Four young girls got into a scrape on the yard. One nudged another in passing. The other took the nudge as a shove. Then came two right jabs, one left hook, a trail of tears, parent meetings, and a juicy black eye. I had just these bits and pieces – half-sketched details that hinted at […]
Tag Archives | awakening
About Notes from the Playground
My school sits on top of a hill. Down one side of the hill, some of our city’s poorest reside. Narrow streets and gritty alleys split the eastern patch of the hillside into slices of irregular geometry. Streets cut paths where children can run from bad luck into good fortune in just a few seconds. […]
Crow
When I came in to the front entrance to the school this morning I saw a squad car parked there. Uh oh said I. School is closed today. What’s up? I parked and approached to find an officer engaged in loud conversation with two women, both of whom cried and made big gestures with their […]
Alive!
On an apple-crisp Tuesday morning, one of my second grade teachers invited me to join her students in their start up activity. They lined up shoulder-to-shoulder on the playground and I took a spot on the farthest end. She then told us to close our eyes and get as quiet as we could. Listen, she […]
