What will we grow this summer? As the days become longer, and the evenings remain warmer, my husband and I spend more and more hours tending to our garden. Seeds we planted this spring are starting to sprout above the earth's surface and grow down into the soil. As I look at the beets, carrots, and blue potatoes growing into the air, I think about summer break. Just as I am curious about what might be happening out of my sights, under the ground, with the vegetables, I wonder how different people's summers might look. Whose summer will be filled with [...]

We're all there... Saturday morning I woke up unnaturally early.  As I sat in the living room reading a book FOR FUN, I was reminded that very, very soon in my future, I will be able to sit and read or draw in my sketchbook for hours on end. How exciting! At school, I see our students chomping at the bit for time to be in summer camps, running around their neighborhoods, and playing in pools and with hoses. We are almost there, all. For now, we all still need to do our homework and end the year strong.   I [...]

A Reason to Celebrate Most of our days are filled with a monotony of the expected. We wake up, brush our teeth, and go through the day with our usual routines, heading home to go to bed and start all over again the next day. This's and that's shake up the routine, but overall most of our days resemble one another filled with mimetic routines. There are ways that we can make our small habitual (mimetic) routines special, like dripping cream into our coffee one drop at a time to enjoy the ways in which the cream overcomes the blackness of [...]

Gratitude The day after the CNH birthday party, I received an email from a parent excited about finding a school that provides the benefits of small town living in Baltimore city. It reminded me of the years I lived in New York City. I found Manhattan to be a collection of small towns existing on top of one another. I lived in South Harlem, walked to my high school in East Harlem, and took the M4 bus to my doctoral program at Columbia University every afternoon. Walking to school every morning, I saw the same doormen, crossed the same people on [...]

A Time to Celebrate What a fantastic week we had in CNH-land last week! Students made CNH gear, ate cupcakes, created banners, sang to the school, and helped to fix-up our playground -- all with the goal of celebrating 10 years of our school. It has been a wonderful time of reflecting upon the school, looking into the future, and appreciating today. I am excited for Friday (6:30-9:30) at the CNH Birthday Party as we FULLY celebrate our school and everyone who has made it what it is! A Look Ahead... May 6-17: 10 Days of CNH Tenth Year Birthday Celebration [...]

A Time To Celebrate In the last 33 days of the school year, as we turn our attention toward summer and next year, it is important to remember to turn back with gratitude on what has brought us to this place. Our school is turning 10-years-old at the end of this school year! I look upon this accomplishment with gratitude for the faculty and staff who have brought us to this place of success and consider the strong shoulders upon which we stand today. I am so excited to celebrate with our community and look toward the next 10 years of [...]

The joys of spaciousness This morning, as I shook each student's hand when they entered the building, I was greeted with smiles, hugs, and fresh new hairdos. "Welcome back!" I exclaimed, feeling like the first day of school. How wonderful it is to miss the students and feel that warmth of their energy when they return. What a tremendously wonderful way to spend our days, educating young people and ushering them into the world as independent thinkers and change agents. As we embark upon the last 41 days of the school year, we are able to do so with the momentum [...]

"I LIKE THIS PAINTING BECAUSE IT HAS A BENCH" As I sit on my back deck writing this post, I am filled with anticipation of Spring Break next week. I look forward to 10 days filled with yard work, projects around the house, and working in my studio on a sculpture I started way too long ago to be still working on it. Either way, having the spaciousness of time to meander in thought and action is going to be amazing. I might spend the afternoon at the Baltimore Museum of Art, only looking at artwork that comes with benches. lol [...]

Starting July 8, 2019 rising first, second, third, and fourth graders are invited to expand mind and body at the City Neighbors Children Summer Program designed just for them. City Neighbors’ known focus on the development of the whole child and progressive approach to learning  will have children ages 6-10 active and engaged throughout our City Neighbors Hamilton campus’ air conditioned classrooms, creative play space, fields, track and garden.  2019 will be our fifth summer session. Summer session will include traditional general day camp activities and dynamic physical challenges such as: Reading & Writing Singing Bike Riding Drama Blueberry Picking [...]

  Voting YES or FOR to Question 1 will keep a promise made to voters that casino revenue would increase school funding instead of being used for other purposes. While casino revenues have been going into the Education Trust Fund—which can only be used for funding public education—nearly the same amount of existing funding has been shifted from education to other parts of the state budget. The result? The new revenue from casinos hasn’t added to existing funding; it has simply maintained the existing levels. Passing Question 1 will stop the budget gimmicks and ensure that casino revenues actually go to [...]