After An Educator's Journey
Out of the classroom & into the universe
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Once upon a time, I taught 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders. Now I’m retired and working on new ventures.
Author: amybisson
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I’ve thought for the past year that this time would be difficult. In honesty, the government of the United States has deteriorated faster than I could have imagined. Starting with DOGE Bros, know-it-alls who trample over private data and randomly remove hard-working civil servants, to this past week when the goons of ICE began their…
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Since 2020, I’ve been revisiting watercolor painting, something I did long ago as a junior high student. Learning to do a creative thing is more than a little scary, and yes I understand the irony of that statement: I studied and played piano starting in fifth grade. So the uncomfortable part of exposing oneself as…
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I’ve been dragging my feet about putting up our Christmas tree. Usually I’m on top of holiday decorating starting with the second Sunday of Advent which has been our traditional tree trimming day. This year? I put it off and then off some more. Finally, today, a week until Christmas, I pulled out the ornaments…
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One of the most important things that I felt I should do as an elementary teacher was to encourage children to learn to love reading. Along with the myriad of skills needed to learn the process of reading and comprehending, finding what clicked a child’s interest to learn to read was the catalyst. Interest built…
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After attending rallies like yesterday’s No Kings (October 2025 version), the take-away is that there are a lot of like-minded people who are unhappy with the way things have been going. Here in Lowell, Massachusetts, a respectful crowd listened to speakers, music, and cheered and chanted. Afterwards the group wended their way from Boarding House…
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Fun fact: In my youth and for much of my early adulthood, I was a musician. That was my identity: accompanist, pianist, music teacher. I don’t often speak of it because while I have an undergraduate degree in music, I wasn’t much driven to practicing or the discipline required to be a successful performer. However,…
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Some times, the serendipitous nature of the universe awards you with an invaluable gift of a lifetime. For me, that gift was being partnered with a Ellen Lisi, a mentor long before mentors were “invented”, and a treasured friend. In 1987, my first year as an elementary teacher, Ellen became my partner teacher in second…
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It’s the last weekend in July, and for us, that means it’s time for Lowell’s celebration of diversity in music, food, and culture, Lowell Folk Festival. Adrien and I have been coming to Folk Festivals for decades. Even when we lived nearby, we’d come for a Saturday or Sunday of music and food. More recently,…
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You’ve heard this one, right?
After An Educator's Journey 