Tag: life

• Storytelling with a Camera

  Aug 3

  Photography is weird. You’ve got the people who treat their cameras like they’re nuclear launch codes—checking every dial, obsessing over ISO like it’s some secret recipe. Then there are those… more ›

• The Exploits of an Over-Active Neurodivergent Mind

  Aug 3

  I’m good at a lot of things.I’ve always been good at things.(Not bragging… just being honest.) Drawing. Painting. Sketching.Music. Hands-on tinkering (mainly taking things apart just to know). Cooking. Eating.And—surprise… more ›

• A Moment of Unconscious Consciousness

  Aug 3

  There’s a magic moment—quiet, fleeting—that happens between the instant your eyes first flutter open and the moment your brain realizes you’re awake. Most of us miss it. It feels like… more ›

• “What’s in a Name?” A Late Show Monologue for the Mispronounced, the Well-Meaning, and the Forever Traviesos

  Aug 2

  You ever notice how the first day of school feels like the opening scene of a courtroom drama? The teacher walks in with the roster, everyone’s watching, and the tension… more ›

• “Just Coffee” A Mini Monologue for the Over-Caffeinated, Slightly-Overwhelmed Middle-Aged Soul

  Aug 1

  So I walk into Starbucks.Already, mistake number one.It’s not a coffee shop. It’s a lifestyle temple.There’s music playing that sounds like a cat whispering into a synthesizer.Everyone smells faintly of… more ›

• The Paradox of Connection

  Aug 1

  You’d think, as a high school dean, I’d have a crystal-clear picture of youth culture. I mean, I see it all—hallway drama, TikTok choreography in the quad, debates over whose… more ›

• An Educator’s Love Letter to Liquid Sanity

  Jul 31

  Let’s get one thing straight: coffee isn’t a luxury for teachers. It’s a survival mechanism. A coping strategy. A legal form of self-medication brewed in Keurig pods and staff lounge… more ›

• Finding Me

  Jul 31

  There was a time when my creative spirit showed up everywhere—like glitter at an arts and crafts party. It got into everything. Teaching, storytelling, even rearranging the spice rack felt… more ›

• More Me Than You Think: A Creator’s Spirit

  Jul 31

  We all carry worlds inside our heads—some loud, some quiet, some a little strange.This is mine: a peek behind the curtain at the curiosity, the quirks, and the caffeine-fueled chaos… more ›

• Year 26

  Jul 31

  25 years as an educator—and at least a dozen more before that coaching, mentoring, running camps, leading arts programs, and engaging in general kid-centered monkey business (some of which may… more ›

• Tales from the Inside: The Usual Suspects (Lounge Cut)

  Jul 30

  It was the Thursday before the first day of school, and the teacher’s lounge had that eerie calm-before-the-storm vibe. You know the one—burnt coffee brewing, the hum of a vending… more ›

• A quick Walmart run, a sweater vest, and three very stoned prophets.

  Jul 29

  So this happened today….. Honest, it did. I only went to Walmart to pick up some meds and maybe a couple boxes of Oreos. Simple mission. In and out. You… more ›

• Before Viral Was a Thing: Mariachi vs. Migra

  Jul 29

  There’s a series of stories I’ve been carrying for a while—stories that needed telling.But before I share the rest of my collection, I wanted to start here, with this oneto… more ›

• What Writing Looks Like (for Me)

  Jul 27

  I’ve always been drawn to creating things—music, sketches, photos, splashes of color and sound—but writing? That one snuck up on me. I didn’t grow up thinking I’d be a writer.… more ›

• Designing for Redemption: Rethinking Grading and Growth in the Classroom

  Jul 27

  There’s something profoundly human about allowing a student the chance to redeem themselves—but redemption can’t be accidental or symbolic. It must be deliberately built into how we teach, assess, and… more ›