Author Archives: bethpow06
FMM 10 10 14 Clanging Cymbals
“Ring the alarm, another sound is dying…” ~ Tenor Saw There is a delicate balance that needs to be struck between informing the public and inciting panic. We are seeing this played out in the media as they ramp up the rhetoric about Ebola. To the outside world the US must appear to be extremely […]
FMM 10 3 14 Tunnel Vision
“Still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.”~Paul Simon I had a stark reminder recently of the importance of paying attention. Twice. I pulled up at the light in the early morning twilight. Before making a right turn on a red light, I carefully checked out the oncoming traffic to […]
FMM 9 26 14 The Alternative
“Old age isn’t so bad when you consider the alternative.” ~Maurice Chevalier. There is a term used to describe people who are not mainstream, we say they choose to live an alternative lifestyle. I have always loved that thought, never wanting to be ordinary, to be just like everyone else. Perhaps it comes from growing […]
FMM 9 19 14 Listen to your Body
“Effective health care depends on self-care. This fact is currently heralded as if it were a discovery.” ~ Ivan Illich. I am a master at the art of procrastination, have practiced it ever since I was a child. Despite the moralistic stance I take with my students when I find them guilty of the […]
FMM 9 12 14 Mirror, mirror, on the wall…
FMM 9 12 14 “Mirror, mirror, on the wall…” “How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.”~ William Shakespeare The full moon shone through my window this week. I can remember the moon in Jamaica, rising up over the cane piece and lighting up my bedroom. […]
FMM 9 5 14 Missed Opportunities
“I am not a teacher, but an awakener.” ~ Robert Frost Have you ever had a gut feeling, a firm intuition that you were doing the right thing at the right time? I can’t say that I have. I am not blessed with those inner certainties, that unspoken confirmation. Maybe it is that I just don’t recognize […]
FMM 8 22 14 Kicking and Screaming
“For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain.” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Being a teacher means you have to be an unself-conscious performer. A big part of the job is holding the attention of the class, and to do that you have to be an entertainer. […]
FMM 8 15 14 ‘Someone to watch over me’
“Conscience is the inner voice that warns us somebody may be looking.” ~ H.L. Mencken Last year I finally bought myself a Prius. I knew I would be driving a lot this year (already gone over 10,000 miles) so I was motivated to conserve. I chose a color that makes me smile. They call it […]
FMM 8 8 14 The Joy of Parenthood
“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” ~Frederick Douglass I often joke that it is easy to blame your parents for everything that you think is wrong with you, until you have children of your own. Then, all of a sudden, you realize that it is not that easy being a […]
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