I could never get enough of my mother … because the line was too long. I was the fifth of six sons. Denis in the middle. My situation wasn’t any more desperate than anyone else in the tribe … we were all mother-deprived. But it wasn’t her fault. The poor lady was run-ragged searching … Continue reading Lady Madonna
I am not so young anymore. I lug around lots of memory stuff ... flashbacks I mostly keep to myself because ... because they're only important to me. But sometimes I see something ... or hear something ... and I have a " if only I knew then, what I know now" moment. So I … Continue reading Unhurry Your Child …
It’s impossible to tell a story you don’t even know. A jigsaw story with lots of pieces that don’t fit together. But I can’t get this story that I don’t know out of my head. I bought a book I shouldn’t have … at an estate sale. Found it in a danky basement. No one … Continue reading A Pious Frenzy
Guest post Street Lights I was sitting in a diner, only a couple of people around, having their own conversations, taking their time with every movement they made. I sipped on my sprite and looked at the clock on the wall, seeing how slowly the seconds ticked by. I watched as the bubbles from my … Continue reading Street Lights
"There's nothing more we can say ... THEY went there ... THEY rang the bell ... it can't be undone." ~Cindy Curcio~ The recent National Walk-Out was staged political theatre ... a public abduction of America’s youth. “It was savvy propaganda artists deliberately terrifying children by convincing them that they should be more afraid of … Continue reading You’ve Been Played – National School Walkout
The long knives are out for teachers caught in this pathetic reform ... wedged in the middle of a mess they didn’t make. The sad and bitter tales … about kids in homework-agony and testing misery ... color lots of teachers unfairly. Tattooing them as grinding task-masters. Cold accomplices. Me-firsts. Bad guys. They're not. Not … Continue reading Can’t You See Me?
I have three sons … all deep enough into adulthood now. Two are fathers … the other is a genius. I’m tempted to call ‘em Moe, Larry, and Curly … but if I do … and it gets back to them … well ... then they’re gonna tell lots of secrets about you-know-who … so … Continue reading Who Said “Sh*t”?
Guest Post from Melissa Cortright Newmaster, Pennsylvania. Here's her story... One Mother's Journey. "Oh...I’ve been a busy bee. My work is almost done here in my school district. This past Tuesday was School board election night. This is the second and the last time I will help clean out the board room. Clean sweep. No incumbents … Continue reading One Mother’s Journey
“Once … while with friends … I was asked what was the most significant thing I'd ever done in my life. It was a quick answer. Right to the point … ‘Being a Marine and leading men in combat’ ..." Ten thousand six hundred nineteen miles is a long way. But it’s not so long … Continue reading COMING HOME
Perhaps we should all resolve to take back our schools. To reclaim our parental rights. To demand that schools focus on OUR CHILDREN ... and that those unwilling to put OUR CHILDREN first should ... perhaps ... stake out other careers. It is time to acknowledge the mistakes of the last decade ... and the … Continue reading Ten Commandments of Public Education
Missives Worth Reading 