This is a different kind of tired. This is the kind of tired that may have permanently lost potentially the single most valuable tangible item I own. This is the kind of tired that drowns me, that puts a film over the earth, that beckons instantaneous tears and slow movements. The kind of tired that…

Been a while. I almost forgot I have a blog. Today the iPads arrived. More: a parade arrived! Principal rolling the cart, AP telling me she’s nervous, Curriculum Coordinator taking notes, iPad coach man chatting up my kiddos, Literacy Coach explaining what “interfere” means, and Parent Center Coordinator snapping some shots, probably for the school…

This morning I had tromped completely across my backyard before I noticed my boots had just the tiniest film on them, and that my old principal’s car was covered in frost. I was walking from my yard to the Administration Building, which is the house next door. The two of us have started a weekly…

I don’t need to read all this, Caroline, just let me sign up to help!! Students love books, too. Two years ago, this blog helped me supply my classroom library with favorite titles including the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Percy Jackson series, a whole bin of over 50 Babysitters Club books, Animorphs, Bluford…

Sunday, anxiety riddled mess of a Sunday. Sitting in a Little Rock apartment that is not mine, with Poppy the poodle. Set up around the coffee table with one laptop playing A Bug’s Life, my phone playing Pandora, and this laptop being used for work. Grading in front of me, along with a bottle of…

ACTELA’s college teacher of the year, Shoudong Feng, said the above quote at this year’s Arkansas Curriculum Conference, which I spent all of today and yesterday at. After feeling like the world is falling for the past two weeks, these two days have given me the ability to breathe again. Less guilt, more inspiration, more…

I am trying to get my internship log completed by the October 28th deadline. The only problem is October 28th ended 14 minutes ago and my log is empty because I didn’t do any of the 34 required activities. I started to complete one, just now, called a “Demographic Narrative.” Relative to my last post,…

There are four responsibilities: 1) teach sixth grade, 2) plan professional development for 21 first year teachers (and begin to plan summer training for 35 new first year teachers), 3) complete three grad classes this semester, including an internship, and 4) train for a half marathon in a month, full marathon in February. There is…

This morning I lived the life I might have 10 months from now. I woke up just a mile from downtown little rock, in SoMa. Pulled on my running shoes and brushed my teeth. Started out. Feet pounded the first mile to the Marriott, former Peabody, then turned right toward the Clinton Center. Smiled at…

Shoeless. Walmart mom pants hiked up past the belly button, khaki, with suspenders over a boys’ 14-16 blue button down church shirt. Women’s navy tank top turned vest, a straw fedora whose Budwiser embroidery was removed with force 12 hours previous. Barefoot. Beside: all the same, but with less material and red checks instead of…