her ninth year. Over each of the past eight years, she has spent many days anticipating and planning for this one week. To say she loves it is an oversimplification. She would tell you, it’s exactly where she belongs for that one…
When you live in an old cow town, they run the cattle down Main Street to open the County Fair! (Write Every Day #12)
We are a suburb of SF, but we are an old cow town. Today, all of Pleasanton lined Main Street, waiting for the cows to come home. There I am, one among hundreds. Maybe thousands. They rarely close Main Street, except for our monthly street fair through the summer, but our town is known for…
Did you move away from home? Did you go back? (Write Every Day #11)
Before you read this post, take a look at this article about “Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay.” I was one of those who left. Packed up, headed out. Across the country. Away from my hometown, which was more suburban than rural, but I am a late Boomer. It’s kind of what we did. It…
Our latest gun tragedy; a few thoughts. (Write Every Day #10)
I woke up to the terrible news of the shooting in Virginia. A shooter. Again. Five people injured but no deaths, thanks to security detail that was on the scene. Right now, there is a press conference. People want answers where few exist. The investigation is so fresh. Safety is a worry. No one is…
Let’s Talk Climate Change: Up Close and Personal (Write Every Day #9)
Le’ts talk climate change. The evidence can be seen in my backyard. The tragedy of the pines is a little like the canary in the goldmine. Five years ago, my husband and I bought a tiny cabin in the woods of Amador County, in California. The forest was the selling point because the house was…
Like the very best magic tricks, our children grow up and leave us wondering how they did that. (Write Every Day # 8)
Our daughter, having finished her freshmen year of college, just took off for her first day of a paid internship with the Port of Oakland . This is an internship she researched and applied to on her own. The competition was fairly stiff and yet she landed the job. Suddenly, she’s very grown up —…
When a child graduates, let’s celebrate the mommies and the daddies too. (Write Every Day #7)
When my daughter graduated high school last year, I did all the traditional things that parents do for their graduates. I cried when I took her for her senior portraits and cried again when the prints arrived. We invited family to the graduation ceremony and cheered wildly for her as she crossed the stage. And…
