Dianne White

Tonight, I didn’t get to my desk until after 8 pm.  Last night, it was even later.  After a full day, it’s easy to excuse myself from writing by saying that I just don’t have the energy.  That I can’t think well at night.  That I’m kidding myself when I believe that if I just [...]

Sometimes gems of inspiration come when you least expect them. Last night’s Chinese-take-out-so-we-could-watch-the-vice-presidential-debate brought another reminder with implications for both my teaching and writing lives. In today’s standards-based, high-pressured, “no-child-left-behind” environment, it’s easy to let the constraints of time and curriculum overwhelm my teaching day. The fact remains that there’s a bookload of “hard-core” curriculum [...]

It’s true that advise – free or otherwise – is not always advise worth receiving. So it was somewhat of a surprise when I picked up two timely pieces of advise inside a couple of fortune cookies the other night.  Each offered something to the teacher and writer in me. The first:“Practice an attitude of [...]

Over the past few days, I’ve been thinking about time – where it goes and how I want to invest it.  My most recent bout of “Am I using my time the way I *really* want to?” started because of an on-line class I’ve been taking.  Our assignment this week was to break away from [...]

Living a life that “means something” is a thread that runs through my thoughts most days.  Why do I do what I do?  Where should I place my energy?  How can I use my time towards things that are worthwhile? The things I can not change.  The choices I’ve made.  The goals I aspire to.  [...]

Last night, bone tired after working for 12 hours (first day back teaching) I wondered for a brief moment why I keep working at writing. It’s sometimes so hard to sit down to the computer after a long day. And yet, it’s true. “Every single time you sit down to write, you get better at [...]