Notes from Around the Block- Irv–the Owl Man on the Rancho
- Olive the trees have olives
- Wanda Hickey and the Frog Pond
- A recently discovered DNA thread: forwarding news articles
- A Bride in Blue
- The Gates to a President’s Hell: Water and the IRS
- Marriage in Oxymoronica
- The Present Moment
- If your life were a book
- From the mouths of old babes
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Monthly Archives: March 2008
Living a Life Greater Than Ourselves
First Published: March 31, 2008 This weekend, I watched one of the ubiquitous collegiate basketball games that happen during March Madness. Clearly these young men are super athletes; my guess is that they all hope to turn professional. One commerical … Continue reading
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Do we praise our children too much?
by cheri block I have been thinking about this topic for a while, but an article in the Wall Street Journal motivated me to write. The WSJ article says in summary: we are praising our employees, our students, and our … Continue reading
Posted in Education, My childhood, Parenting, Writing and Teaching
Tagged Aldo Anderson, Ben, praise, Roy Davis
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The Year of the Bore
First Published: January 8, 2007 As you know, this is the Year of the Boar. I am familiar with wild boars, living in the country as I do. Recently I was sipping my coffee out in my front yard when … Continue reading
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My test blew up on the roof, really Mrs. Sabraw
by cheri block I want to tell you a true story. In 1984, I was teaching English at a local high school. As the year drew to a close, one senior, who I will call Kevin, was failing my class, … Continue reading
Posted in Education, Life, Writing and Teaching
Tagged accountability, excuses, public schools
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My life is over…
by cheri block This is the time of year when college acceptances and rejections begin to arrive in local mailboxes and appear online. Some students’ dreams are realized; others’ expectations are not met. How we, as parents, react to these … Continue reading
Posted in Education, Life, Writing and Teaching
Tagged college rejection, philosophy, SAT test, U.C.Davis, UOP, USC
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It’s All About Me
First Published: December 2, 2005 “It’s all about me!” Those are the words emblazoned across a t-shirt I recently purchased for my two-year-old grandson, Noah. Most of us who have raised children know that every child and teenager could be … Continue reading
The Screen Shop
First Published: October 5, 2005 Most of us know what the acronym CPR means, but how many of us know what TPR means? The properties of TPR (Taking Personal Responsibility) were made crystal clear to me last week when I … Continue reading
The Art of Note-Passing
When I was a 7th grader back in 1963, I remember how strict and mean some of my teachers were. There was to be NO TALKING in class; this rule meant big trouble for me, as my urge to talk … Continue reading
Try a Smile
First Published: December 16, 2004 I was lying in bed the other night with Fox News on the tube. Why, at 10:30 pm when I should have been getting some much- needed rest, was I even watching TV? Well, as … Continue reading
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