It’s February, the polar vortex is breathing down our necks, and I can’t stop dreaming about swimming -- preferably in water at least 65 degrees, but I’d give it a go even at a few degrees lower. Some of my friends consider me a cold water swimmer, and while I may bask in their acclaim, I simultaneously feel the imposter syndrome kick in. Real cold water swimmers would find temps in the 60s balmy. I especially admire the British and their affinity with bodies of water of all kinds. That small

They are angels among us.

They are angels among us. They are the heart and soul of our children’s education. They are the ones we count on to lead the next generation forward, and over the past year, they have done what no amount of education or experience ever prepared them to do. They are our teachers. And despite the exhausting and discouraging logistics of trying to teach during a pandemic, our educators have persevered with amazing creativity as they heroically guide our children through this pandemic to the light

When I had the privilege of being a teacher, I tried to stress the importance of logic in evaluating information and making decisions.

When I had the privilege of being a teacher, I tried to stress the importance of logic in evaluating information and making decisions. Fifty states and sixty court actions have confirmed the fact that Joe Biden is the legally and correctly certified winner of the 2020 Presidential election. And this allows me to point out a glaring logical fallacy promoted by many on the right. The assertion has been made by many Trump supporters that the fascist insurrection at our Capitol was a so-called

Over the last few weeks, I have witnessed the astonishment of white folks surprised by the insurrection at the nation’s capital on Jan 6th. White fear and violence are threaded throughout US history, which people of color have known and survived for over four hundred years. White violence in the US began with the colonization and genocide of native people and has continued through the systematic exclusion and murder of people of African, Asian, and Latinx descent, among others.

Over the last few weeks, I have witnessed the astonishment of white folks surprised by the insurrection at the nation’s capital on Jan 6th. White fear and violence are threaded throughout US history, which people of color have known and survived for over four hundred years. White violence in the US began with the colonization and genocide of native people and has continued through the systematic exclusion and murder of people of African, Asian, and Latinx descent, among others. Historically,

This week is National School Counseling Week. The theme is All in for All Students. Right now, I want to share a powerful story with you.

This week is National School Counseling Week. The theme is All in for All Students. Right now, I want to share a powerful story with you. As a high school counselor, I am humbled and grateful when a young man can share with me. A few days before graduation, a young man sat in my office, head hung low. Enormous tears slid down his face and plopped on the carpet, wet spots as big as dimes. He was heartbroken when a romantic relationship ended. His former girlfriend and he conceived a child

Don’t tell the insurance man, but last week I started a chimney fire, my first ever. I know enough not to walk away from the fire in the process of building it, but for some reason I did anyway. When I ambled back to the wood stove, I saw that the stove door was cracked, and the stovepipe was hemorrhaging smoke. Then I heard roaring coming from the chimney. The stovepipe thermometer read zero. How could that be? In the middle of a fire cycle, the thermometer might read 500 degrees. It only goes