Happy New Year from India… and WOWZA, what a year it’s been! Since I have limited internet access in India, I will not begin publishing articles about this remarkable country until I return to Boston in early January, but until then, enjoy this recap of 2012, accompanied by photos of a wonderful performance we just saw in Jaipur.
If any references below intrigue you, click through for full [...Read More!]
As you saw in my recent fall foliage article, I was in the heart-stoppingly gorgeous middle-of-nowhere, New Hampshire for my birthday. Throughout the weekend, the theme of “unplugging” and “being cut off from civilization” recurred… in part because my husband‘s friend decided to live for 24 hours on a raft and boat.
Let us call this friend “Cory” to mask his identity. See that lake in the photo, above? See the raft forty [...Read More!]
I was naughty on the second half of the Boston Chocolate Tour that I attended with a dozen other bloggers. In fact, I got naughty combined with creepy and hallucinatory… and it’s all the fault of the city and the sky.
I was focused on the chocolate and the clan at first… honest I was. The whole first hour and a half, I chomped the deep cocoa squares, smiling through chocolate-creamed teeth, [...Read More!]
Um, so… I was on reality TV this weekend. And our wedding was, too. It was really fun! Here are answers to frequent questions.
Q: WHAT? Which show?
A: The show is “I Found the Gown” on TLC, and we are in the “Bargain Hunting Brides” episode. See it by clicking that link or by scrolling to the bottom of this article for the embedded video.
Q: How did this happen???
A: I randomly bought my [...Read More!]
When you’re a middle school teacher, kindness becomes priceless.
Thus, when Colin and I (both public school teachers) walked into The Phoenix Resort in San Pedro on the island of Ambergris Caye for the first day of our Belize Honeymoon, we were nearly moved to tears.
“Welcome!” sang Gabriela at the front desk. “You must be Lillie and Colin.”
“Oh!” I gasped, stunned to be addressed by name, rather than as an anonymous traveler.
“Fresh [...Read More!]
“Have a good summer, Ms. Marshall!” my students hollered as they poured out of the class and into the sweaty summer hallway. One boy, Aiden, stopped short at the door. “Wait,” he gasped happily, “next year you’ll be Mrs. Whatever-Your-Husband’s-Name-Is, not Ms. Marshall, right?”
“NOOO!!” I shrieked, face flushed with emotion.
Poor Aiden nearly dropped his bright red backpack. ”But you’re getting married, aren’t you?” he asked, befuddled.
“Yes,” I bellowed, “but I am NOT changing [...Read More!]
The life of a Teacher-Traveler:
I administered final exams to my 150 seventh grade students Monday through Friday, then hopped on a plane to fly across the country to Colorado for the 800-person TBEX Travel Blogging Conference.
Was it worth it?
Wowza, yes! What a fun, productive, and fascinating weekend the conference was!
Everything I know about learning has shifted.
Today I attended my first UnConference: EdCamp Boston 2012, and it was a day-long revelation. To explain what happened today, let me awkwardly interview myself.
Q: What the heck is an UnConference?
A: In an UnConference, a bunch of like-minded people get together at an appointed venue and time. In the case of EdCamp Boston, 400 folks interested in Education converged on a gloriously sunny day at the [...Read More!]
“I’ve been trying so many things to get my students quiet so I can teach!” exclaimed a Boston-area fellow teacher, Carl, yesterday. “I tried yelling for attention all last year. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t.”
I nodded, having been there myself. Carl continued. “This month I’m experimenting with just stopping and staring at kids who begin side conversations. I’ll just wait, and LOOK at them. Sometimes I’ll even murmur quietly:
“Hey, [...Read More!]
Fabulous news!
I’ve just had my first ever article published in the fancy and famous Huffington Post! (If you’re a cool kid, you may know it as the “HuffPo”.) Want to read it? Great!
Click here to see: “5 Things I Learned About Education From Taking 42 High Schoolers to China.”
The article has some surprising moments, and also features a rockin’ photo slideshow. Please leave comments and questions, and share it widely! The HuffPo is [...Read More!]