Cyndy Erickson gave me a book and an invitation last Christmas. The book is My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem. The invitation was to connect remotely with her, and others to talk about the book, its impact on us, and America’s relationship with race. As we read and talked about the book over several months, I decided to create a … Read
Be the Change–Voting Rights
Join us for our “Zoom Workshops” to support the belief that Black Lives Matter. We’ll study the issues, as well as routes to action. We’re starting with voting rights because we want to make sure we make our votes count in this critical election.
Want Better Discussions? Avoid the Pitfalls and Keep Moving Forward
Three earlier posts in this series provided some proactive ways to invigorate your classroom conversations. We addressed questioning techniques, wait time, verbal and non-verbal response and framing the conversation. This post addresses some common pitfalls as well as some ways to move forward with your engaging classroom discussions. We’re all human, and teachers can fall victim to some behaviors that … Read
New Year Priority
Time and again I’ve started a New Year’s Resolution and by the end of January my enthusiasm to keep the resolution has all but fizzled out. Maybe some of you have experienced this tiresome cycle. This year I’m trying to combat the cycle by hitching my resolution to my yoga practice. Since I do yoga as often as I can, … Read
New Year, New Intention
So I’m driving home from yoga class listening to an interview of Sue Grafton, the great detective writer and thinking I need to just write a little bit every day this year. Well, is it too late since yesterday was the first? And then I realize I’m hungry, and I see that the garbage can is tipped over blocking the … Read
Gotta Have a Coach
Over the last four years or so, I’ve let my backyard get more than a little overgrown. One reason–an Amur Maple that we planted the first spring I lived here took a huge hit in an early snow storm. I wept over that tree the next morning when I found every branch either broken or split down the middle from … Read
Unexpected Turns in Life
When asked where we live, I joke that my husband & I live in a halfway house. We are renting a place located half way between our previous life and our next life. You see, we sold our home in Beaverdale, where we’ve lived most of the last 20 years. We are building a new home in the country but … Read
Let’s Figure It Out
As we go spinning around the sun, we tend to mark anniversaries. I have one coming up tomorrow. It’s been 11 years since I cleaned out my desk at Iowa State University Extension in Polk County and started my work here at Next Step. I was there til 8 pm on my last day! Who does that? Someone who is … Read
Make Space
While I was in Akumal I dreamed I gave birth. Don’t worry; someone whisked the baby off before I could do any damage. But dreams of giving birth are really about transformation and creation. Vacations are for getting away from routines, exploring places that are a little uncomfortable. This trip especially gave me a chance to question my “way of … Read
Find Your True Nature
Find your true nature. Then resist it. We’ve been exploring this concept in yoga lately, and often the question is why? Another is how? Here’s a story that answers both questions. Back in 2004 (thanks Beth!) we built the Adventure Learning Center. We scheduled training with Junior from Wisconsin. I loved Junior. I probably owe him my life. I certainly … Read
