I started teaching in the classroom again. There is a caveat; it’s two days a week, but it’s better than nothing. The process began with my supervisor asking if I was willing to teach a small cohort of 10 to 12 English Language Development students. I also teach 9th grade and 10th grade English Language …
Continue reading "Back Teaching"It’s very hard to put into words what I am feeling right now watching the Capitol building be stormed by protesters. To be an active spectator in the erosion of our democratic institutions is unnerving, unprecedented, and without historical context. I guess the time has come for me to begin looking at other countries’ past …
Continue reading "Under Siege"On the eve of a smoldering year, it is difficult to put into context what has occurred over the past 365 days. Most of the time I try to keep to a rigid daily routine in an attempt to make sense of the cultural shift happening locally, nationally, and on a global scale. On the …
Continue reading "Smoldering Embers of 2020"Another California style lockdown has been implemented, but is it necessary? In the last 24 hours, Governor Newsom has divided California into five regions. If ICU hospital capacity within each region falls below 15%, then that region will be under a strict stay-at-home order for three weeks. The region containing Los Angeles County has already …
Continue reading "Lockdown Cali Style"Rising from COVID-19’s complex infrastructure Thanksgiving 2020 appeared as a monolithic superstructure compared to any other holiday this year. Approximately one month prior, our family contracted the virus and one by one the multiple families that had reserved a spot at our Thanksgiving table decided to cancel. Even though their reasons were logically valid, I …
Continue reading "Giving Thanks"November 20, 2020–The mere thought of a curfew makes me shudder. I was perusing the various online news sources (CNN, NY Times, NY Post, Washington Post, Yahoo and the local newspapers) along with social media sites (Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, Parler, etc.), and multiple headlines awakened me from my zombie like scrolling stupor–“Governor Newsom considers curfew …
Continue reading "Curfew"Hi John…I know you’re looking down, “chuckling to yourself”, watching my tears wet the keyboard as memories flood my conscious flow. I just found out you’re no longer here with us, and I’m heartbroken. There are no words to capture what I truly feel. A hole opened in my heart when I heard about your …
Continue reading "I will miss you John Lowry…"I am one of the chosen or maybe, I am just simply part of the herd. Whatever perspective one chooses, I have contracted this microscopic unwanted guest. It is the first time in my life where there is something in my body that I am genuinely scared to face. In addition, four out of five …
Continue reading "The Infected Chronicles (11 Days of living with COVID)"I’ve figured out why there has been a lapse in writing inspiration. The answer at times is simple yet elusive. There seems to be a figurative game of hop scotch being played between my past experiences, present responsibilities and external influences, and future unrealized goals, objectives, and plans. My shadow runs circles around me chasing …
Continue reading "Slaying Giants"I have been struggling to sit down and write. The words gathering in my head seem to stick like honey-sweet, sticky, and sickening. Robert Frost and Rudyard Kipling speak from the grave reverberating truth from a bygone era. “Two divergent roads” screams Frost. “If you can keep your head” whispers Kipling. Will I look back …
Continue reading "Where there’s smoke, there’s fire…"