One of my biggest projects this school year – so far – is to establish a creative writing club for our high school. I started with a vision and my previous experience of working with my teacher bestie, Dorri, to start a writing club at my previous school. To say that I learned from that experience is an understatement.
In that club Dorri and I worked to establish at St. Michael School, we dealt with technology issues, age differences (serving young middle grade students as well as middle school students), not to mention the hazards of the COVID 19 pandemic. It is crazy to think that we achieved anything at all. Yet, we did in a small way, even if the larger St. Michael community didn’t always recognize it.
We may have had a small core of roughly half a dozen students, but they were truly interested. They eagerly learned from one another. My 7th and 8th students demonstrated patience with Dorri’s 3rd graders, many of whom were just learning how to more fully express themselves in writing, expanding their thinking along with their vocabulary. Dorri’s 3rd graders brought enthusiasm and fresh perspectives to their older peers’ projects.
When I started at Michigan Virtual Charter Academy this past fall, I knew that I wanted to become involved in some kind of club. While I knew that we had a well-developed esports program, I didn’t exactly know what other clubs were offered. It turned out that while we offer an academic creative writing class, we did not have a creative writing club. Well, I sought to change that. So far, I have succeeded.
At the beginning of the school year, I focused on creating an online classroom full of resources I could have only dreamed of as a high school student in love with writing. There are dozens of websites to explore, hundreds of writing prompts, inspiring quotes, book recommendations, and so much more. Then, I watched over several weeks as my students connected and explored common interests. They grew as writers and found the confidence to share their work and a little bit about themselves. Students then spent much of the semester writing pieces intended for eventual publication, likely a blog. What happened next, I did not see coming.
We may have to wait until next school year to publish anything, but not only are both the principal and assistant principal extremely supportive, our head of school now knows about the project. In fact, I’ve received nothing but positive feedback. Right now, I am working on helping to ensure we keep moving ahead in the right direction. Who knows where this will take us? Already, I have had two new club members join in the first few weeks of this new semester. They’ve fit in seamlessly, which is a testament to the culture my students created. I am incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved!
I did not set out to become a teacher, I left that to my younger sister Erica. As her older sister, I’ve never known her to want to be anything other than a teacher and a mother. I envied the fact that she was so certain about her desired profession, not to mention her dedication to her love of children. When we played school – and we did often – I ended up being the school librarian while she insisted on being the teacher. Until our younger brother was born when I was age 10 and Erica age 7, we didn’t have a single pupil. By the time he was two, Erica made our toddler brother a series of report cards, grading him on things like “listening” and “sitting still.” But, this isn’t my sister’s story. It is mine.
My story of pursuing a career as a secondary teacher is by no means conventional. In fact, it is so unconventional and challenging that I would recommend it to no one. If it weren’t for the facts that teaching is in my DNA and I am meant to be a teacher, I would have given up long, long ago. Instead, I doubled-down when I was faced with what at the time seemed to be insurmountable obstacles. I even went back to substitute teaching when needed while deciding what my next step would be. I am a better person, and teacher, for it.
Every story needs to start somewhere, and mine starts with the statement that teaching is in my blood. It truly is. As a genealogist, as far as I can tell, the teaching tradition goes back at least five generations on my mom’s side of the family. It likely goes back even further. Both of Mom’s grandmothers taught, and one of her grandfathers served as principal of his daughters’ elementary school, as well as coach.
Interestingly, the teaching careers of my great-grandmothers could not have been more different. I knew both Grammy Bea (Beatrice Williams), who taught kindergarten and first grade for decades at the height of the baby boom, and Great (Leona Buttrick), who taught in a one-room schoolhouse and quit teaching once she married my great-grandfather Hatley. Although these are stories for another time, their careers illustrate massive changes in public education.
Funnily enough, the teaching tradition isn’t exactly confined to mom’s side of the family. Even though neither of my dad’s parents had the opportunity to further their education, they highly encouraged their children to do so. Both did, and even though my dad and his sister didn’t necessarily see eye-to-eye on much of anything, I find it telling that they both married teachers. On the Suszko side of Dad’s family, there are several special education and agricultural teachers. In fact, my cousin Kristy, a woman with whom I attended school at all levels from kindergarten to college, now teaches dairy science at the university level.
As much as I did not want to admit it, I am a teacher. It took me far too long to make peace with that fact. Something inside me would not let it go. As soon as I graduated from Michigan State in 2004 with degrees in supply chain management and Spanish, my entire world shifted. It would not be made right again until I went back to school in 2013.
