We are in serious trouble — It was 8:30 p.m. and Parent Teacher Night ended in half an hour. A father waited patiently at my door to ask for a private conversation. After introducing himself, he asked me for a syllabus. His daughter was my student and he explained that he wanted to read and discuss…

Our parents were right all along — It was forbidden fruit. All parents on the West Side told their kids to never, ever go to the falls. Under no circumstances. It was too dangerous back there. Two miles behind the hospital sat a beautiful, natural waterfall, one we had never seen. The hike to the top of…

I can’t turn back the clock, but I can change the way I see myself — Little did I know that Carol Dweck’s book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success would have any bearing on my life whatsoever. I had been teaching 25 years when my then-principal introduced this book as the next best thing since sliced bread. When you teach in a public school, the…

Be right with you — I cannot listen to you right now. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude. My muse is lifting her head. If I don’t respect her, I will pay. She is incredibly clever but she can be demanding, impatient, petulant and irritated if she is ignored for too long. And…

Changing roles with our parents is no easy feat If I had only known then what I know now it may have been easier to navigate the changes that were to come. We define ourselves by what we do. It’s natural. Mom was Dad’s caregiver. That was what she did…

Gardening grounds me, literally — Gardening opens a floodgate of awe for me. When I plant seeds and place them on my windowsill to germinate, I’m taken in by watching the new plants emerge. I never know which seeds will take. This year I planted kale, lettuce, basil, and parsley seeds. I kept the seeds…

It’s time to reflect — I have the urge to play Rummikub. After dinner, every night when Mom lived with us, we pulled out the box of tiles and played two rounds of this board game. We always knew when Mom had a good play. She would hold a tile between her thumb and forefinger…

How we are changed in ways we cannot imagine — Illness can change us in profound ways. So many times in my life, I have witnessed transformations in those I love who have become ill and experience chronic pain. The alchemy happens not only in them, but happens in those around them. Why is that? Kat Duff’s book The Alchemy…

An experiment that is two weeks old — In an effort to sleep better, two weeks ago I decided to accept the advice of experts and give up the use of screens for two hours before bedtime. Here is more on the genesis of this little experiment: Sleep Like a Baby That’s the goalmedium.com So, how did I do? Well, it certainly was much harder…