back to school

This time of year has meant “back to school” for me since 1976, when I entered Mrs. Wright’s preschool class. Each fall since that time I’ve been back to school, either as a student, a…

innovating education

Note: This represents my written narration for a TEDx talk I gave at Weber State University on February 28, 2014. The words that come out of my mouth and the words that come out of…

long leads, small miracles

As I approached I could see the long lead stringing from Grace, semi taut like the line of a kite that was gracefully swaying across my horizon. Except it wasn’t a kite at the other…

community gardening

Instead of the “community supported agriculture” (CSA) program that we usually sign up for during the summer, which would have supplied us with a weekly basket of local, seasonal vegetables, we opted for a slightly…

wrappings

When you were born we wrapped you in the cotton blanket supplied by the nurse, stripes of pink and blue contingency for any gender. We swaddled you, like a burrito we said, and they told…

potential

What struck me most about Grace’s storytelling today at the university sponsored festival, and in front of about 200 other people in her session alone, was that she offers surprise. It’s not surprising that she’s…

ten years old

When I turned 40 years old, my dear friend entered my house with his luggage that had just been transported across the country, and as soon as he had set it upon the floor he…

multiples of 13

This is my teenage daughter: Anna turned 13 years old yesterday. In retrospect, this is probably a bigger life crossing for me than it is for her. I have been thinking this for a while,…

Pipelines: Why metaphors matter

by Adam Johnston (originally posted on writescience.wordpress.com) In all of my meetings and conversations with him, my dean — the head administrator of the College of Science in which I am gainfully employed — is…