Listening at Death’s Door
My friend Betty is a little weird. Why? Because she’s a world-class listener. And these days, not many people are good at listening—not with all...
Surviving South Dakota Winds
In a small South Dakota town, a little girl crawled under her trailer. The wind was picking up, and at 20 below, it cut like a knife. Nobody was...
The Perfect Storm (The Conclusion)
Room 212 has no windows. There’s no sunlight breaking through the blinds, warming my students in its brightness. There are no views of Pikes Peak...
The Perfect Storm
After the shooting two weeks ago, the police found a note inside the gunman’s car. “I don’t have any friends,” he wrote. “I don’t have any family....
Trying to Not Get Eaten (The Conclusion)
Stephen waited at the table across the hall. Kicking him out of class seemed like the right idea at the time, but he missed Zack courageously...
Trying to Not Get Eaten (Part 2)
Class had barely started, and it was already a disaster. Across the hall, Stephen waited for me. After tripping Laticia and getting kicked out of...
Trying to Not Get Eaten
Ask any teacher what classes are hardest to teach, and most of them will grumble about the last one of the day. Imagine trying to talk to 33...
Hello and Goodbye
“It’s the relationships,” my dad said into the microphone, his voice quivering as he fought back tears. “They’re what matter most.” As he spoke, I...
He Cried Too
I wanted to ask her the right way. Just for fun, I walked outside the front door, turned around and rang the doorbell. “Hope,” Deb shouted on the...
“I’m Living!”
"Please help me," I prayed. I was overwhelmed. Hundreds of teenagers loaded onto the buses slapping high fives, texting friends, checking snapchat...