Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education

This week, Henry celebrated his 46th birthday.  I called him to wish him a happy and healthy day.  Forty-two years ago, I planned his 4th birthday party and made it as happy as I could possibly make it.  He was my student, and I became in charge of his care three months prior when his mother died after being hit by a drunk driver.  That little boy crawled ...

My mind has been on high alert, making yet another “to-do” list. However, a springtime cold slowed me down this week and forced me to sit, sleep, and wonder.  June snuck up on me; all of a sudden it arrived. With only two more weeks of school ahead of me, I’m looking forward to getting outside into the air, the green, the blue of nature.  I am thirst...

What is the thing that inspires you, sets you free, makes you happy? Some might say traveling, practicing a sport, making art, singing, gardening, or dancing. For me, it’s writing. Writing is my release and my joy. From the time I could hold a pencil, I wrote about the world around me and created fantasies sparked by my imagination. I wanted to express to others what I s...

One of the chief reasons that I created Wonder Studio at my school ten years ago was for children to express themselves creatively without adult interference. I wanted kids to experience the craft of learning, including the frustration of failure and the exultation of triumph. Without struggle, learning cannot take place. That productive struggle is what learning is all a...