Thursday morning a coyote crossed my path on my morning walk, just as I was listening to a conversation where the participants were sharing quotes that inspire hope. Here’s one of the quotes: “People say, what is the sense of our small effort? They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time, . . . Read More
On Sunday we received news that our long time friend, Deborah Cox, passed away. Deborah and her family have been a part of the Seed’s history for decades. Prior to retirement, she served as the assistant director of the ASU Center for the Study of Race and Democracy. It was through Deborah and her family . . . Read More
I don’t know how I missed it, but I managed to sleep through the storm that blasted through the valley on Monday night. My first clue that something was up was when I noticed a large tree fallen across the sidewalk on my morning walk. As I drove down Baseline on my way home from . . . Read More
We’ve entered our fourth day of school and, all things considered, we’re off to a good start. We have many wonderful new families, along with our wide range of returning families. It’s been a delightful experience to see our students back in person who have been at home for the past fifteen months. Additionally, . . . Read More
If there’s anything the 2020-2021 school year has given us, it’s an overabundance of opportunities to be innovative. After missing their graduation a year ago, we wanted to make sure our 3rd-5th graders had a memorable ceremony. Although some of the mitigations for COVID-19 have eased up a bit, we still have to follow . . . Read More
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
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
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
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
As the months keep adding up since the pandemic began, it’s easy to slide into the mindset of focusing on what we’ve lost. I struggle with this daily, and all of it is making many of us feel incredibly tired. Yet we press on, showing up every day to serve our students, support each other, and . . . 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
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
A consistent presence in the kindergarten class from year to year is the hermit crab terrarium. Hermit crabs become members of the class, providing hours of entertainment as they crawl in and out of wooden block structures constructed by five-year-olds. What I’ve always found intriguing about hermit crabs is how they inhabit a shell, then . . . Read More
It’s been four and a half months since there were this many cars in our parking lot. Cautiously the Seed staff has returned for a week of cleaning, planning, and preparing for what lies ahead. We’ve completed CPR training and gone over COVID-19 protocols, in addition to preparing for virtual teaching along with in-person learning. . . . Read More
My plan was to take a two-week break from my blog. I did want to share one link with you that was truly inspiring, though, an interview with the late John Lewis. His words, like his life, motivate me to keep going, to keep doing the work. Last night’s full rainbow after the storm was . . . Read More
Normally we’d be on vacation right about now, looking at scenes such as this one on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. We would be revitalizing ourselves by walking beaches on either coast, perhaps taking a ferry from one location to another. There was always a body of water involved. Last night, as we took . . . Read More