It is our choices ... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. - J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets) Some weeks feel especially long. However, even though my body feels worn down and the constant chilliness in my cold has brought on a persistent sniffly nose, I… Continue reading When You Need it the Most
Wading Through the Smog
She's a Dreamer. A Thinker. A Doer. She Sees Possibility Everywhere. Freshmen are a tough group of students. I don't think I could start this post out with any other sentence than that one. But when I type that, there is so much more that I mean than just the fact that my ninth graders… Continue reading Wading Through the Smog
A Comment on Gabby Douglas
I wanted to take the time to write down some thoughts I had ever since people started saying negative things about Gabby Douglas. People found fault in her hair, her gymnastics skills, and anything and everything in between. After she won the All-Around gold even more controversy arose. I did not know quite how to… Continue reading A Comment on Gabby Douglas
Easing into a New Life
AND SO WITH THE SUNSHINE AND THE GREAT BURSTS OF LEAVES GROWING ON THE TREES...I HAD THAT FAMILIAR CONVICTION THAT LIFE WAS BEGINNING OVER AGAIN WITH THE SUMMER. -F. SCOTT FITZGERALD When I flew into the Indianapolis airport, I was astounded to see the expanses of brown, dead earth that had creeped upon the usually… Continue reading Easing into a New Life
Saying Goodbye to Tulsa
“It is important to teach our children to read and write, but it is more important to teach them to be proud of themselves, and of us" (Other People's Children, Delpit, 1995, p. 89). My children have been my children and my students for the last four weeks. But in many ways they are also not… Continue reading Saying Goodbye to Tulsa
When a Piece Reads You
It has now officially been over a year since I graduated. May 26, 2011 seems like a lifetime ago on some days, and on other days I can remember distinctly the way the sun felt on me as I posed for millions of photos as if it were yesterday. For the majority of the past year… Continue reading When a Piece Reads You
A Return to the Town Where Time Does Not Reside
“When you remember me, it means that you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are. It means that you can summon me back to your mind even though countless years and miles may stand between us. It means that… Continue reading A Return to the Town Where Time Does Not Reside
Azonto
Since I arrived in Ghana there has been one dance craze that has dominated the music scene. Music is even made specifically for the dance. It’s called azonto, and most Ghanaians can barely remember what popular dancing looked like before it. There’s a bit of controversy over the origins of the dance. Guys in Tema… Continue reading Azonto
“No Scars, No Story, No Life”
A man in Afghanistan once said to me, “No scars, no story, no life.” Sometimes, the best story is in the space between the words—a space that is a window onto a different way of seeing. And when there are no easy answers, stories are all we have. -James Orbinski, An Imperfect Offering Oftentimes when… Continue reading “No Scars, No Story, No Life”
Ethiopian Adventures: A Southern Mountain Trek and Cave Exploration
The last 4 days of our Ethiopian trip were spent with a tour company who took us to the south of the country to explore Bale Mountains National Park and explore Sof Omar Cave, the longest cave system on the African continent. Our driver Bir (short for Birhanu) was a cool guy who did his… Continue reading Ethiopian Adventures: A Southern Mountain Trek and Cave Exploration
Odelia Younge 