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Nine years ago, I observed a school’s opening day from a different perspective as a learning specialist. Teachers welcomed students with open arms, juggling various roles and embodying hope. Students showed excitement and nerves, while parents waved enthusiastically with a mix of pride and anxiety. This experience has instilled in…

Time has flown by, and here we are, the last day of school. The grass is back to bright green, the trees are full of leaves, and the birds chirp proudly. Tatnall is a beautiful place to spend your spring, as classrooms extend to our impressive campus, and I continue…

If you ask either of my oldest two if they are excited about the summer, they will impatiently moan “yes” and quickly ask how many days are left of school. If you listen in long enough, you would undoubtedly also hear them immediately start fighting about nothing and who is more annoying,…

Last weekend, we had one of those weekends. Audrey had performances Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in NJ, about an hour away. Nolan had soccer on Saturday and Sunday in PA. I had Open House and Spring Day here at Tatnall. The icing on the cake was it was also Lyla’s…

It happens in a blink, and you won’t even realize it. It will likely be months later that you realize it; by then, it is far too late to cherish that last moment. The last time you carry your sleeping child from the car to their bed. The last time your child…

Spring is busy. We kick it off with a ton of birthdays in my family, roll into an intense spring sports schedule, and run headfirst into all of the end-of-the-year school celebrations. It is busy. It is cooking big meals on the weekends so we can all heat leftovers as…

I graduated from undergrad and entered into teaching just as “differentiated instruction” was becoming a thing. My school district had district coaches on staff, and on my very first day, I met one of my current mentors, who introduced us to Tomlinson and her work. Over the next ten years,…

We had friends over for the Super Bowl. Our children are almost perfectly matched up: two 11-year-olds, two nine-year-olds, and two four-year-olds. It doesn’t matter how calm the evening has been; without fail, no matter what, this is how dessert goes: The four-year-olds (who didn’t eat any dinner but received…

Last weekend, we had a family reunion at Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos. Having children span the ages of four through almost 12 makes sticking together nearly impossible in that place. Everyone ran in every direction as the cousins arrived — except for Lyla, who ONLY wanted to swim…

I have a confession to make. I have a love/hate relationship with the New Year. I love the idea of new beginnings and feeling like I have not just the opportunity but a responsibility to do some type of reset, but I always end up feeling bad about the family…