Lead. Fall down. Get up. Hustle to the back of the line. Follow and listen well. When the time is right, step forward again. You’ll see more the second time through.
Celebrate all of it!
Thief
Peter, a tall skinny kid in my fifth grade class had sunken eyes and hollowed-out cheeks. His arms hung from his shoulders un-attached flopping loose, unhinged. The kids called him the scarecrow, but this boy had an early grasp on cunning. Something mean about him scared us and gave him an edge. He brought a [...]
Dust
Leading with a clear mind – even following without sulking asks that we learn to let go. Picking up something new first requires that the hands be empty. Princess makes things up. Not that she lies. Instead, the dust she stirs blows from some hidden place and forms into shapes solid enough to collect into [...]
Gone
All but one of the roads that lead away from my school lead downhill. I didn’t get this fact’s importance until I stepped onto the playground one morning and saw ten boys, lined up along the chain link, looking out, hands gripping the fence. Stepping up next to boy number ten, I asked what was [...]
Bug
Eight children gathered near the tether-ball pole in a tight little ring. Arm over shoulder over arm, they shrieked, stopped, lunged, stumbled, but advanced. Approximate trajectory: due east. From my remote perch, I could guess their goal – to cross the yard. On the other side, a strip of grass awaited along with the chain link [...]
Tooth
A week ago, I bit into a day that had to do with teeth. By teeth, I mean the tooth itself as it grows in but also when it gets drilled or even yanked out. It began when little TJ approached me by the school gate, stood in my path, and held the right side [...]
Grudge
Jasmine is eight, round, and short. Her mother dresses her in florescent colors like hot pink, blinding orange, or way-too-lime green. None of this bright fabric can ever quite cover Jasmine’s whole body. Her belly and back side seem to want (and find) a way out. A couple of additional tidbits that complete the set [...]
Vanilla
Because she had shown up to school every day, on time, Victoria, a third grader, won the grand prize this week – a triple scoop of her ice cream of choice on a sugar cone. She chose vanilla! One of my school’s parents had a connection to a vendor down the hill, so the vanilla [...]
Child
I went on a long hike last Saturday morning. Thirteen of us gathered to circumambulate Mount Tamalpais. Cloudless skies, mild temperatures, and a trip to the head of the trail that went without a hitch. We set out at 11:00AM with a planned route of twelve miles. What happened on that hike nudged me toward [...]
One
Among the first words a child learns after the ma-ma’s and ga-ga’s is the word “no.” “No” comes just before the word “mine” and when a child discovers its power, he begins the journey of separating himself from others. Separation shows up on my school’s playground, re-enforced by criss-crossing lines, boundaries, zones, and barriers – [...]
King
My cafeteria has nine long tables. As many as twenty students sit at each. When it comes time for students to go outside to play, I give the quiet signal and count down to silence. Today two table groups did not count down and did not become silent. Imagine! A repeat of the count, and [...]
