As I’ve officially returned to school this week for professional development, I await the arrival of my students one week from today. Sitting in meetings with colleagues, my eyes often turn to wonder outside the window, and I remember our hiking experiences this summer with our girls. Why is it that writing comes so much… Continue reading “Dear Mary from Birmingham” Letters: Batch 4
Recently, our six-year-old daughter asked if other daddies might be sad if they couldn’t slingshot. Perplexed, I thought she meant using an actual slingshot as in caveman style sling and rock to kill an animal. I think I said something like, “Well, not all people like to hunt.” She gave me a funny look because… Continue reading August 15, 2017 Christopher and Dana Reeve Blog: “What about the daddies who can’t slingshot?”
So, as a teacher in a small town, I generally tread carefully with social media, trying to model for my high school students the power of words– when to use our strongest language and when we should just listen. This is one of those times when helping our kiddos to articulate what makes them… Continue reading Thinking of You, Charlottesville, With Both Hope and Humanity
Here are some more strong letters in defense of our challenging White Mountain trails: Dear Mary Altz-Smith, My friends and I frequently hike in the White Mountains during the summer. Today, we hiked Indian Head on June 20 with my summer hiking group, Girls of Summer. We are a strong group of girls who… Continue reading “Dear Mary from Birmingham” Letters: Batch 3
A continued conversation of our response letters from Girls of Summer: Dear Mrs. Mary Altz-Smith, The letter that the you wrote to The Union Leader was very disappointing. You obviously have never been in the in the real outdoors of New Hampshire. Have you ever been on an actual hike before coming to our challenging… Continue reading “Dear Mary from Birmingham” Letters: Batch 2
Just 24 hours ago, many of us who were spending the night anywhere in a tent in Northern New Hampshire were cursing the weather people along with Mother Nature herself. The rain was supposed to end. Cooler than normal temps meant 50 degrees but not 40. These girls pictured above not only hiked for 5… Continue reading “Dear Mary from Birmingham” Letters: Batch 1
One of my favorite American novels is The Things We Carried by Tim O’Brien. In the first chapter, he writes about what they carry in their packs. Today, while hiking we teased one young lady for packing an entire jumbo box of goldfish in her pack along with a pudding cup, not her best choice… Continue reading The Weight We Carry
Dear Matt, We are going to call you Matt because I currently do not have a ninth grade student named Matt; therefore, I can protect the innocent. These words in your end of year reflective essay have stayed with me for days, even weeks now. I wrote them here for this photo, and you should… Continue reading For a Broken Hearted Ninth Grade Boy
Dear Mary Altz-Smith of Birmingham, AL, Recently, The Union Leader published your letter to the editor expressing your disappointment in the conditions of our White Mountain trails. Respectfully, many of us who actually live here actually got quite a kick out of your complaints, including this incredible group of girls we have… Continue reading For the Lady who Complained Our White Mountains are “Disgraceful,” We Beg to Differ…
I’m excited to feature a guest blogger today in the form of Kai Goode, a sophomore in high school whom I’ve known since she was a very little girl. She is the daughter of Maxey and Pat Goode and sister to Brendan and Dylan. Kai Goode, Charmaine Chau, Delaney Pickering, Jasmine Hand, Kaitlyn and Jillian… Continue reading Guest Blogger, sophomore Kai Goode, Shares on Behalf of Rotary’s Interact: Youth Making a Difference both within our Community and the World
Heather Ehrman Krill: The "Write" Kind of Coach 