Spring Break

As a teacher, spring break is a different beast than it was as a student. I can say I have truly never looked forward to breaks and vacations more ardently than as a teacher. This particular spring break was even more of a god-send than usual. I don't ever seem to stop talking about how…

Conscious? Perhaps…

I never know if I'm awake or sleeping lately, but for all my exhaustion I surely can't be sleeping, so I guess that's not the case. I've been gone from here a long time and I miss it as much as the friends I haven't spoken to in years. I wonder why I don't come…

You Know You’re an Elem.Ed. Teacher When…

You get grammar songs stuck in your head. Overnight. You arrive at work in the dark, and leave in the dark, and are still taking grading home. Eating alone is a privilege. You carry your phone in your pocket as much as possible because it counts your steps and that's the most exercise you're ever…

November 27th

I have a new nephew. Finally. His name is Castiel Xavier Ransom Johanni, and he's perfect.  And suddenly and without much fanfare, thanksgiving break is up, and it is time to return to the real world of teaching and eating moderately and going to the gym and not smoking and not staying up til 4+…

Silence

It makes sense that after talking to eight year olds all day that I wouldn't want to continue vocalizing, come end of day. But what is quite inexplicable is that I cannot find the words that have been squashed back for another time - the words whose time and place is not an elementary classroom…

Another Adventure is Nigh

Today is Thursday. I have the weekend to finish packing the rest of my belongings and be on my way by Tuesday. The end of one chapter of your life and the opening of the next is a volatile time. Transitions can bring out the best and the worst in people. Until the past week…

Curse of the Night Owl

I didn't have a set bedtime as a kid, ever, as far as I can recall. I slept most nights, but even as a kid I was plagued by insomnia, and it's only gotten worse as I've gotten older. (I sound like a grandpa here. Yikes.) For obvious reasons this reached its peak as I…