Friends, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you following my story over the past two years as a teacher at Todd County High School in Mission, South Dakota. Many days, it was this space that helped me move forward. I’m no longer a teacher at TCHS, but I’m continuing The Work back in…

This blog recorded the furthest I’ve ever lived from home, the hardest thing I’ve ever done, the most introspective, driven and focused people I’ve ever met. The words here came out of lonely times and days when I thought I couldn’t do anything to help the students I was teaching. Rarely here did I recount…

I stopped blogging after my first month in the classroom. I’m going into Year 3 in my placement school- and I think it’s time to start up again. I am going to try to write a daily blog about classroom moments- as a way to capture memories, but also as a way to self-reflect on…

She’s a freshman who puts blue streaks in her hair – so when the stage lights hit her, it looks like midnight. I taught her sister earlier this year, but, other than knowing who she was, never interacted with her until she started doing Oral Interpretation. After a while I figured that she was just…

Last year, teachers gathered together to discuss What It Takes To Begin. This year, my students have been working toward the goal of telling their story. This spring, teachers from the Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations will gather again to share our ideas on Community in the collection: Sleeping On The Couch: Stories of Community.…

The 2011 Spring Play is The Book of Liz by Amy and David Sedaris. The show features 13 stellar actresses and actors who’ve put in a great deal of work to bring all of the humor they possibly can to the performances. These students are commended not only for being involved, but also for choosing…

Most spring days involve a few good events, some pretty average experiences and, of course, a fair share of frustrations, warnings and “Stop throwing things out the window!” For the most part, I close my day with an adequate sense of fulfillment and hit the light switches to end another measured compartment of shared time…

The snow is melting and the red breasts of the robins come in and out of view through my living room window. A twilight cruise out to Sinte Gleska University will sound the alarms of the prairie dogs, now digging again. Slow drives through the streets of teacher housing or south side Antelope pass you…

My students often struggle with the fact that my class doesn’t have very many answers. In free writing responses or during class discussion, I’ll often remind them: “There is no right or wrong answer here,” they look at me like I’m nuts each time, “there’s no equation to solve or date to remember – I…

Last spring and over the summer, a good portion of my blog was dedicated to a project called: What It Takes To Begin. The project was essentially a chance for the teachers we live and work with to share their stories. Based on the idea – this past October, we gathered for a dinner and…