Children of an Idle Brain

In English, we use the same word for “sleeping hallucinations” and “fantastic goals.” They are both “dreams.” They are both suspicious, both frequently denied consideration. I want to go to Africa. That is a wide-awake dream. I’ve wanted to go since I saw “Out of Africa” as a kid. The main character was my hero: […]

Weeds

In the spring the whole world explodes, and when things get going and grow, the weeds come, too.

This is the crankiest time of year for teachers. The weeds are growing. This time of year, we worry about what the students have done, if it was the right stuff, and if we told them the truth.

Physical Evidence

At a certain point, you were supposed to have a line across your back and this meant you were a mature female, and not a child or the elephant man. It also meant you were wearing a bra. Later you would strive to hide any evidence that you were, like most western women, wearing a […]

Mob Mentality

Last weekend’s local teenage mob and police action was the subject of some discussion at my school. A few of the kids were there, and everybody wanted to know what went down. So we had this awkward conversation before we could return to the glorious banality of Week 20 vocabulary….