PINKERTON TALE #15
TONGUE ROLLING CONTEST Picture this. My partner and I are tutoring two students on genetic mutations. We just happen to be sitting on either side …
PINKERTON TALE #14
SEX ED EXTRAORDINAIRE Tiffany is convinced that she is a princess, and has us pretty much believing her. Tiffany writes exquisite poetry that can bring …
PINKERTON TALE #13
THE LOST PHONE Midmorning, weather permitting, I take a brisk walk around campus, to refuel for the afternoon. I often duck into buildings along the …
PINKERTON TALE # 12
THE TEACHERS’ ROOM Here is a place to rant and rave. Here is a place to vent, to protest the injustices of the unreasonable parent, …
PINKERTON TALE # 11
HEROES They are mostly unsung. But I’ve seen them wrestling with a roomful of sweaty, bored 14 year olds on a sticky June day, capturing …
PINKERTON TALE # 10
RULES I LOVE In my college experience, information on classroom management skills was thin and sparce, nearly nonexistent. Thrown into my first job in a …
PINKERTON TALE #9
HALLWAY WAR What is that commotion just outside my classroom door? Two girls are circling one another, steaming with anger, hurling insults. One towers over …
PINKERTON TALE #8
CLEAVAGE I’m wedged in between Elsa and Ruthie, working with them simultaneously on different Math assignments. It’s tricky but fun. All three of us are …
Pinkerton #7
The Myth of the “Good” Teacher Lucas has a hair crossed. He does not see the value of rules, and he’s determined to prove his …
GRANDDAUGHTER #5Christmas Eve, 2010. Firelight and candlelight. The tree by the fireplace spilling over with presents, its warm glow pushing back the early darkness of December. Christmas concoctions spread across the dining room table. The house brimming with the bubbling chatter of grandchildren. How can they possibly wait another minute to dig into those surprises?
The youngest one, just 3 years old, quizzes me over and over about the creche. She stands transfixed by the stylized figures, especially the tiny …