Education
In Human Parts. More on Medium.
THIS IS US
Finding the truth in my parents’ words, one reading at a time
My grandfather used to say it all the time — actually, my mother used to say, all the time, that this was what my grandfather said: If you have an education, you’ll always have it with you. It’s a familiar saying to the children of immigrants — we’ve all heard…
Lived Through This
Because I wish someone had warned me
Content warning: Graphic descriptions of injury
If you ever need hand surgery, you should try to get it done in Japan.
At least that’s what the hand surgeon at Mass General Hospital told us right before he spent 10 hours trying to reattach my husband’s severed left index finger.
The…
This Is Us
Social distance means we can no longer create shared memories by smelling the world — and each other
What’s the worst smell you can think of? Skunk? Brussels sprouts? Sour milk?
For me, it was a mixture of Coca-Cola, coffee, Gatorade, and rotting bones. The smell was so pungent it clung to my hair and clothes for hours after the air had cleared. I was a student teacher…
This Is Us
The pursuit of a PhD from my urban vantage point
what they don’t tell you
about getting your PhD
is that your childhood memories
of growing up
on the Westside of Detroit
and sitting inside of
overcrowded
public school
classrooms
with more students than desks
will be etched across
the pages
of your mandated
course readings
they don’t tell you
that…
This Is Us
My conscience wouldn’t let me quit. But then the choice was made for me.
Let me get this out of the way: I didn’t want to go back.
I didn’t want to return to in-person school for a myriad of reasons, but the first few are what I consider “personal.” I have asthma and suffer from ear, nose, and throat allergies year-round. …
Past Is Prologue
Even before the pandemic, schools weren’t really doing their job
Even when school existed, it felt impossible. As a principal, I was expected to ensure all students tested well in English and math; to produce winning sports teams and an applause-worthy play, with a role for every kid who wanted one; to prevent drug use, sexual harassment, and scientific illiteracy…
Past Is Prologue
And how to undo decades of linguistic carnage
Knowing or learning another language can be both a blessing and a curse. Don’t get me wrong — I think everyone should learn a foreign language, simply for the way it expands and enhances our perspective on the world, so don’t use the “curse” part as an excuse to avoid…
Express Yourself
A simple drawing exercise to help you rediscover the meaning of perspective
Everything is closed. Schools are closed. Stores are closed. Parks are closed. Museums are closed. But you know what’s easy to keep open for you and your kids? Your eyes.
Let me show you an easy way to open things up. But I want you to wait until your kids…
Fiction
All we had were rumors — and most of them had been started by me
When Ava Shapiro limped back into AP European History the day before prom, she’d been gone for almost two months, or 34.333 school days.
In that lifetime of a spring, everything went wrong. Cliques tightened, mutated, and dissolved. Mismatched couples flirted, exchanged bodily fluids, and parted. Even lunch sucked. Worst…
Our teens need us right now. And we need them.
Remember your senior year? The very real feelings of excitement and possibility and nerves? Now, throw a pandemic on that.
Imagine: No prom. No senior trip. No graduation. These are just a few of the things the class of 2020 is facing with the onset of Covid-19.
There are a…
Human Parts
A publication from Medium about humanity: yours, mine, and ours.