It all started during the Great Recession with a casual conversation with my ex’s mom Cindy. We were invited to dinner as usual, and Cindy and I struck up a conversation. She told me that she wished that she’d gone back to school to become a nurse. All I could think at the time was that I did not want to be in my 50s and regret not pursuing an interest. During the Christmas shopping season of 2008, I worked at Best Buy in Saginaw. As I lived in the South End of Bay City at the time, I drove by Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) every day on my way to work. Slowly, I started to wonder what would happen if I did decide to go back to school to become a teacher. The idea excited me and fed my imagination. How could I make it happen? How would I adjust? Online classes, in their infancy back in 2004, intimidated me.
Eventually, I had the ability to make it happen in 2013. I largely enjoyed my time at Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU), although I would advise commuter students to do their homework. For example, if I had not followed up with my advisor, I would have stressed out about the math portion of the general MTTC exam necessary to even apply to the College of Education. I didn’t necessarily doubt my ability to do higher-level math likely trigonometry and low-level calculus, but I had not remotely touched those subjects in well over a decade. The thought terrified me. Much to my relief, my counselor informed me that I scored high enough on the ACT test I took in high school that I did not need to take the general MTTC at all. I then questioned why I wasn’t informed earlier. She simply stated that it likely stemmed from the fact that I was a commuter and a non-traditional student. While I would highly recommend SVSU to traditional college students coming right from high school, I’m not so sure in other situations.
I enjoyed most of my classes and professors at both Delta College and SVSU, but I can’t say that I didn’t have any bad experiences. In fact, one professor and class at SVSU stands out for all of the wrong reasons. This particular professor taught a class that focused on diversity. However, somehow, throughout the entire semester, he managed to offend nearly everyone in the class. Horribly. He supposedly hated coaches. When I ran into a former classmate in a school setting years later, we naturally discussed this infamous class and professor. This man, who happened to coach as well as teach, informed me that this professor tried to get him removed from the College of Education program, likely because he planned to coach.
Somehow, this professor appeared to have no issue with me or one of my good friends, even though he had long ago deeply offended us both. As we paired up to complete our main teaching project for the course, things fell apart. When it came time to “teach” our project, our professor respected my teaching time and even seemed pleased. Then, he proceeded to continually interrupt my friend and teaching partner for her entire portion of the project. He made it exceedingly difficult for her to even finish. Already extraordinarily introverted, I have no idea how she made it through. Disrespectful doesn’t even begin to cover it. Unfortunately, she never did become a teacher, although she would have been wonderful. Instead, she became a librarian. To this day, I still believe that the world needs introverted teachers too. There are too many people like this professor that discourage future teachers every step of the way before they even get started.
Stay tuned … There is much more to this story.
Not just my favorite TED Talk on education and teaching, my favorite TED Talk period.
Written during the pandemic as an example for a poetry project I assigned my middle school students. They needed to take a line from a favorite song and then use that line to begin a poem.
There are places I remember Places that hold memories long forgotten Long shadows, witnesses to the past Smells that immediately transport me back
Back to a simpler time when we could gather freely Children could be kids Adults accepted responsibility A time when freedom reigned and the republic lived
A black and white portrait here, Kerosene lanterns afixed to the wall Polished glass overlooking the cedar swamp The coziness of a Franklin stove
My sister and I, in curls, smocked dressed, and bows Polished patent leather shoes and all smiles Helping mom and grandma prepare Thanksgiving Waiting for hunters to return and string a buck up on the pole
Living as pioneers until nightfall, the generator roaring to life The bustle and business of extended family Cards, laughter, and love Cousins, forts, and leaves
Memories long buried, decades past Rising each fall with the smoke from burning leaves
Ah! It is finally here. I adore December. Yes, there is my birthday and Christmas, but I love advent. There is always so much to do in the lead-up to Christmas. My instinct is to want to do it all, but I am so very glad when I don’t. What really matters is spending time with all the people I love. For me, all of the traditions and planning are half the fun!
This year, I am grateful for all I have in my life. Is my life perfect? No, but that said, I am far from where I once was. I have a job I truly adore, and I didn’t give up on teaching, although it would have been so easy to do so. I also have a man in my life I love and am deeply loved in return. John and I both agree that we would not have done nearly as much over the past few years if not for each other. I am grateful that I get along so well with my siblings and their families. As frustrated as I can get with my parents at times, I am acutely aware of how lucky I am to still have them both in good health. I could go on, but just know that I am well aware of how truly blessed I am.
