The Pyre

I want to feel packed in      the weight of feet of snow      the heaviness of the moist granules gnashing at my skin     an unfit wrapping for its interior I want to feel suffocated      breath constricted in my chest      fingers laced around my neck reaching across its expanse     anxiety building until r e l e a s e

I’ve been thinking a great deal about motherhood lately. About my own mother, my grandmother who raised me, and even myself as a mother. About its essence, its challenges, and its victories. About my oldest, recently 18, who moved out of my home only to return weeks later (to my relief). About my youngest, recently 13, who strikes a fragile balance between wisdom beyond her years and naïveté of one much younger (to my consternation).  My reflection has led me to many conclusions, one of which is motherhood comes with a lot of . . . How can I put this delicately? Well, it comes with a lot of stupid shit. 1. Being a mother makes me special. Nearly ¾ of American women have children, according to Gallup . Now, I may not be a math whiz, but how does being part of the super-super-majority make one exceptional? This is not to say that being a capable mother is easy or trivial, but the state of motherhood is in itself the norm. 2. My children are not average. Aver...

Some say                "trial by fire"                                    a weary cliche But much more vibrant                                    in first person The sting of the flame                                    suffocates But most fail to acknowledge          the true test              after               the               fire Once all is built back up and tucked in place the broken glass swept away the sooty surfaces wiped clean              then the pressure mounts       ...

Popularity was never my forte. In elementary school , I was a dork. Apparently, wanting to read during recess is a problem. In high school , I was a freak. Better a freak than geek, right? In college , I was invisible. You see, the bar scene wasn’t really baby friendly. So, I figure, why change direction now? I know it’s not the popular sentiment right now. So, I am just going to say it. Common Core State Standards aren’t evil. They aren’t the devil incarnate. But, they also aren’t the answer to all of education’s ills. In the past months, I’ve noticed a considerable increase of anti-CCSS rants on Twitter, Facebook , and even traditional television networks . Many of these rants are authored by intensely dedicated teachers, fueled by their passion for kids. Some of the rants are authored by crazy conservatives who still think Arne Obama personally wrote the standards himself. And I respect these teachers. Not so much the crazies. From what I can tell, the argument...

AAC, DOK, SWSCD . . . Oh, My! Well, I gotta be honest: when I saw the job post for “Item Writer,” I wasn’t exactly jumping out of my Chucks in anticipation. However . . . I am a teacher, so pulling in a little extra dough without having to wait tables with my former students did motivate me enough to update the ole resume. So, when I finally accepted the temporary position via CETE in conjunction with DLM , I realized that I had just ruined my chances of wasting my summer away at the pool, drunk on books.  And, frankly, that was my central concern. Just three weeks later, I received my first paycheck.  And, as you may suspect, I’ve already spent most of the money earned pounding out test questions. Nevertheless, I do have some things a bit more enduring than my bank account balance to show for the experience thus far: DLM is creating something that has never, ever, ever been done before, and I am lucky to play a minor role in its  efforts .   F...