One of my favorite activities, throughout my life and as an educator, is reading to children. I wrote briefly, last year, about an annual tradition in River Forest, where, as a special occasion, teachers would bring their classrooms to the district and I would read The West Texas Chili Monster by Judy Cox and illustrated by John O’Brian. “The children loved the bright green monster on the front cover. The story’s setting on a ranch in West Texas gave me the opportunity to talk about my … [Read more...]
Binging and Purging Is an Addiction: National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (February 26-March 4)
Eating and purging was one of my addictions after my husband Larry left for Vietnam and when I checked myself into the Menninger Clinic in 1970. It was a ritual that relieved my escalating anxiety and the sense that all the fear building up inside of me would blow off the top of my head. At the time, my fear had a constant cadence like a drumbeat. Not long after being hospitalized during one of our afternoon sessions, Dr. Roberts visited with me about a report from one of the cafeteria … [Read more...]
Listen to your inner voice – cancer?
I was diagnosed with cancer just about a full year after my husband Larry’s remains were recovered from Laos. I had waited more than 30 years to finally lay him to rest after his plane was shot down during the Vietnam War. For the past 10 years I have been managing chronic lymphocytic leukemia. In July of 2006, I was informed that Larry’s remains had been found and recovered. Laura and I traveled to Hawaii that November to accompany them home. On November 13th, he was buried at … [Read more...]
Might Could – On the Fence or Not?
Early in my career in Illinois, as a member of the administrative team for the school district, when offering a solution to an issue we were grappling with, I said, “I might could solve our problem.” In a demeaning retort, our superintendent said, “What does that mean? Might could? Really?” Since I had said and heard might could as a potential solution to problems all my life, I was stunned. “It means, I’m not even on the fence. If I say I might, it means maybe I could get on the fence … [Read more...]
Grand-Friends – Sharing Stories to Bring Us Together
Personal relationships with older generations have always impacted my life in in strong and positive ways. Over time I’ve come to realize how transformational and magical, those relationships were for my confidence and growth. When I was Director of Instruction in Highland Park, Illinois, I worked with our middle school teachers to develop a writing project for children in one of our sixth-grade English classes. In order to help our students engage with senior citizens in our community, and … [Read more...]
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