Punchy Protagonist

As I sit behind the computer in my classroom, awaiting that last bell of Friday afternoon as anxiously as my students are, it is a slight time of reflection. I have gotten several bits of news this week of famous people that died, and I am in mourning, selfishly, for my childhood as I realize that I hold a connection to each of these figures. I have never met them nor shaken their hands, and yet they have all impacted my life in some way. Their essences and auras hold memories for me, which I now contemplate on as the clock ticks ever closer to the time when I get to shed my teacher persona and be a regular human for a couple of days. Roy Clark Roy Clark was a gem of a talented man, which I did not realize until I was older. When I was younger, I spent many hours rolling my eyes when my father would speak of Hee Haw, of which Roy was a robust host. At the time, I saw shows like Hee Haw as outdated and musicians like Roy Clark to be outdated. As I grew up, out of my stubborn teenage ...

I haven't written in a while. No stories, no blog posts, not even any creative ideas for ten-minute plays that will never come to be. Most people would think that writer's block stems from not knowing what to write...which is accurate, or not having anything to write about....which, in my case, is not accurate. The case is not that I have nothing to write about, it is that I have too much to write about. I am trying to learn that even the parts of life that I become impatient with end up being part of the beautiful journey that is my existence.  You see, as I have probably written before, patience is not something God blessed me with an abundance of. And, now more than ever probably, I have been reminded of the exact thing. That my timing for things is not always necessarily the best timing, and that just because I am ready for something does not mean everyone involved is or that it is the right time for it to happen. However, sometimes being ready for something that you ar...

My 1st period class was telling me about an essay they had for English a few days ago.  It was asking them about their version of the American Dream. The most outspoken female in that class (which isn't saying much...the others can muster about a sentence between them) told me that she ended her essay with vocalizing her wish for equality, especially between men and women. I was proud, to be honest.  Here is a small-town high school student that is voicing her opinions eloquently and without shame, not to mention she is staying socially aware.  In recent years, I have found myself to be a sort-of quiet feminist.  I would call myself a southern feminist....I believe in girl power and women empowerment, but I also believe in expressing it with a certain level of decorum, and that there are certain things that don't get in the way of your feminism, but can be done our of manners and caring. I digress.  After this student expressed her thoughts, some of my male st...

It's a simple yet unfortunate truth of life. In my 27 years of living, it seems as though this particular lesson has been evident many different times from many different sources. None as much, though, as in some of my favorite movies and TV shows. "Who says life is fair? Where is that written?" - The Princess Bride "Life's tough, get a helmet!" - Boy Meets World Those were two I could think of off the top of my head. However, the point is still there. I was a huge fan of Boy Meets World growing up and I still am. By the same token, I have seen the Princess Bride so many times, I know it better than most people know their social security numbers. So, even from the most developmental stages of my life, I was presented with this valuable life lesson. So...how to deal with these disappointments? That, sadly, I do not know. Whether "big" or "small," most of our disappointments cannot be solved in 30 minutes (as with Boy Meets World) or wi...

I have been dating the same man for three years. I fully believe that he is my partner and I wish it to be so forever. However, some well-meaning (and sometimes just plain nosey) people in mine and his life have made it plainly clear that we should be married by now. Or that we waste time by not being married yet. I am not angry at them by any means because, as I have said before, they are mostly well-meaning and just probably know what we know too...that it is bound to happen one day. And they want us to be happy. I know that. That doesn't mean that we don't tire of it, or that we do not feel the pressure at times.  I have a friend that has been married for a few years. She and her husband have been through a lot together and I know beyond a doubt (as I always have) that she is an infinitely strong woman. And, while I have accused her at times of living in a Taylor Swift song (she can be quite the romantic), she gives great relationship advice. I was asking her once is her an...

I've heard, as most people have, the term "culture shock." Even in my small- town existence,  I have experienced culture shock at different points in my life (the majority being when we travel to somewhere that doesn't serve sweet tea). However, I never expected to experience it in my 600-something populated hometown. And all I had to do was become a teacher. The epidemic of which I speak is not exclusive to America's high schools. The individuals cannot see they are infected, so they seep out into the "real world" and to higher institutions, making others others pay the price for their distorted realities.  This generation is not only a different culture, but sometimes just a whole different breed of individual.  At times, it is like the first step off a boat into an uncharted land. No longer is this a world where we own up to our mistakes, find our own strength, and work around the obstacles that plague life. Instead, it is a world of the blame game,...