Covid Teaching Reflections: What Makes a Good Teacher?

 I've been teaching middle and high school for 13 years and needless to say this past year has been really tough. I currently teach at an inner city high school with limited resources and not the best technology. We started getting waves of students slowly coming back to in-person learning recently and it has been …

“This is Where We Used to Live”: Revisting the Providence Mall Apartment

https://youtu.be/8ggJS0p-QQc Providence residents might recall the strange case of the Providence Mall apartment back in 2003. That was when a group of artists known as Trummerkind built a secret 750-square-foot apartment in the mall where they lived in on and off for 4 years. According to the artist website, "The post-WWII term Trummerkind - German  for "children …

I Used to Love Her…

I met this girl, when I was ten years old And what I loved most she had so much soul She was old school, when I was just a shorty Never knew throughout my life she would be there for me On the regular, not a church girl she was secular Not about the money, …

Free Palestine: Resilience and Connection

The words below were spoken at the Rhode Island Poor People's campaign event: Linking Racism and Poverty on the state house lawn May 21, 2018. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ The way I see it, everyone and everything is connected. That is why it comes as no surprise to me that Lemon trees, which can grow in nearly any …

The Climb

I am home with the kids and revising all the time what that means to me.  I am not gonna lie; at first, I  had every intention of going back to teaching in September, when my youngest was six months old. After all, teaching and being a working person has  forever been part of my …

Horizon

Etymology of Hoizon is listed as: bound, limit, divide, separate and limit of view.     I am trying to stay positive in the face of uncertainty, stay clear headed and patient in the face of parenting responsibilities. Creative in the face of harsh realities   And then there’s Meena. There is no question that …

We Are Providence: Featured Essay!

One of my essays has recently been featured in Frequency Providence's first ever anthology, Missing Providence. Order the Missing Providence Anthology Here! It's chock full of local talent and great writing: http://frequencywriters.org/2015/09/09/order-frequencys-anthology/   "She came from Providence, the one in Rhode Island Where the old world shadows hang heavy in the air She packed her …

Winter Solstice Reflections: The fine mingling of letting go and holding on

“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.” Nelson MandelaThis quote was brought to my attention recently and I couldn't help but recognize it as execeptionally fitting given not only Mandela's passing, …

How Uncivil! Ray Kelly Protests, Providence Student Union, and Why Liberal Politics Suck

The following post was penned by my partner and fellow creative resistance specialist ( cause yeah, i can make terms up…) Christopher Rotondo: Reflections on the Providence Student Union (PSU), Ray Kelly, and the Nature of Protest Recent organizing efforts and protests in Providence, most recently, the protest of New York City police commissioner Ray …

Power of Memory: Avi’s “Something Upstairs” and Our Responsibility to Remember

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to relive it"  Santayna Avi opens up his young adult historical fiction novel, Something Upstairs, with this fitting quote. A geek for local literature,  I am glad I finally stumbled on this book ( while, umm... subbing 5th grade). Providence is small but is layered with a …