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.
Category: Nothing in Particular
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As I checked out of the supermarket this week, I heard someone calling my name. That’s pretty unusual as my grocery store is in the next town. It’s not what you might assume; the next town allows food shopping and wine buying in the same place. I like to call it lowering my carbon footprint…
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I hope you will not mind this personal post. Our lives have been consumed for the last three months with selling our home, the place we have spent the last 20 years. We bought this home in 1994. Built in 1931, its structure reminded both of us of our childhood; in fact I often referred…
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The weather in this corner of the northeast has been a real challenge. Since January 1 we’ve accumulated 4 school snow day cancellations; thank goodness this week was a school vacation week or we’d be adding at least one more snow day to the list. Spending your vacation at home is not very exciting. Yes,…
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Most of the time when I see this phrase, it’s not a good thing. Today, however, there was an unintended consequence that fell into the plus side of the education balance sheet. In anticipation of state testing, my students have been practicing writing to a prompt for a couple of weeks. This week, we practiced…
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One of my not-education “hobbies” is family history. It is exhilarating to me when I find a link to a relative, and especially cool when I can place that relative in history. I have found some relatives that fought during the Civil War – and on both sides of that conflict. My Dutch-born great-grandfather, Anthony…
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I am not certain exactly when the idea occurred to us, but this past week, Adrien and I celebrated our anniversary with a quick trip to Paris. Nevermind that I now have a deeper understanding of my immigrant grandfather’s voyage to the new world after spending 12 hours on planes without being able to wiggle! Airline to…
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I traded in my lovely Sicilian surname when I married. Tired of being referred to as Amy Pugloski, Pugsley or some other variant for the unable-to-read, I agreed to be a Bisson. Seriously, how could that get screwed up? Over the years I’ve heard my name pronounced Bi-son (yeah, just like the mammal from the…
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If you’ve ever visited Boston, you know that this view of Boylston Street (taken near the BPL) is fairly unusual. This weekend, Boston was teaming with tourists, Red Sox fans, and New Englanders just wanting to get outdoors and enjoy a warm Saturday afternoon. We were no exception. On Monday, the locals will watch as…
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As the parent of an adult, the holidays are kind of odd for us. The old and comfortable ways we used to celebrate have morphed and changed to be less child-centered. We have never been big party people – Adrien used to play gigs on New Year’s Eve. Once you have had to work a…
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Anyone who has ever taught a third grader knows it’s true: there are certain words that just send these kiddos into hysterics. Think of it as a Seven Words You Can’t Say on TV for 8 year olds. For example: toilet paper. As in, “If we don’t get some tissues boxes in class soon, you’ll…
After An Educator's Journey 