Avoidance

Some of the most painful things that ever happened to me happened in childhood. One day after school, I sat in the car with my mom, facing the tree in our side yard, and crying and crying and telling her I was never going back to school. I had no friends. My only friend, in […]

Penance

I’ve been to a lot of trainings to learn “what the students’ lives are like.” These presenters are usually people who don’t spent 8 hours a day, every day, with students. Instead, they are university-level experts in cultural differences and student psychology. Sure, when you start teaching, you should learn about the students you’re working […]

Patience

One reason it’s good to have less money is that it forces you to be more patient. A couple of weeks ago, my laptop took a turn for the worse. Since I tripped over the cord, getting a good connection between the outlet and the computer is a tricky business. Sometimes it requires repeated twisting […]

Stuck in the Middle

Americans like to think they are all middle class. If you are “middle class,” you can rest assured that you are a good person, not a lazy, snobby “rich” person, or a lazy, stupid “poor” person. It reminds me of middle school. We all must be “average.” A boy should be average height. Short boys […]