(This is part 2 of a 2-Part article. Read Part 1 first )
I was soul-sick. No doubt about it. When I should have been bonding with my mother as an infant, she was nurturing her career and I was left with a babysitter & bottle.… Read the rest
What is soul sickness? Let’s start by defining soul-health and work backwards. According to soul-guru — and Oprah’s good friend — Gary Zukov, the soul is a nurturer, soother, and provider of life energy. And when one connects with this source, well-being and a direction in life will flow like a leaf falling into a stream.… Read the rest
I’m part of a spiritual program that’s helps me abstain from destructive substances because “There Be Dragons” waiting off the edge of that map, and that dragon already ate my entire family, so I’m pretty sure he’s licking his chops waiting patiently to finish off the meal.… Read the rest
She’s lovely, innocent, and deserves to enjoy a developmentally appropriate holiday free of un-wanted touch, and yet that human right is often undermined by “socially accepted” norms. In an article about brainwashing,
… Read the restIn psychology, the study of brainwashing, often referred to as thought reform, falls into the sphere of “social influence.”
In one of my first posts of the school year, I discussed how we as educators each find our tipping point for intolerable acts regarding children. At the end of the article I described the tensions of being mixed-race during the start of school integration, and a heinous situation that developed for me.… Read the rest
If you’re a woman you’ve probably had your Harvey Weinstein moment, and you probably didn’t report your abuser. I get it. After my attempt to garner help from a perp-supporting yard teacher failed miserably, I gave up believing by seven years old, that I had any right to safety.… Read the rest
(In my second blog I told the true story about a gang of boys dragging me to the “pussy-bushes” in 3rd grade)
Then came 5th grade when a lone troubled boy stalked me in the hallways at recess, using the packed passageways as cover as he repeatedly pressed his groin against me.… Read the rest
(Link to Ken Burns Documentary on Vietnam)
Periodically my brother sent photos home to assure my mother that he was alive, and his selection of photos reveals a lot. This picture of him with prostitutes is the most normal thing he could come up with during his second combat tour.… Read the rest
My great uncles on my mother’s side were small time crooks who used guns to rob the local armory. My father adopted the attitude that guns were manly and virtuous — if used correctly (I grew up with a loaded gun in the house).… Read the rest
When I was transitioning from teacher to administrator, I took a year long position in a wealthy suburban district at a pay-cut because they were going to give me leadership opportunities, and mentoring. But it turned out it also meant working with an all White staff — the kind of friendly oblivious racists I’ve encountered plenty over the years — who gave my unusual look the benefit of the doubt.… Read the rest