January 2012
1 post
December 2011
5 posts
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement, nothing can be done without...”
– Helen Keller
August 2011
5 posts
“Maybe you think what I’m saying is “for the birds.” But before you rush to...”
– Jack Pendarvis
6th Grade English Teacher!
My Goals for the Year:
1. Stay organized.
2. Stay two weeks ahead of schedule.
3. Don’t procrastinate.
4. Be creative in my lesson planning.
5. Have fun with my kids.
They are still kids! They aren’t teens yet, but from what I saw this summer at the Mustard Seed Center, they are very emotional people… and they say whatever is on their mind. This is going to be an...
September 2010
1 post
August 2010
6 posts
Queenie Beanie
No body! But so neat!
The Pattern!
March 2010
1 post
Excerpts from Mary Ruefle's Essay "Someone Reading...
I sat in the silent classroom and I heard all kinds of things- I heard the non-ticking clock tick, and the sweat beginning to form on my body, and the window glass was about to break into pieces. The pencil sharpener on the wall was salivating.
Reading is hazardous. Here is a true story that proves it: a Chinese student, having read The Scarlet Letter, saw an American in China wearing a...
February 2010
4 posts
Centuries Later
There they were, marching
with the steeple for shoes
flaunting shiny jack-knives.
You are maniacal,
and negligent,
swinging swip-salt,
goosagal,
and fine-tipped malabulbs in your bucket.
Who would be hurt here?
She couldn’t see a thing.
Her granddad’s broken nose was on her neck
her brother’s stutter on her hair
when she stopped
and saw.
The swip-salt invaded their...
January 2010
2 posts
“A simple trick from the backyard astronomer: if you are having trouble seeing something, look slightly away from it. The most light-sensitive parts of our eyes (those we need to see dim objects) are on the edges of the region we normally use for focusing.”
December 2009
2 posts
Paul D
So, kneeling in the keeping room the morning after Paul D came, she was distracted by the two orange squares that signaled how barren 124 really was.
He was responsible for that. Emotions sped to the surface in his company. Things became what they were: drabness looked drab; heat was hot. Windows suddenly had view. And wouldn’t you know he’d be a singing man.
Little rice, little...
November 2009
1 post
October 2009
8 posts
Katherine Anne Porter
She was born in Texas and is a descendant of Daniel Boone. When she was sixteen she ran away and married John Henry Koontz. He was abusive and threw her down the stairs, breaking her ankle. She escaped to Chicago and played extras in movies. Then she she gathered her courage and moved back to Texas. There she sang, danced, and divorced her horrible husband. That same year she was misdiagnosed...
Quincy Uganda
My name is Winnie Atkins. I don’t work anywhere. That’s ‘cause I’m 7 years-old. I’m gonna tell you about my friend Quincy Uganda. First thing to tell you that is most interesting is that he has shiny, shiny hair that is the color purple. I tell you, that head of hair is the best thing that ever was. And what’s more is that it’s curly too, which makes it...
Sung When They Are Snatched
In the original, he was a dim carcass. Never-mind his glowing temperament, snapping at the fireflies, pulling them out of the air into a well of hissing jingles.
In the pages: mosaics of crescent moons, by the curious who got down, summer knees on coarse the gray public carpet.
He was mean.
She wished he was a woman so she could feel his anger more deeply. She wished she could stop him. With...
Jokes Written in 1945
FUNERAL
The florist was away when the phone rang, so the new assistant took and filled the order. “Be sure the wreath is large,” came the order, “and put on a wide ribbon with ‘Rest In Peace’ on both sides, and if there is room, ‘We Shall Meet In Heaven.’” When the wreath arrived it caused quite a flurry, for there on a wide ribbon was the...
