Know Your Pelicans

My latest obsession is Titus Kaphar, a young African American painter and sculptor who explores the power of representation in historical narratives. His work broadened my perspective on the need to amend, but not avoid, the retelling of difficult moments in history.  

Our students encourage me to be an activist instead of a bystander; to reimagine a cardboard box and old bottle caps as a robot; they show me shortcuts around the building when I find myself in a dead end (both literally and figuratively).

It's so rewarding when parents tell you about projects that their child has started at home that were inspired by something in the classroom.

When faced with a challenging problem, I hope that my students will have the tools to tackle it and the persistence to push through to a solution.

It is such fun to work with students. I learn so much from them. They often come at issues with different ways of thinking from mine. I cherish this more and more as I grow older.

Literature gets to big questions of how you want to live your life, how  literary characters can act as a litmus test for what it means to be a human in the world … Literature becomes an instructor's manual for how to live and how not to live.

I hope to teach my students about collaboration and working as a team. Music is such a wonderful way to bring people together and create shared experiences.

Our field trips enable us to connect with objects (and buildings) that have endured centuries and will outlast us. They bring the past to life and make it tangible.