As I move into 2025, I’ve been thinking about writing, blogging, podcasting, and so much more. My issue here at Ramblings of a Misguided Blonde is not that I don’t have enough material, it is that I have too much. I have a notebook full of ideas. Right now, I am trying to decide which songs to write about next, which books to review and when, not to mention how to write a long piece on supply chain and its place in geopolitics, which is probably a series. I’m not exactly sure how it fits here, but it explains so much as to who I am and what I believe. How do I put all of this together?
I experimented with podcasting in 2020, and it remains something I am interested in. The issue is this: How do I settle on a topic? As far as I am concerned, the best podcasts are highly focused. I have too many interests that would make for great podcast content.
I do know this: I intend to write more in 2025. I am not getting any younger. I have more to say, not less. It is a matter of establishing good habits. I am happier when I write! I am not one to get bored – at least not when I have a book to read or access to my writing materials.
So, once again, welcome December! Happy Advent! I hope that your holiday season is off to a great start. 2025 will be here soon enough.
Over this long Thanksgiving weekend, I am grateful for all of the wonderful people in my life – family, friends, coworkers, students, customers, and more. I am truly blessed. If I started a list of all the blessings in my life, it would take me hours to complete.
I hope this post finds everyone well enjoying time with family and friends.
Teaching the meaning behind Día de los Muertos was always one of my favorite parts of teaching Spanish. Enjoy the ending of Coco, one of my all-time favorite animated movies.
I’m not sure exactly what I expected when I started this book, but I did not expect to enjoy it so much, especially given the gritty nature of the subject material covered. I don’t want to give too much away, but it does deal with such loaded subjects such as suicide, infertility, grief, and love. Yet, it is witty and realistic as well. There is definitely humor amongst all the drama. It is well worth a read.
My favorite is the contrast between our protagonist, Phoebe, who inadvertently crashes a swank wedding week in Rockport, Rhode Island, and Lila, who is a bride-to-be about to kick off a week of wedding activities. Phoebe has just left everything behind, including her husband, job, house, and cat. Lila couldn’t be more different, and she is determined that nothing, including an uninvited guest, will ruin her wedding. Intending to marry in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic and losing her father, Lila spared no expense or experience for her guests. Will it be enough?
Much of the plot revolves around the emotional and social lives of these two women. The characters, and I do mean all of the characters, are wonderful, even if the reader isn’t inclined to love them all. They are deeply flawed and human. One of my favorites is Juice, Lila’s soon to be step-daughter. While I love the characters and many are highly developed, well beyond just the protagonists, I would not go so far as to say this is a character-driven novel. It simply isn’t. The plot really drives the action, and a lot happens in a week.
I’d love to say more, but I do not want to give away major plot points. While the action certainly hinges on wedding events over the week, the title itself is a bit misleading. The book is about so much more than just a wedding or even marriage. It gets hilariously messy, but it is worth it in the end. Check it out!
I don’t understand. I adore writing, and I have no shortage of material. In fact, I came across my blogging notebook today. Page after page full of great ideas I have not yet written. I also came across another binder of writing projects, as well as my writing portfolio from one of my favorite writing classes, a class I took at Delta College nearly a decade ago. What to do with it all? It is time to bring it all together. Why is it so difficult for me to write consistently for long stretches of time? Why did I abandon poetry again? I came across some wonderful pieces. Pieces that need a home.
Then there are the larger projects. Mom and I need to finish her series of children’s board books, abandoned nearly nine years ago. I still love them. Over the last several years, I’ve toyed around with the idea of writing a book about the canoe livery. It is time to put in the research. I need to interview my parents and former employees before it is too late. I do not want those stories to be lost, even if they are never published. There are simply too many good ones.
So, what is getting in the way? Quite simply, life. Accepting a position as a 10th grade English teacher at Michigan Virtual Charter Academy (MVCA) back in August, I’ve been busy. While I subbed at MCVA most of last school year, I am now a full-fledged faculty member who hadn’t yet experienced the start of the school year – and all that brings (I started in early October last year). In other words, I’m now getting back to finding time to write. Just because you have prepared for a new school year in a brick and mortar school does not mean that you know the ins and outs of preparing for a new school year at a virtual school.
