I did not grow up in the town where I am now a teacher, but Homecoming always makes me smile. One, I am reminded of those Homecoming weekends of my youth, filled with soccer and football games, bonfires, and “remember whens” with friends. I remember catching up with coaches who pushed us hard, teachers… Continue reading Homecoming…
Tomorrow, this bulletin board will greet my students on our first day of school. No matter how many years into this teaching gig I get, I’m still an excited school girl the night before. Change. Transition. Adolescence. Friendship. Work ethic. Big dreams. Little dreams. Balancing what we love with what we must do. Finding our… Continue reading On the Night Before School Begins, Our Last Batch of “Dear Mary from Birmingham” Letters
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
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
Writer wife teacher mom is on summer vacation! Two weeks in now, and I’d like to say I’m totally relaxed, reading books by the river, watching my kids frolic with one another in the yard, “Mom, this is the best summer ever! Can we just stay home and play outside all day? ” Yeah, no,… Continue reading Summer Mother Mojo
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…
