One morning on the playground a student ran up to me and announced that there were animal tracks in the mud under a tree. I wandered over to check them out, and sure enough, there was plenty of proof that we’d had a four-legged visitor, or visitors. My first guess was that it might be . . . Read More
Monday, March 15th, marked the ten-year anniversary of my breast cancer diagnosis. It happened over spring break in 2011 on my first-born child’s birthday. It was a surreal day, and one that significantly altered the course of my life. I had “the good kind” of cancer, ductal carcinoma in situ, and managed to get through . . . Read More
Our planned conversation about Dr. Seuss books was postponed until after spring break. It’s a topic our entire lead staff is interested in, particularly as we develop curriculum that supports social justice. We needed more time, and I have confidence that it will be a robust conversation when it happens. In the mean time, other . . . Read More
On Monday morning, as we were starting another week by conducting health checks on the curb, the father of one of our virtual preschoolers arrived. “I’m here to pick up the submarine.” The request caught my attention, as it’s not a typical pickup of materials. Usually materials picked up for students still learning at home . . . Read More
Every year our studies around social justice manifest in an organically unique way. There’s always a plan, and what actually happens emerges totally from the kids. Last weekend I was talking with one of my former 2nd graders, who is now a young mom, and she said, “I know you’re really into social justice right . . . Read More
What I’ve always loved about this time of year as a teacher is the opportunity to explore human rights issues with children. Even though I haven’t been in the classroom for over ten years, I manage to keep my fingers in the pie, so to speak. It’s one of the most organic parts of my . . . Read More
Yesterday was another day of challenging news, and although I’ve vowed to give myself some space from all of the listening and reading, I’m having a hard time staying away from it. I want to know what’s going on in the world. I want to be informed so I can be a better teacher, leader, . . . Read More
The other day I noticed this beautiful sunflower on the verge of blooming. Two bees were scurrying about in the center where seeds will eventually form. It was perfect timing for a day early in the new year. Months before this moment of unfurling, I devoted considerable time and energy to protecting the seedling that . . . Read More
Under normal circumstances, this week would have been a high energy time around the Seed. We’d be putting final touches on the dances each class was about to present on Thursday night in our Celebration of the Winter Solstice. Dances would be unveiled on Wednesday morning at the dress rehearsal where we were all dazzled . . . Read More
Over the years I’ve often written of my third grade teacher who made such an impact on me as a young child. As I grew older, there was another teacher, Jim Fraser. He was my math teacher in junior high and high school. As I read over some of the memories posted about him on . . . Read More
Last week we were out walking in the neighborhood one evening and passed a father and his daughter in the process of setting up their holiday lights. We could tell they were a team. We commented how beautiful their lights were, and the dad said, “She’s in charge. It’s all her idea.” It was clear . . . Read More
Normally on this day we’d be hustling around, setting up tables, plugging in the warmer, and preparing for our all-school feast. The building would be filled with unbelievably mouth watering smells, and aluminum containers would be lined up for the eventual food service lines. Eventually families would start arriving, and after a large gathering in . . . Read More
It’s a week before Thanksgiving, and we hit a record 92 degrees on Tuesday. Hardly anything surprises me these days. In addition to the unusual weather, it’s a time of profound change, both externally and internally. Certain world events have triggered profound changes in myself, one of the most significant being the killing of George . . . Read More
Wednesday was Veterans Day. I held my own personal celebration by calling my 95-year-old father, Jim Kenner. He’s a veteran and continues to be involved in his local American Legion post. In fact, he was the recipient of a 75-year continuous service pin in March, right before the pandemic hit. We were able to be . . . Read More
The last sentence of my previous blog reads, “We are the Seed after all, and our work will always be to reach toward the light.” I thought of this Wednesday morning with all the weight of uncertainly around the election, the growing number of COVID-19 cases on the planet, and the daily responsibility of making . . . Read More
A favorite part of my day is pickup between 3 and 3:20. Over time, my task has become walking children from their classrooms on the south side of the building to their parents waiting at the gate. It’s a time to connect with certain children I don’t normally see throughout the day. Some students are . . . Read More
Teal colored chairs and tables arrived around the same time as the students. After many months of virtual learning, we opened the space for more of our elementary and preschool students to return to in-person schooling. We were aware of the risks of adding more students to our classrooms, and it was time. Keeping in . . . Read More
Over the years I’ve come to love this time of year when summer is (mostly) behind us and we shift our gaze toward autumn. We’ve been in school almost two months, and it’s time for parent/teacher conferences. After conferences we typically begin gearing up for our annual Halloween carnival. COVID-19 has drastically changed everything, and . . . Read More
I don’t remember a time when using our voices has seemed so important. There’s much to sort through as we move toward an election that will significantly alter the course of our country one way or another. I have my personal opinions, of course, and what I’ve been thinking about is larger than partisan inclinations. . . . Read More
A group of kindergarteners enthusiastically stirred a pot of mud recently. It was a group effort, requiring sticks, big muscles, and directives from bystanders. Their focus was intense and energetic. Days later, another intensely focused person, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, known for her lifetime work of stirring things up, became headline news. RBG served as a justice . . . Read More
The sunrises have been extraordinary lately, unfortunately due to smoke that’s filtered our way from the west coast fires. Each new morning I see another bright orange sun, I think of the people who have lost their homes, family members, and healthy air to breathe. It was shocking to read in the news yesterday that . . . Read More
It’s easy these days to become inundated with news. There is an article for everything from how to entertain your kids during a pandemic to the latest developments in vaccine trials. Painful news about yet another shooting in another city is too frequent. Alarming photos of fires ravaging the west coast are heartbreaking. Podcasts are . . . Read More
We’re now closing in on our second week of school in its new COVID-era manifestation. I have to say I’m totally impressed with our teachers who, under incredible responsibility/stress, are making this happen for both our in-person and virtual students. We still have refinements to make, and we are progressing. I want to tell you . . . Read More
We did it. We reopened the Seed. On Tuesday morning we were greeted by appreciative families dropping off their precious children. Some of the kids were apprehensive about not only having their hair checked for lice as they do every first day of school, but also having their temperature taken. Having to say goodbye to . . . Read More