Can your heart break for someone you don’t know? Every morning I read the news – every night, I tell myself, not to do it again – every story sends spikes down my spine, like I’m frozen to the screen, like a crash you slow down for on the highway eyes peeled for the…
It was my birthday this weekend: August 9th, 2014. I got lots of messages and texts and voicemails from friends and acquaintances telling me how much of a difference I make in their lives. People I haven’t spoken to in years reached out to specifically tell me that they are inspired by me, that I…
Dearest Mamalee… I’m sorry I haven’t written in a while. I guess that means I’m getting back more to my normal life (whatever normal means). When I first left home, I always reserved Sundays to call you guys and I never missed one. No matter what else was going on, Sunday was always “call home…
Mom – I’ve been trying really hard to keep myself organized and busy, but so many things that I used to do just don’t bring me any joy. And it makes me wonder if they ever actually did make me happy, or if they were just things I did for the sake of something to…
“My mother’s death had cut me short at the very height or my youthful arrogance. It had forced me to instantly grow up and forgive her every motherly fault at the same time that it kept me forever a child, my life both ended and begun in that premature place where we’d left off.” –…
So, Mothers’ Day came and went without much pomp. Honestly, I kind of ignored it. I hadn’t been home for Mothers’ Day in a long time, so usually the only thing I did to honor the day was to call you and to call Nana. Well, it was the first Mothers’ Day without both of…
Since Sean Connery will forever be your one-true-celebrity-crush… What time did Sean Connery get to Wimbledon? Now… say it out loud, Mom… There you go. Get it? Thanks Buzzfeed. Love ya. – Rob
Dear Mom, Whenever I have to do something I don’t want to do, I know I have permission from you not to do it – unless the consequences are going to be crazy extreme. Like going to an interview for a job I never wanted in the first place, or hanging out with someone who…
Hi, Mom – Was looking through old photos today – trying to actually develop some pictures that I’ve taken in the past few years, instead of storing them all somewhere in the internet universe – and came across this video. It was a summer visit, when you had just gotten Juno and she was completely wild.…
Mom – I got this new app called TimeHop that connects to your Facebook and Twitter accounts and will tell you what you posted one year, two years, three years, etc. ago. (I don’t know if you’d be able to figure it out, seeing as you have just barely figured out how to answer your…
Mom – Whenever I shave my legs I have two memories hit me in close succession… Memory #1: When I was 10 or 11 and I asked you if I could start shaving my legs. Lauren Nuss already was, and not only was she my best friend but she had a big sister, so she…
Dear Mom, Thinking about you this morning. Remember when I lived with you for those three months and we just lazed around all day, drinking coffee in the morning, laying in bed together with our computers on our laps? You were still kind of managing the Edgar Road library from afar, but I was off…
In recent news, there has been a barrage of videos, letters, and articles from educators around the country – explaining in no uncertain terms why they are walking away from the teaching profession. Excessive testing, an administration that isn’t supportive, difficulties with classroom management, a lack of autonomy – the reasons continue and continue. These teachers have gotten much attention for their…
Last Wednesday, my 7th graders took their Reading STAAR: sitting in silent rows for 4 hours, bubbling in their scantrons, going to the bathroom one at a time, and taking 10 minutes for a silent snack break. When everyone was finished, no one was allowed to do anything but read or sleep. Sounds like a…
Michelle Rhee is as controversial as ever when it comes to education. Supporters insist she makes tough decisions for schools and puts “students first.” Detractors argue that her emphasis on accountability does much more harm than good. However, both sides can agree — Michelle Rhee is a self-proclaimed data-driven reformer. Her constant insistence on measures…
Una Ruptura 