Uncategorized – Page 8 – Janice Airhart

Assumptions

When Zoom became our primary connection tool in 2020, I both loved and hated it. It allowed me to stay home and attend to business or communicate with others from the comfort of my home. I’m an introvert, and I don’t easily jump into large-group conversations, not because I don’t have anything to say, butContinue reading “Assumptions”

Epic Fail

Science experiments don’t always work as intended. Sometimes, they fail miserably. When things didn’t go as a procedure predicted, I’d tell students, “You learn as much from failure as you do from success. Sometimes more.” Perhaps the girls thought I was just trying to make them feel better, but I was serious. There’s always wisdomContinue reading “Epic Fail”

Killing Time

When I was in eighth grade, near the end of what I remember as last period earth science class, the clock hands slowed down to the pace of sedimentary rock formation. This was when clocks still had hands, of course. Absurdly, those hands sped up during our lunch break and when I tried to squeezeContinue reading “Killing Time”

What’s in a Name?

I once heard someone advocate for a minimum age requirement for getting a tattoo by comparing body art to a drunken climb up a water tower with a can of spray paint. “At seventeen, you might think it will impress your girlfriend to scrawl her name inside a heart where everyone driving by can enjoyContinue reading “What’s in a Name?”

Alternatives

Public school teachers are leaving the classroom in record numbers. According to a 2022 report by the NEA, 55% of classroom teachers considered leaving the profession early. The percentage is even higher among teachers of color. This is only one of the reasons public education is in crisis in today. One response to this crisisContinue reading “Alternatives”

Appetite for Change

I learned early how to confront challenges. Before I was a year old, my mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and placed in a psychiatric hospital. When my mother died in residence at said hospital thirteen years later, my world was further upended by my father’s remarriage and our move to a new home, a newContinue reading “Appetite for Change”