Dear Teachers

Some schools are done! Some teachers are already jumping into summer work, rest or relaxation. Others have a bit to go. Previously, I said May’s essays were about “wholeness”: our whole selves, surroundings, and need for gifts (opportunities) from others. In Week 38, I reiterate: we are part of a whole. The schools that are still open and the ones that are closed. The teachers who are still winding down and the ones moving to a new challenge. It includes all the parents, other staff, and citizens of our cities and towns. Our wholeness is ALL of us. When I originally wrote Week 38, I wrote from the direct perspective of our need (teacher and student alike) for nature. Symbolically, however, “nature” is that wholeness of this globe. We all need a break from our routines. Why? Because of what Shakespeare says: we need to remember we’re kin. Our routines focus our attention on us . Vacations- breaks of any kind- help us escape our ego’s emphasis on self and return to seeing th...

Week 16 of  Dear Teachers  finds us right before Christmas. I knew it was a risk to add springtime pictures during this time of the year, but I’m glad I did. There’s a joy in the air- if we can remember it and push it into 2018, we’ll benefit. I’m not talking about a fake cheerfulness. I’m talking honest joy. The Shakespeare quote I used from Romeo and Juliet embodies this. I’m talking about the full fire that is the Sun in our Hearts.  I found this Mae West quote on Twitter this week, and I think it’s another powerful reminder of this idea. If we live once and do it well, it should be enough. I love the skiing graphic, as well. We’re all flying down a hill. Are we at least trying to cut the edges of our skis into the snow, or are we gracelessly sliding down the slope on our butts, in silent terror? What do we want to embrace today and into tomorrow? Are our days leading us to that picture or not? Are we feeling some concerns or regrets? The only t...