Author: Elizabeth Rehwaldt
Our Confusing Selves
When I was little, my dad had a poster of an adorable chimpanzee next to his desk. This was long before the days of memes, but you may have seen an updated version. The chimpanzee held a thinking pose above the caption, “I think, therefore I am… confused.” My dad explained to me about the concept of philosophy and a man called Descartes. I felt incredibly grown up to be in on what I consider...[Read More]
Great and Terrible Babies
Babies are great… and awful. If you listen to an honest debate between a loving parent and someone who doesn’t have children, chances are high that they would not truly understand each other. Parenthood is a life-changing experience, so much so that it is often hard for people whose home has already been invaded by a baby and people who still think that Saturday mornings are for sleeping in to spe...[Read More]
Failing Friendships and Learning to be Kind
I’ve heard it said that, even more than their lessons, educators teach who they are as people. Students learn about their teachers’ passions, annoyances, available buttons to push, and amount of care they hold for their pupils—perhaps even more than they learn about their coursework. As a teacher, I have seen this happen. As a former student, I’ve learned that the most important person a student c...[Read More]
The Gift of a Tender Heart
Despite how it sometimes seems when we focus on the negative, Americans still value kindness as a culture. Each person’s view on kindness may be a little different, but the idea is still in our framework as a people. No one has ever sat in a merging lane of a highway traffic jam forever. Someone will eventually let them in with a wave. Most children’s television programming regularly teaches ways ...[Read More]
Feeling Green, Not Guilt
Disclaimer: This post is not for the lover of Excel charts or anyone who is drawn to lists on legal pads. It is not for people who own label makers and also put them to use. It is for the people who find a reminder note buried in a pile, accomplish it even though it is three years late, and mentally check it off as a grand victory. This post is not for the eco-warrior—although, kudos to you. This ...[Read More]
Can we listen through the pain?
I opened the email at work, which was the only reason I was keeping it together at all. I was pretty sure I had just read the end of my 15-year-long-best-friendship. There was something in the words about not listening or hearing her, but all I read was condemnation of me. I typed back, “I heard that. I heard it loud and clear,” and pushed send. “Heartbroken” is such a trite thing to be, but it w...[Read More]