Author: Jennifer Wood Laird
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What My Dog Really Thinks of Me…
Today, I had an argument with my son. While I overplayed something, my teenager underplayed it, sending me into a downward spiral and ugly rant. It was over something stupid; but nevertheless, I raised my voice and concerns. And after the dust settled, and we had kissed and made up, my dog looked at me…
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There’s Good in Goodbyes
Driving home from an all day volleyball tournament had me driving and drifting (my mind-not my car!). Six hours of whistles and cheering left my daughters asleep and me enjoying the music and my thoughts. The lyrics to Taylor Swift’s new song, All of the Girls You Loved Before had a line where I ended…
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A Letter Before Baby: Deliver Before Delivery
Dear Rochelle, The irony of my letter is you won’t really know when your last supper will take place prior to your delivery. For this reason, (and a million others like the art of growing an actual human, to the thought of dilating to 10cm, and can we talk about the freakin placenta!) makes childbirth…
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Let Your Worries Go with a Worry Stone
When I was between the ages of 10 and 12, my dad pulled me into his office and handed me a worry stone. He showed me how to rub my thumbprint back and forth and suggested I rub my worries away. At the time, our family was struggling to navigate split households, broken hearts, and…
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Cheers, Tears, and Fears for our (Tier) Students
I am the RtI Coordinator in my district which services 2000 students. Today, we had reading data meetings for our intermediate (3rd-5th) level students. After a three year plan and literacy audit, our 90% Reading Goal has been successful in grades K-5. All our students are growing as readers! We have built such a solid…
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African Elephant or A Fricken Elephant!
If you’re reading this, you’re most likely an educator. And, you most likely chose the world of education because you enjoy kids and the unpredictable things they say. I’ve been meaning to script this story since it happened two years ago. It’s entertaining and reminds me why I love being a mom and a teacher.…
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Good Grief! Why I Bought a Funeral Dress During the Pandemic
Another Slicer’s recent post on funerals sparked this memory. Thanks for the inspiration, Glenda! Weird fact…my sister and I bought funeral dresses during the pandemic. It wasn’t because I was scared of dying per say; rather, I felt like the pandemic taught me how to live. For the first time in my life, I felt…
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The Allure of Being Pulled in Opposite Directions
It’s Sunday. I’m on my last day of our beach vacation. I wake and do a body scan-nothing hurts. Then, I do a mind scan-no worries. I have nothing pressing my mind, nothing aching or pulling me in any direction. It’s going to be a lovely day; I will use every minute to its fullest.…
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How Sweet Is Your Soul?
Vacation is a time to release yourself from your daily world leaving your job and stressful self at home. Each year, I find myself leaving behind my educator daily duties, yet packing the educator. I just can’t leave her behind; she’s an innate part of me. And, with my super hero teacher powers, I can…
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Here’s a Tip-Hire Captain Cristian.
How many dolphins are there in the world? Have you ever seen any alligators? Have you ever caught a shark? Are you the only captain? These were just a sampling of the more than one hundred questions asked by our ten-year-old on our chartered boat/fishing expedition today. Poor Captain Cristian! When we first heard Captain…
Jennifer Wood Laird 