When Hurricane Harvey swept Houston’s Bay Area, I didn’t lose everything, but the storm unsettled me. Returning to class two weeks later, I faced students carrying grief far heavier than mine. Had I suffered a major loss like so many others, maybe the words would come easier. Monday couldn’t just be about economics—it had to be about steady ground and hope.
Tomorrow begins my 24th year of teaching, yet I still remember the first hour of my first day—hands shaking, voice thin, wondering what I was doing there. Since then, the classroom has been both a crucible and a gift: seasons of exhaustion, unexpected laughter, heartbreak, and joy. I’ve taught lessons in economics and literature, but life always had lessons waiting for me too. Students grow, but so do teachers—shaped by storms, successes, and the steady rhythm of showing up. This journey has never been perfect, but it has always been worth it.
In 1979, I was caught in a flood that forced me to abandon my car and wade through the dark toward safety. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the confusion and fear of that night would echo decades later in the classroom. Teaching through the pandemic carried the same weight—sudden changes, no clear path, and the need to lean on others. We Survived and Grew During the summer of 1979, a torrential downpour fell on my hometown. In what seemed like no time, flood waters engorged most of the surrounding streets. Instead of staying in the safe, relatively … Read more
I taught through the biggest disruption most of us have ever seen. What finally made sense wasn’t the screen time or the tech—we were just trying to be present with kids who needed something steady. Now I know it wasn’t about keeping up with the chaos—it was about holding on to whatever sense of classroom felt human. As I think about my schooling in the 60s and 70s, I am amazed at the amount of technology available to teachers and students today. Back in my high school days, using a simple four-function calculator in math class was considered cheating. Back … Read more