When I was a freshman at Connecticut College in the early 1990s, my beloved hometown of Merrimack, NH elected a Christian Coalition majority to our school board. The margin was something like 6 votes in a town of roughly 26,000 at the time. Please don’t fact check me, but it was very close. I did… Continue reading Why I Vote and Participate in Annual School District Meetings as a Teacher and a Mom
As a 23 year old teacher long ago, in a school district far from here, accused by a local minister of “raping” a young man of his innocence, we imagine the worst. We imagine a teacher who has sent inappropriate photos or messages to a student she is responsible for professionally. What we don’t imagine… Continue reading The Time a Parent Accused Me, a Teacher, of “Raping” with Reading
I met a dear college friend for breakfast the other day in the city. While parallel parking on a wide street with plenty of room to go around, an angry woman gave me the finger. Try as I might, I can’t figure out why she felt I deserved the finger. There were other spaces–… Continue reading Dear Abby: I Need Your Advice
Morgan Clark’s voice compels people to listen; within her lyrics and talent live the excitement, hope, and idealism of young musicians following their hearts to Nashville, country music’s capital of the world. When I hear Morgan sing–whether an original song written for a friend who died sadly too soon or a cover title, I want to cheer… Continue reading From Northern New Hampshire to Nashville: Miss Morgan Clark Has Found Her Voice
We play with wheelchairs– for fun. That’s how we roll here in Alpine Village, especially when a gently used one is dropped off as a donation for Eastern Adaptive Sports. Some people leave handmedown clothes in bags; we are left handmedown wheelchairs because when people need them, they need them. They are often challenging, time… Continue reading Universal Design: All for One and One for All
Part of the magic of a delayed opening is letting one’s children play outside in the snow for two hours before school. That is if your children are still young enough to realize that a delayed school opening means a longer night of sleeping. Sure, the teachers probably cursed me for their soaking wet snow… Continue reading Wanted: Confidence for a Ninth Grader …or Maybe for All of Them
Dear young able-bodied couple parked in the HP spot at Dunkin Donuts, Normally, when I see a car parked in an HP spot, I look first for a handicapped placard or special “handyman” license plate, as my husband Geoff calls them affectionately. Not seeing one, I sometimes wait for the person to return to his/her… Continue reading An Open Letter for People Who Park in HP Spots and are NOT Actually Disabled
The one on the far left is the one who almost peed her pants while sliding down Cruiser at warp speed. I almost peed my pants sliding down Loon Mountain on Sunday when I should have been skinning up with two friends. No injuries were sustained, fortunately, and a very nice older man and lady… Continue reading Sliding Away in the Steeps
For most local children, the Kanc, a classic, magical rope tow, is where they learn to ski, learn to love to ski, and then, maybe, depending on the kid, learn to race, therein developing an incredible race program from the bottom up. Kanc Carvers is one of those experiences kids remember forever, first as little… Continue reading Circle of Life for Lin-Wood Kids at the Kanc (Title Credit to JJ Bujeaud)
Our newly turned 7 year old was saying shit on the playground at school, and by “shit” I don’t mean stuff; I mean, he actually yelled the word “shit” from the top of a snowbank on the playground, prompting me to write my first crazy mom email as a public school teacher in the same… Continue reading When Your Own Kid Says Shit at School
Heather Ehrman Krill: The "Write" Kind of Coach 