Tomorrow, a soccer team of girls I truly love mostly because of time spent in my classroom will play in the rain against another talented team of girls, probably equally adored by other people, families and teachers. Our team won their first round last week also in the rain in penalty kicks after two ten… Continue reading On Pumpkins, Play-offs, and Potential
There is no doubt that we are giving this parenting gig our best effort; however, in those moments when we realize just how badly a situation could have turned out, we shake our heads in disbelief at how we could have been so stupid. See the kids in this picture, smiling, wearing protective head gear,… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Blog, October 12, 2017: Parenting Risk Taking and Mistake Making
Doesn’t every little girl want a Paralympic wheelchair racing Barbie doll? Ours did when she was four, and it remains one of her favorite toys because “wheelchair racing Barbie is fast, has fun hair and good clothes.” Last year this time, our family was all about the Olympics and Paralympics, discussing how they are alike… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Blog for September 29, 2017: “September is Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month”
Meet Annie. Annie began helping “unofficially” at adaptive waterskiing when she was just 9 years old. Annie is awesome. She has grown up between Windham, NH and the docks of Squam Lake, first loading and unloading equipment on the barge and keeping life jackets organized; now an integral part of EAS and a college freshmen… Continue reading Young People are Essential for the Sustainability of Volunteer Organizations
Geoff Krill isn’t exactly an ambulance chaser; however, he LOVES meeting people whose lives have been forever changed by spinal cord injury. Recently, while at a cycling event, our friend and adaptive coach MiKayla Briere watched him working with Ryan St. Lawrence, a downhill mountain biker who sustained his SCI just last summer. She smiled… Continue reading Christopher and Dana Reeve Blog, Sept. 8, 2017: “Being Krill-ed”
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
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?”
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
Heather Ehrman Krill: The "Write" Kind of Coach 