Out of the Housers

As we near the end of 2021, I feel as if we just ran an emotional marathon to get to this place where we find ourselves now. Finally. Home.  In my recap, I will skip over the months of paperwork delays that resulted in our rescheduling flights on three different occasions. I’ll simply jump ahead […]

“Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.” (Watson, 2020) This quote by Rita Mae Brown implies that all language learners enter the classroom with a culture of origin. As language instructors, we both honor that culture and expand it, charting their […]

[Note: This reflection is a fulfillment of Moreland University’s Module 25 Unit 3 Activity 1. ] As a new teacher at an international school that recently implemented the WIDA framework into their still-developing ELL program, I seized this opportunity to learn what I could about WIDA and how I could apply its foundational principles to my […]

Ok, friends. I have a public confession to make. And this will not come as a surprise to my husband. Ready for it? Are you sure? Here goes: I am not a good listener. There. I said it. At 34 years old, I still have not mastered the skill of listening. Phew. In the spirit […]

[Note: This reflection is a fulfillment of Teach-Now Graduate School of Education’s Module 3 Unit 4 Activity 1. ] “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is on.” – Louis L’Amour It only seemed fitting to begin my reflection about cognitive flow with a quote using a faucet metaphor. And […]

Before I stepped outside to face the world this morning, I heard a voice.  “Time to put something on, Mindy. Make sure it looks good. Everyone is watching.” After skimming the rack for a moment, my eyes landed first on a tailored ensemble labeled, “Public Image.” Trendy, attractive, and pleasing to everyone, this was a […]

Moonlight reflected off Manila Bay. Pop tunes pounded in the background. Nervous adrenaline rippled throughout the crowd. Some clustered in groups, chatting excitedly as they waited. Some, like myself, stood quietly in the twilight and focused on the looming challenge. Without exception, all the racers stretched, hopped, or moved in various ways, warming early-morning muscles […]

“I cannot forget this. I cannot forget this. I cannot forget this.” My mind swam with the competing effects of quickening adrenaline and numbing medication, yet I repeated this phrase and forced it back to attention. This was my second birth. I knew how it could go. I breathed. I pushed. I ignored the friendly […]

It’s Saturday evening. Church outfits are ironed and neatly hung or laid out in a row on the back of the couch. Two cotton dresses and two polos for our four kids, ready to be slipped on seamlessly for Sunday morning worship. This tactic has been customary for us ever since more than one child […]