One highlight of the school year is creating an official high school creative writing club. I am passionate about it. So far, I’ve been able to create a safe online space for students interested in creative writing. As a club, there are no academic expectations. We are writing for the sheer creative power of it. By the way, MVCA offers a creative writing course as well. This … this is something different, something special.
Thus far, I’ve curated websites that might help budding high school creative writers. I’ve also shared my favorite quotes and books on writing. There is space for students to share their work amongst themselves. I can’t imagine what I would’ve done with those resources, all online and free, and such a nurturing community. The best part is the enthusiasm of my students. I’ve watched them form fast friendships over favorite music, video games, books, movies, and more. They are so supportive of one another. I can’t wait to see all that we will accomplish this year. That includes getting back to my own writing.
At times, the ending of a TV series works, and at others, it doesn’t (I’m looking at you Seinfeld!). When Cheers aired its final episode in May 1993, I watched. I remember Shelley Long (Diane) returning and the cast partying as it aired (infamously so), but I do not remember it being so poignant. The final scenes with Sam and Norm, and later, Sam alone in the bar, are now among my favorite TV series endings of all time.
Growing up, I adored Cheers. I watched it with my parents every week. As an adult, I rewatched the series. The characters still hold up. It wasn’t just the main characters – Sam, Diane, Coach, Carla, Woody, and Rebecca – that drew us back every week, but an entire complimentary cast of characters capable of anything – Norm and Cliff, not to mention Frasier and Lillith. The episode in which we met Lillith remains one of the funniest. Throughout the rest of the series, Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane developed into one of the funniest and quirkiest female characters on TV. She is still one of my favorite TV characters after all these decades.
Who can forget Lilith? Enough said.
Aside from all of the laughs and hijinks throughout the series, the humanity of all of the characters (every last one deeply flawed) shined through. Yet, the last scenes of the final episode hit me right in the gut. It isn’t every day that a TV show can make you deeply and profoundly appreciate what you have.
It starts innocently enough. Norm stays after everyone else heads out after welcoming Sam back to the bar after escaping marriage to Daine yet again. He didn’t want anyone else to hear what he has to say, and he’s up for one last beer, of course. He tells Sam that love is the true meaning of life. He continues to state that people are always faithful to their one true love, that he’d be unable to be unfaithful to her. When Sam asks whom that would be, Norm simply states “Think about it, Sam,” smiles, and leaves, setting up the final shots of Sam in the bar alone.
Alone in his bar, Sam slowly realizes that it is his bar that is the love of his life. He recognizes just how much it, and all those in it, mean to him. He even straightens Coach’s framed portrait of Geronimo before closing up. In a clever twist, the final shot of Sam closing up and heading towards the back entrance of the bar mirrors the opening of the series in which Sam makes his way to the front of the bar as he is opening up for the day.
Nearly 30 years ago … Working with Grandma Reid at the canoe livery.
All I can say is this: As someone who has spent her entire life watching her parents and grandparents build a family business – and as someone who will one day fully take over said business with her brother – I get it. Boy, do I ever get it. I can’t imagine my life without the canoe livery. I hope that I never have to do so. It is the people – employees (current and former) and customers – that make the business, along with the river and the land itself. I’m lucky, indeed.
I say it often, but we have the best customers. I estimate that 99% of our customers are great. The remaining 1% make for great stories. We are currently winding down for the year, but when spring comes once again, I will be ready to start it all over again.
Dr. Fraiser Crane in one of the longest-running TV characters in history. The reboot of Fraiser will soon start its second season.
Orginally posted on an earlier version of my blog, the post below still holds true.
Where do I even start? I don’t think another TV show ever meant as much to me as The Wonder Years. As I grew up watching the show as a child, I wanted to be Winnie Cooper. I loved her look. I wanted to have the same long brown hair and dark brown eyes. She even looked great when she pouted, which occurred just about any time she talked to Kevin. Something intangible about the show, and Winnie Cooper, stuck with me through the years.
That isn’t even to mention the star of the show, Kevin Arnold. How could any girl resist all of the attention and love he gave Winnie? I don’t think any adolescent girl has ever been as greatly admired and loved as Winnie Cooper. None of it seemed to matter to her. Of course, that is exactly what frustrated me with the show; it is also what made the show great. The audience never knew week to week whether or not Kevin and Winnie would be together. In the end, it wasn’t to be. Winnie went off to study art history in Paris and Kevin went on to start a family of his own, without her. Here is a link to a wonderful Top 10 of Winnie and Kevin together.
Ramblings of a Misguided Blonde 