I took this photo of my dog while I walked him this morning. We had a lovely walk, as we always do, even though today we got wet. I was thinking about the fact that he really doesn’t care about the weather. He’s always happy to be outside. He likes smelling new locations, running around, rolling…
Author: caritagardiner
49. Why Not to Lie
I took this photo a few minutes ago while I was walking the dog because seeing it reminded me of a funny story…not a funny story about dead people, but about honesty. Of course, most people know that lying is wrong for lots of reasons: People will stop believing us…aka The Boy Who Cried Wolf….
48. Why I’m a Chipotle Convert
I’ve been coaching water polo here at Hotchkiss for a lot of years. When we have late away games that would cause us to miss the regular Dining Hall’s dinner hours, the Athletic Department gives me ten dollars per player and coach to buy dinner. (For a long time, the amount was nine dollars, which…
47. Why Practice Gratitude
Okay, so this photo probably isn’t fair. Of course, I felt gratitude on the day my older daughter met my younger daughter. (This isn’t the day my younger daughter was born because she came at 9:44 pm, but it’s certainly within twenty-four hours of her birth. This is all beside the point.) On this day,…
46. Why I Love Netflix
To begin writing this post, I took a screenshot (above) of my Netflix home page. Just seeing it made me think about spending the next few hours relaxing with a movie or a few shows rather than writing this post, but I resisted. That first icon, of the glorious Carol Kane, opens up my computer’s…
45. Why Have a Rival
I took the photo above at my school this week, Spirit Week. Hotchkiss’ big rival is Taft, a school that as far as I know is in all ways like Hotchkiss except that they wear red jerseys rather than blue ones. Some adults (and maybe some kids, but I haven’t heard from them) at my…
44. Why Say “Hello”
Photo Credit: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/11HHsXlNL68WCGZh3QQ43gK/hello-hey-and-hi-the-meanings-behind-greetings Sometimes, people walk along oblivious to what’s going on around them. Whatever they have brewing in their minds prevents them from seeing and hearing the people who pass them by. However, most of the time, probably for reasons of safety, no matter what people contemplate, they still notice their surroundings. Let’s think…
43. Why I Count off for Repeated Errors
The photo above shows the bottom line of one of my grading rubrics. I added this line for my students and for myself. For my students, I hope knowing about this line helps them pay more attention to not repeating past errors. Any person who can avoid making the same mistake more than once will…
42. Why I Don’t Eat Meat
Okay, anybody who’s been reading these posts for a while will notice that I’ve used this photo before. I’m sorry. I couldn’t face putting in a bloody meat photo. Yuck. I decided to go with what I do like, carbs. Photo aside, the first answer to this question people sometimes ask me is, I don’t…
41. Why Mark Essays with Numbers
I know that English teachers love words. I love words, but I also love numbers. I’m not talking about math (though I love math, too); I’m talking about the Conventions of Composition website that offers self-help for grammar. My primary goal in assigning students to write essays is to help them learn to write better….