Ewok Dance Party (Fiction)
I should have killed myself at the hospital, when I had the chance.
Read MoreFlamingo Dance (Flash Fiction)
Visitors expected birds to mate for life. They wanted fairy tales behind bars.
Read MoreThe Best Mentor
I’m looking for photographs of my mentor to put on her memorial website. She was only 55 when she died. She died alone and in pain.
Read MoreMother of Turtles
The first baby turtle I saw was a disappointment. I had thought he would be green. Poor thing, he didn’t know how much he let me down. How many foolish hopes I had placed on his little fragile body.
Read MoreI’m a Climber Who Can’t Climb
It’s one thing to be sad teaching climbing when I know that my injury prevents my own climbing. It’s quite another to be terrified that I’m teaching students to do something that might kill them in the end.
Read MoreWhite Teacher Fails Part 4: Parents
I am ashamed that I have allowed white parents to bully me to the point where I think twice before giving consequences to their children.
Read MoreWhite Teacher Fails: Part 3- Discipline Hurts
During my first year teaching, I was assaulted by a student. For the last thirteen years, since I started teaching at twenty-one, this is how I have worded it.
But the word “assault” is a shortcut. It is a knife meant to neatly separate me, the innocent victim, from my student, the scary perpetrator. But what happened was not clean and simple.
Read MoreWhite Teacher Fails: Part 2- Curriculum
I was centering curriculum on my own white experience rather than the needs of my students.
Read MoreWhite Teacher Fails: Part 1- Labs
Here is my plea to other teachers: don’t deprive students of meaningful learning opportunities as a disciplinary technique. Studies have shown that students of color are much more likely to be given harsher disciplinary consequences than their white peers. Punishing the whole class by taking away learning experiences such as labs only widens the achievement gap.
Read MoreTeachable Moment
The students pump their fists in the air. They shout together as one voice, full of both anger and hope. They haven’t given up. They believe they can make the world better.
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Crosswords: The Agony and the Ecstasy
I’ve been doing, perhaps, too many crossword puzzles.
Read MoreLove in the Time of Illness
This isn’t the story I intended to tell. It is embarrassing.
Read MoreThe Cyclist’s Guide to Getting Hit by Cars
In the ecosystem of the road, you, little cyclist, are a prey animal.
Read MoreCoronavirus: Guns and Tomatoes
“I think I want a gun,” Sergey yawned.
Read MoreThe Childless Mother
“Look at your horseback-riding hips, you were made for this!”
Read MoreI’m No Action Hero
I suspect I am a villain trying to fit into a too-small hero’s costume.
Read MoreOf Wisdom Teeth and Dress Dye: Frugal to a Fault
“By your father’s request, we are going to extract all four of your wisdom teeth in one procedure.” The dentist’s voice was muffled by his white mask, his eyes concerned. That’s a lot of teeth at once.
Read MoreSleep: Confessions of a Former End-Duck
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a terrible sleeper. I’ve been like a prey animal, always on the lookout, unable to fully rest
Read MoreClothing Optional: The Wrong Choice
“I’ve decided to wear my bikini bottoms after all,” Nikki reached into her locker.
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