This handsome young man beside me is Brendan, and he is a senior in high school. You have no idea how hard this is for me to believe, unless you know Brendan too, and where he’s been. He lives with his dad Pat, sister Kai, brother Dylan and is very close with his Grandma… Continue reading Skiing with Brendan is a ‘Goode’ Thing
Every year, I overhear a student casually talking about a wife-beater. And every time, I cringe with the image that contrasts with the ones my students are talking about. Most recently, the conversation sounded a little like this, “I can’t believe he was skiing with only a wife-beater beneath his jacket. What a jackass.” The… Continue reading Eradicating the World of Wife Beaters, One at a Time
Only in New Hampshire (or perhaps this does occur in other wintery states- and if it does please comment) do we put children and toddlers in cardboard boxes, decorated and duck taped, and shoot them down an ice luge in front of cheering parents and spectators. There is a groomed luge “for safety” to keep… Continue reading Only in New Hampshire…
This is Miss Seidel, my first grade teacher. We meet for lunch once or twice a year about halfway between where we both live. Yesterday was one of those moments we live for as teachers, when a student returns to say thank you, only I was on the student end. I was able to give… Continue reading Once a Teacher, Always a Teacher…
Getting the call at 5:35 AM for a delayed opening is nothing short of a miracle in the White Mountains of NH. Then to head outside and find my walkway and driveway already shoveled and both our cars already scraped off by a thoughtful neighbor- this is truly a gift. Thank you, Seth Chandler! He… Continue reading It’s the Little Things Some Mornings…
It’s Friday morning at school and minus 1 degree as I stand here at my post for waving duty. I stand at the stop sign at the front entrance of my school to make sure parents stop at the stop sign and don’t run over any students in the crosswalk. Thank you for stopping at… Continue reading Thinking about Choice while Standing in -1 Degrees
Here it is, folks–my first official hashtag; I’ve been waiting for the right occasion, and I met her this weekend at Loon Mountain. Her name is Meredith Koch, and she is a brand new mono skier. I had just finished up a lesson before lunch in a collaboration between Spaulding Ski Club, part of… Continue reading #endpianoviolence
Leah Rondon died last summer, at 6 years old, when she was hit by a car while playing with a wagon in a friend’s neighborhood in Ansonia, CT. I cried afterwards whenever I thought about what her parents and older brothers must have been feeling, never having met Leah personally. Her picture when posted to… Continue reading Remembering Leah (age 6) and Royce (age 7)…
I consider myself a Grease expert. Not Grease 2 because it doesn’t even compare to Grease, the original, in any way, shape or form. But from the first time viewing Grease with John Travolta and Olivia Newton John, probably in fifth or sixth grade, I was hooked. I memorized the entire film. Sheer performance art… Continue reading For the Love of Grease
Dear former students who have sworn at your teachers, I hope this letter finds you happy, healthy, and gainfully employed in a job you like! I’ve been thinking about you lately, and thought I might compose a note. This summer I participated in an outdoor evening boot camp two days a week which included two… Continue reading For Students Who Have Sworn at Your Teachers
Heather Ehrman Krill: The "Write" Kind of Coach 