Category: Blog

  • The Great Gatsby: Chapter 3

    The reader finally meets Gatsby in Chapter 3. What’s intriguing about this chapter is that Nick plays with the myth that surrounds Gatsby by presenting him as a magician or an actor of sorts, putting on a big show for all his guests. The elaborateness of the ruse culminates when Nick describes Gatsby’s confidence-filled smile,…

  • The Great Gatsby: Chapter 2

    In Chapter 2, Nick Carraway shows us things we don’t want to see, things we don’t want to talk about. The images and metaphors describe what he sees without telling us how base the people are. He uses symbols that are at times vague, but specific enough to allow the reader to have the final…

  • The Great Gatsby: Chapter 1

    On May 10th, 2013 the new attempt at turning the beloved novel into a movie will be released; as hopeful as I am that it will be a beautiful rendition, I am just as doubtful that anything can do it justice. The other versions fell flat. They did a good job at presenting the basic…

  • Blessing #21: The Power of Forgiveness

    Where would I be right now if it weren’t for forgiveness? I would be alone, alone with my angry thoughts and my bitter life. I’d still be a grown woman, but my emotional and mental health would be stagnant—still a child complaining about the unfairness of life. I’m not saying I’ve never been angry; anyone…

  • 8 Ways Parents Can Be Proactive in Education

    What can parents do to help their children be successful in school? I wrote a list of 32 things parents can do at home as part of raising their children in a previous post. However, there are also ways parents can be proactive for their children within the school and instruments of change in their school…

  • The Write Stuff Video Series: Fixing Fragments

    Are teachers always telling you, “Fix your fragments!” but you have no idea what a fragment is? Does Word underline your sentences with squiggly green lines, but you have no idea how to fix them? Then I have the video for you! “Fixing Fragments” shows writers how to fix one of the common problems writers…

  • The Write Stuff Video Series: Punctuating Complex Sentences

    For this video, I wanted to try something different. I’m using the computer instead of the chalkboard to show the two grammar rules for punctuating complex sentences. Let me know if you like this format or not. Thanks for watching! The Write Stuff Blog

  • The Three Mistakes Parents Make

    In my last post I wrote about my perspective as a teacher and a parent. I ended with the question: What are parents doing that might contribute to the gaps in their children’s education? Here is my answer:

  • Parents in Education

    If parents really want to make a difference in their children’s education, they have the power to do so. Parents can truly be the biggest change agent at their schools. They can bring about change quicker than teachers and administrators combined. How do I know this? I have seen parents use

  • How Heroes Are Made

    Last night, Ian told me he’s getting picked on by kids at school. Ian told one friend that he’s going to be Spiderman someday, and that friend told other kids. Those kids now pick on him and tell him that he’s not going to be Spiderman. Ian was angry and sad that people didn’t believe…