The days are full, even with nothing on the calendar. The appetite’s returning, my hiccups come less often now (who knew some people get hiccups after surgery?), my knee will sit with me comfortably in a chair & my leg will move itself. I’ve graduated from walker to one crutch, and sometimes I forget the [...]
Entries Tagged as 'obstacles'
Putting oneself back together again, with a lot of help!
August 2nd, 2010 · 4 Comments · Uncategorized
It’s a busy process, this healing. And not without some moments of agony:
Moment of agony #1 was physical therapy session #1, when it came time to bend my knee. What was a piece of cake before surgery was a real wake-up call after!
Moment of agony #2 lasted about 6 hours. That was on the night [...]
A new knee
July 29th, 2010 · 7 Comments · Uncategorized
Tomorrow I’ll join Liza Minelli, George Hamilton, Angela Lansbury & Jane Fonda at the knee party. It seems that each of them had a full cup of tea — a total knee replacement — while I’m hoping I’ll only have a sip — a partial replacement.
Trying to maintain the left knee I came with has [...]
Keeping the Faith — The Prison Project
May 9th, 2010 · 2 Comments · Uncategorized
Last night I saw this year’s final performance of “Keeping the Faith,” a stunning performance by 21 women using dance, spoken word & visual art to shed light on their lives and selves. One of the most moving performances I’ve ever attended, it was well worth a 3-hour commute to the rural setting of Mission [...]
Tags:achievement gap·advocacy·obstacles·performance·why dance matters
Thoughts on sick leave…
February 28th, 2010 · No Comments · Uncategorized
It’s a good thing to have it! In all my years as a private dance educator, contracting to teach dance in preschools, I never had it, so I usually worked through the bad days… no work, no pay. In 7 years, the days I canceled were rare to none.
It’s great to have a day off, [...]
Tags:obstacles
Dancers are changing the world step by step
November 29th, 2009 · No Comments · Uncategorized
This lovely story, via Anne Green Gilbert, deserves to be passed on — along with her greeting, which is the title of this post.
Time — urgent vs. sustained
September 27th, 2009 · 7 Comments · Uncategorized
I’ve had the opportunity to be thinking about time lately, both quantitatively & qualitatively — an opportunity that’s arisen from a drastic cut in the quantity of my instructional time this year. Not surprisingly, I perceive this cut to be affecting the quality of instruction.
To cut to the quick, and at the risk of sounding [...]
An anecdote
September 2nd, 2009 · 2 Comments · Uncategorized
Last week while learning the particulars of Writers Workshop, I had to write a “personal narrative” in order to work through the process. Personal narratives — stories of small & true moments — are foundational in the Writers Workshop method. Since the one I developed came straight from my life as a dance educator, here [...]
Translating Writers Workshop
August 31st, 2009 · No Comments · Uncategorized
Pedagogy changes constantly. When I was a 5th-6th grade classroom teacher for a few years (15 years ago), the writing pedagogy sweeping through schools was characterized by 6 traits (content, voice, organization, word choice, fluency & conventions). I was trained in teaching the traits & scoring writing samples using rubrics built on them.
Nowadays, however, [...]
Tags:choreography·curriculum integration·getting started·obstacles·PD·teaching·thinking skills
A new year
August 30th, 2009 · No Comments · Uncategorized
As the start of a new school year approaches, it looms large. I write lists to clear my brain. Then I have lists, as well as an overloaded brain. Most ominous among my thoughts is “What am I going to teach and how?” In the largest sense. How am I going to organize everything I [...]
Tags:chaos·curriculum·curriculum integration·getting started·obstacles·problems·teaching