Leveraging Learning

 I am not teaching summer school this year, which has been delightful for me and frustrating for my housemates. I love school a lot, and I was also ready for a break. That said, I can't sit still. Sure, we have traveled a bit, gone to the pool, binge watched some TV (mostly at my youngest's behest), but when we are not doing those things, I do projects. Thus far, I have made unsuccessful attempts at bunny proofing the garden, restaked the pole beans, sorted the clothes in my dresser, revamped the laundry room and installed a hummingbird feeder - alas, no hummingbirds yet. This morning, I decided it was time to tackle the fridge. As a math teacher, I like to count things. We had 4 jars of mustard, 17 cans of beer, 5 different types of jelly, capers from 2016 and 7 different types of pickles. I dutifully dumped the unwanted down the sink and recycled the containers. I saved all the beer and the cherry jam (my favorite). It was the Spicy Szechuan Sauce that made the least sense to...

A former student showed up to visit this week and with her was a friend who had not been a student at our school. We had a lovely visit, talking about the past and the future, and wandering through the hallways of our incredibly beautiful building. The friend was blown away by the light, the space, the furniture, the colors and the newness of our school. "My middle school was not this nice," she remarked. My immediate family is fortunate in our academic and professional places. My older son works at an arboretum, which we not-jokingly refer to as "the most beautiful place on earth." It's filled with plants, space, structures and light that are all designed to bring beauty and peace. My younger son is working towards his PhD in applied mathematics in Hoboken, New Jersey. Each time I visit him there I am in a awe of the Hudson River and all the buildings and lights and walkways that support human wonder. And, of course, my school was designed to keep middle school...