A man in a mask sat in a chair in the performing arts center parking lot. He said to wait 20 minutes and then to walk to the blue tent. At the blue tent, there was a man in a mask who pointed to two people in masks at a table. These two looked at […]
Yearly Archives: 2021
Winter Questions
Mon, 15 Feb 2021, 02:08 PM (-06:00)
Winter wildlife — got water? Winter not-so-wildlife — what’s this between my toes?
Closed for Business
Mon, 15 Feb 2021, 01:59 PM (-06:00)
It hasn’t been this cold nor have we had this much snow since I moved to Texas in 1982. Café Trudy is officially closed for business.
Resonant Popping Carrots
Sat, 6 Feb 2021, 07:55 PM (-06:00)
The test was halfway through. It was time for lunch. The kids had slipped their answer sheets into the test booklets and given them to the teacher who stacked them on a table at the front of the classroom. She was about to pass out their lunches when I walked in. I was her lunch […]
Always in the Room
Thu, 4 Feb 2021, 10:32 PM (-06:00)
We had finished the notes. They had finished the practice problems. Four students were talking on the far side of the room in voices that were gradually getting louder. One of them cursed. I looked up. He looked at me. His hands were clasped. “Sorry,” he said. I smiled but shook my head slowly. “I’m sorry […]
Wisdom Teeth
Wed, 3 Feb 2021, 10:05 PM (-06:00)
She let me know in advance. She was having her wisdom teeth removed. She was going to miss class. Did she return the next day? I think she did. She’s often the first one in the room, and we get to talk. “Welcome back!” I said when I saw her. “How’d it go?” She explained how […]
Scratch Paper
Wed, 3 Feb 2021, 12:05 AM (-06:00)
The students have about 20 minutes at the end of the period. Most are working on homework. Henry gets up and walks to my desk. Then he walks around and reaches for a sheet of paper from the scratch paper pile. “Need more room, eh?” He laughs and points to the my notes still sitting […]
Multicolored Jumbo Paperclips
Mon, 1 Feb 2021, 10:48 PM (-06:00)
1. The Paperclips It was a door prize of sorts. Four years ago, during a alternative certification night class, I won a door prize. My name was drawn out of a basket, and (presto!) I was the proud possessor of a bin of multicolored jumbo paperclips. “How nice,” I remember thinking at the time. But […]
Bert’s Clock
Sat, 30 Jan 2021, 10:25 PM (-06:00)
“You know, I really like that…” she said to the boy sitting next to her. Her voice was muffled from her mask. I couldn’t tell what she was talking about, but she was pointing at the front of the room. I looked at the monitor on the wall to see what it was about the […]
Crumpled Evidence
Wed, 27 Jan 2021, 07:09 PM (-06:00)
She posted her homework in the early afternoon. I opened it late in the day. Since we are remote, everyone posts to Google Classroom. A few print out the assignment and write on it. Most write on separate sheets of paper. They all submit photos of their work. She writes on sheets of paper. Meticulously. […]