Mrs. Webber’s 6th grade Language Arts class was my favorite class. I loved dissecting pieces of poetry and creating my own metaphors for homework that were just like the ones I saw in class. This classroom was a magical place for me, but it was also a place where I fired the first shot of [...]
A queue of chattering 5th graders eye the checkered board where I wait. The last day of chess club, my students now gawk at the fantastic prize I offered them; a huge chocolate bar. A shy girl of 10 approaches the board. I’ve been waiting the entirety of the competition for her. I’ve noticed her [...]
A soft chime is drowned out by the sound of machinery whirring. The ding is followed by instructions in Thai. I don’t know what the pilot said, but I know what he meant: the plane has begun its descent. Without lifting my head from my book, I quietly pick my feet up off the floor. [...]
In a microcosm contained in the walls of one building, there is no God, no celestial or divine force other than in the minds and hearts of the people bustling around the 10 floor maze of hallways, rooms, and departments. In this building you can find literature’s most common archetypal narrative pattern, “the Journey.” “The [...]
On Sundays, my sister and I would race barefoot down the steps, out our blue front door, across our rocky driveway to where it meets the road. There we would find the bright orange bag with Sunday’s edition of The Denver Post. The stubbed toes and early-morning labored breaths were worth it for the glory [...]
My camera focuses. I’ve almost got the shot, but something’s not quite right. With a twist of the wrist and a tug, I pull the lens off the camera and pop it in the small black bag hanging on my waist. Inside the open compartment, my fingers brush over each lens, not taking my eyes [...]
I pass the wall with the puzzles hanging on it a million times each day. Time at the Johnson Adult Day Program goes by in a blur. One summer morning, I see Harold perched at his usual spot, and I slow to take a peek at what he is doing. As Harold senses me approach, [...]
I notice how some colleges are purposeful in their mission, forward thinking and innovative. Others seem to be stuck on their past laurels. It’s hard to know whether a particular college is visionary and fresh or whether it is riding on its ranking. I think it often comes back to the leadership of the college. [...]
As my middle son prepares for graduation from Dartmouth next month, I have been trying to understand why Dartmouth felt like such a worthwhile experience for him and like such a worthwhile financial burden for our family. Robbie’s time has been idyllic, and for a long time I just assumed it was because Dartmouth was [...]
People on Facebook are going nuts over this. I think it’s a little mean and mis-guided. I know…. I know…. kids need to learn responsibility. But I think parents need to be careful of a one-size fits all rule. Sometimes a little unexpected support from a parent can be just what the doctor ordered. Here’s [...]
