Author Archives: Be Strong. Be Courageous. Be You

About Be Strong. Be Courageous. Be You

Jus' tryin to do my part to make the world a little more wonderful.

I Went to Say Goodbye

The first in a series about life with the challenge of alcohol abuse disorder & mental illness. I really went to say goodbye.  I didn’t know how long a goodbye would take or that it wouldn’t really be goodbye, but … Continue reading

Posted in ALcohol Use Disorder, Family, Health, Mental Health, mental illness, sister, Sister, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

One Little Word, (OLW) 2020

Something keeps showing up again and again in my life across the past several months. It’s out of place with my status quo. Why? It takes place outside even in the heat and in the cold. It’s active, but it’s … Continue reading

Posted in blogging, Child Matters, Learning, One Little Word, Principal, thoughts, Truths | Tagged , | 2 Comments

What a Tractor Taught Me About Living, Loving & Learning

“That acre needs mowing,” my brother said to no one in particular. He’d been under the weather. I was visiting him at his house in Iowa.  We’re twins but it had been years since we’d spent any real time together. … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

How Does Your Garden Grow?

So many exciting things happen on a school campus.  It’s hard to keep everyone “in the loop”. One of the most exciting things happening on our campus this school year so far is the garden which is taking shape.  The … Continue reading

Posted in Garden, Learning, make a difference, Principal, San Pedro, Story, video text | Tagged | 3 Comments

How Can I Help My Child Improve in Reading?

Photo courtesy of Dads Read, Public Library Services How can I, as a parent, affect my child’s reading life? If you look on the internet you might come away with the idea that you need to heavily scaffold the reading … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Child Matters, close reading, Family, Home, libraries, reading | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Courageous Kids

Image courtesy of melinda365 photography   We welcomed a new student to school today, on the eleventh day of school. A kindergartener, who walked straight down the big front steps, into the two story building toward his classroom.  How he … Continue reading

Posted in celebration, Child Matters, Small Moment | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Seriously Terrific Energizing Activities that Matter: STEAM Education at one elementary school in Los Angeles

AltaSea is a gem of a place located in the heart of  Los Angeles Harbor.  Here, professionals in the business world mix with educators and service providers and all sorts of folks invested in the marine environment and the “blue … Continue reading

Posted in Learning, Principal, San Pedro, STEAM, Story, Students First, Teaching, Teaching Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Howie

He was the kind of guy who leaned down and hugged you a little longer than you were comfortable with. He had big puppy brown eyes with lashes that every girl in high school was jealous of.  He was younger … Continue reading

Posted in celebration, Family, Home, Random Acts of Kindness, Truths | 3 Comments

THAT child

I read this blog post a couple of years ago  when it was first written.  I understood it then from a teachers’ point of view. Today it was shared with me again and I realized I have a whole new … Continue reading

Posted in Child Matters, Learning, parenting, Passion for teaching, perceptions, Principal, Teaching, thoughts, Truths | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Real vs. Fake News

Tonight I’m joining with Margaret Simon and the #digilit community to consider real vs. fake news and how we can educate our children to decipher the difference.   The task is daunting.  It really is. The Oxford English Dictionary  named … Continue reading

Posted in close reading, digilit sunday, Truths | Tagged , , | 2 Comments