A few years ago, one of my history students asked, “What was life like before the iPhone, Ms. P?“ As much as that question made me feel REAL old, I could see her point. My students’ lives have been completely taken over by cell phones. …
When we moved from Virginia to Colorado, we had to drive ourselves and our cats halfway across the country. I had been warned about driving through Kansas, but didn’t believe it until I experienced it myself. From Topeka to Denver, there is nothing. Just fields, …
I remember very few gifts that I received as a kid – the My Little Pony barn (it was 🔥) and a blue flannel sleeping bag that I got instead of the Strawberry Shortcake one I wanted. That’s about it. Do you remember some of …
When I was dating the man who became my husband, I figured out really quickly that Christmas is his jam. He is obsessed. However, when we were comparing family traditions, I found out that his parents didn’t do Christmas stockings. {Gasp!} I know. No stocking …
So, I’m a bit of a Harry Potter fan. Just a bit. I’ve written about Harry Potter here and here. And maybe here as well. I’ve read all the books multiple times, seen all the movies, I listen to a podcast, and I’ve got lots …
One Christmas when I was in elementary school, I didn’t get a particular present that I wanted. And I complained about it a lot. I don’t even remember what the missing present was, but I remember my grandmother’s response. “When I was little, one Christmas …
I remember coming home from the hospital with our first child. She was so sweet and tiny and helpless. My husband and I got home and looked at each other, thinking, “Well, what do we do now? We had just figured out there was no …
After I explained the directions, my student Jane always asked what we were doing. She brought the wrong notebook to class. All the time. Her backpack was a mess and her planner was empty. Twenty minutes into an activity and she had just started it. …
“What play did President Lincoln go see the night he was assassinated?” my 11th grade English teacher asked the class. “Our American Cousin,” this history nerd muttered. But apparently loud enough for the boy in front of me to hear. When the teacher announced it …
When I taught, I used to check my e-mail on the weekends. But over time, I started getting more e-mails from parents that would ruin my entire weekend. So, I stopped checking my e-mail on the weekends. It wasn’t convenient for my students, but it …