Embarrassingly, I’ve written about my Costco aversion before. Probably more than once. But with Walmart and any mall a close second, there is nothing else that sends me into a cold sweat of panic. My logical-minded husband doesn’t quite understand my neuroses, in fact, Costco is his happy place. He makes a big event, takingContinue reading “Taking Up the Gaps”
Author Archives: Susan Wangen
Perfectly Sucky
Back in October, 2015, I carried a newborn Auggie in his bucket car seat through a blustery parking lot and into the doors of a local mom’s group. I settled into the squishy floor seats with a group of ten or so other new moms and smiled at the room. Because Auggie was adopted, IContinue reading “Perfectly Sucky”
Exhausted and Thankful
Well, I knew it. Without the luxury of space and time, the writing falls to the wayside. These days the question I’m asked most frequently (besides, ‘where is Charly going to high school?’) is ‘how is your new position‘? My usual response is ‘busy’. Often followed by elaborations of ‘eye-opening’ and ‘the needs out thereContinue reading “Exhausted and Thankful”
The Other Side of the Glass
Last weekend I chiseled tiny specks of white paint off the windows in our cabin shed. Having recently mastered (or survived) our first attempt at using an electric paint sprayer on the small interior walls, fine sprays of white splatter somehow evaded our protective newspaper and clung to the glass in clusters. Every time IContinue reading “The Other Side of the Glass”
Declarations from the Deck on a Thursday Night
My second year of teaching, my principal called me into her office at Arkansas Elementary in Aurora, Colorado on the tenth day of school. She grimaced in sympathy as she told me there was a staff overage and I was being transferred to another elementary across town. I thought. My life. Was over. There’s somethingContinue reading “Declarations from the Deck on a Thursday Night”
Throwing Fish
I decided I was going to be a teacher during “I Have a Dream” week in third grade. By fourth grade I started my own babysitting business- perhaps under the literary influence of Kristy and her team of kid-kit wielding sitters in The Babysitters Club Series. (For the record I was NINE…so nobody hired me.)Continue reading “Throwing Fish”
Faith in Humanity
The other night we headed down to the dock with armfuls of lifejackets for a post-dinner, pre-sunset pontoon ride; a family favorite. As we rounded the last leg of our slow cruise, the pontoon suddenly died. My husband and brother-in-law sheepishly hypothesized an empty gas tank while my mother-in-law shook her head in mock exasperation,Continue reading “Faith in Humanity”
Love Letter to Summer
I’ve started three blog posts in the last month, only to abandon them halfway, the intense content eclipsing my drive to write; causing me to pause, only to start a new post the next week. I wouldn’t call it writer’s block necessarily…it feels more like writer’s overwhelm. But the need to write is bursting. LikeContinue reading “Love Letter to Summer”
Dopamine and Oxytocin
*How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh?…ten tickles. (tentacles) *Why does a mermaid wear seashells?… B shells are too small and D shells are too big. Ok, perhaps those fall in the category of “Dad Jokes” or groaners, but these last few days have reminded me of the necessity for laughter.Continue reading “Dopamine and Oxytocin”
When Does Learning Become a Delight?
I despised them when I was in college. Sitting there, all fresh (NOT moving slowly this morning as a result of the kegger at Sigma Chi) in the front row of the lecture hall. Raising theirs hands, taking lengthy notes and having the audacity to….well, enjoy learning. They frequently asked long questions in the veryContinue reading “When Does Learning Become a Delight?”
Teaching the Good Stuff 