In conversation today, I heard myself use a line I’ve used about myself many times, a line that feels truer every time I say it: I am great at big things; I’m terrible at little things. I make no claims about the originality of this line, but I have been saying it since my twenties and it’s truer than ever…
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William rolled into the school year at Delta Middle on wheels! While he’s getting around great on crutches, they’re exhausting, and while he also drives a mean walker, it’s frustratingly slow. So, thanks to friends who shared a youth wheelchair, a school nurse who’s not only highly qualified but also had some relevant mom experience, and a school community that…
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My son has a very, very cheap laptop, and I’ve been surprised how little he uses it. He likes gaming, coding, writing, making videos and podcasts, and all kinds of graphic arts, and this device was a gift for him to expand his skills, to play around in the more powerful and flexible environment of the PC as compared to…
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Invited to a classroom to write with some first and third graders:“You won’t scare the kids!” Nice thought, but truly, I wouldwere masking not still a thing.No amount of stickersor “Write On!” t-shirtor smiling enthusiasmor typewriter socksor book-print leggingsor punctuation skirtor gimmick or trick or jokecould make it less scary that Ihad both jaws broken then bolted back on with…
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“Are there any writers here?” Being a specialist in teaching writing, writer identity, emotions and writing, and writing research, I ask that question a LOT when I work with any group of people. I have asked it of college freshmen, kindergarteners, and students at every stage in between. I have asked it of beginning teachers and classroom veterans, of doctoral…
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Remember when I had my hair shaved on one side of my head, wore clothing all the wrong sizes, and hated everyone my age? Remember when I joined the golf team? Very upstanding! But I never broke 100, and felt dumb with the other girls, and played one tournament, then had a panic attack in the van for the next…
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Why is it that all my best writing ideas happen when I’m driving a car? I don’t even like driving. It’s been like this for as long as I could drive. Wait… it’s been like this for as long as I could write. When I’m cleaning, or walking, or driving, I have so many ideas. And they are all so…
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My feet haven’t touched grass since September. Heck, until yesterday even my shoes hadn’t touched grass since December sometime. My skin hasn’t felt the cool pool, nor have my toes touched sand, since August. I haven’t been married for over a year. I haven’t worked from my office in 729 days. Exactly. I haven’t eaten banana pudding since 2013. It…
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That’s right, and I don’t just mean playing Fruit Ninja. I’m saying that finally, FINALLY this is the year that I can join the Slice of Life Challenge over at Two Writing Teachers. Can I really write something sharable, daily, for more than two days in a row? Honestly, I can do almost NOTHING with any consistency. But I’m giving…
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I wish someone had told me years and years ago: It is not only OK, it is a gift to possess no authority or expertise whatsoever. Sure, in areas of life in which I am the responsible party, I need authority to carry out my work. And I’ve spent a good chunk of my professional life thinking hard about the…