Dear Together Friends, Fans, and Family, Winter is coming. The grief is real, and I keep being shocked at the lack of personal stories about the impact of the coronavirus on real people in our lives. It’s easy to crack jokes about quarantine hair and Zoom mullets (I’m...
November Together Tips: Exhaling, Escaping & Engaging
Dear Together Friends, Fans, and Family, Exhale. I don’t really have words to describe my relief at the outcome of our presidential election. I’ve watched the street celebrations with joy, but also know there are great challenges ahead. I know my yard signs have...
Family University: Supporting Parents to Support Students
One of my favorite parts of this work is making connections with folks doing similar work. I’m a long-time fan of Caleb Dolan (fun fact: my mom was his middle school art teacher!). Caleb has been in education for almost 25 years, and I respect him deeply. When he sent...
October Together Tips: Flipping Seats, Flamingos & Fur-kenstocks
Dear Together Friends, Fans, and Family, I honestly keep thinking I’ll start my monthly newsletter with a bit of good news, but after the Breonna Taylor decision, the presidential debate debacle, and RBG’s death, I continue to feel deeply disturbed. To cope, I’m...
September Together Tips: Resting, Recharging & Resetting
Dear Together Friends, Fans, and Family, Hi. Just hi. How ARE you? Between Hurricane Laura’s devastation, Jacob Blake’s unconscionable shooting, and being pulled back and forth between virtual-non-virtual-hybrid-synchronous-all-of-the-things-school delays, it is too...
August Together Tips: Solace, Stress, Socks & Survey!
Dear Together Friends, Fans, and Family, Hi. How ARE you? Feels like a silly question to even ask. I’m glad you are here. I hope Togetherness is bringing you peace, joy or just helping you manage the juggle that is life right now. Wherever you are, I hope you are safe...
New Book & Summer Together (Online) Tour
Dear Together Friends, Fans, and Family, After dropping my new book on Amazon in 3.75 weeks, I’ve honestly been in a bit of recovery mode. I’ve been trying to soak up newer resources on racial justice and education, and I’ve been inspired by this series from...
June Together Tips: Amplification, Allies, and Anti-Racist Actions
Dear Together Friends and Family, My author self has been at a loss over these past two weeks – though I did find a few personal words to share over here and here. The magnitude of systemic racism that has been present for hundreds of years is overwhelming. Like many...
April Together Tips: Clickers, Caves & Virtual Courses
Dear Together Friends, Fans, and Family, Greetings from Together-ish (can that be a word?) Land. Why Together-ish, you may wonder? Well, just like the rest of us, I’m a little all over the place. I’ve been Semi-Schooling the children, bringing out the beloved...
Pandemic Post #6: Student “Netiquette,” or, Busting My First Grader
“Mom School – Lite” is still in session in Together-Land but it’s now mostly my first and fourth-graders on live Zooms each day and then working on follow-up tasks. And wouldn’t you know it, while I was unloading the dishwasher/feeding the cats/helping my...
