Last fall was so crazy that I just stopped blogging. All I did was work. Which left me exhausted. Then, I reflected on my life by looking at three categories: what was, what’s new, what’s now. And then, I saw the hole in my heart, the truth: I was an empty-nesting mom in transition. Oh, it’s hard to stop being …
R.I.P. to The Village Voice, print edition
The Village Voice print edition is about to die. This news leaves me nostalgic. In 1978, I was a Voice college intern. When the semester ended, the paper hired me as an office assistant. What an education. I learned about pushing boundaries and self-respect. At the time, The Voice was making a big, fat fortune in advertising revenue. Those were …
How childhood shapes our relationship with money
The homework was to bring in a dollar. Now, my creative writing students sat around the big classroom table. Each of them held a George Washington in their hands. “Okay, rip it in half,” I said. What happened next was so powerful. They were about to discover how childhood shapes our relationship with money. For a few long seconds, this class …
If you want to feel better, meditate now
I used to be scared of meditating. What if I tried it and nothing happened? Then I’d feel like a spiritual failure. But then, I learned that meditating is as natural as breathing. That’s why I meditate now. And life is better for it. Now, I breathe. When I’m in the grip of overthinking, I breathe to help myself. Paralyzing pressure …
Why the shocking history of Chinese immigrant women makes us powerful
Did you know that a ban on Chinese immigrant women created America’s first immigration laws? Discovering this forgotten historical moment left me appalled by the suffering of the ancestors. They were singled out because they were poor, foreign and “exotic.” Learning these facts makes me more aware of the deep racism and sexism in our legal system. I’ve always felt that …
How to research: the basics, fake news & more
Dread doing research? Fear no more. This post is for you. And teachers, if you’re doing a unit on this sleep-inducing topic, I’ve gathered some useful links for you. They will help keep students awake. Maybe they’ll even get woke! Getting woke means being aware of race issues and how the world really functions. Now more than ever, research gives us …