About

"Just give two weeks' notice, walk out the door, and figure out later what to do. If you're lucky enough to be able to quit, then you should. Most people aren't that lucky."

from The End of Your Life Book Club.

I taught middle school students for 23 years. I had planned to teach longer, but my health was poor and my life was out of balance. I'm taking some time off to reflect and get healthy. I spend my days creating--poetry, great meals, sewing projects, comfortable spaces--and practicing mindfulness.



I expect I'll return to teaching. This blog will help me get ready for my comeback.

Why I Left

When I quit my job, my school required I complete an exit survey,
so I hinted at some dissatisfaction with school in general
and I spoke broadly of reinventing schools with authentic purpose
and authentic audience, but I should have been speaking instead 

of my own reinvention as the hero in a Joseph Campbell journey.
It began as a literature lesson in plot structure but the journey
became personal and I stood at the threshold of the unknown with Odysseus
and Luke Skywalker and I wrestled with my own monsters 

and I am winning so I can imagine a different life. In the end,
I quit so I can renew a marriage, spoil a grandson who lives nearby,
and grow gardens. I no longer teach poems; instead, I write them,
and more frequently now they have happy endings.