Tag Archives: teaching

An Unexpected Christmas Present

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Coming East

Though I retired from education as the academic dean of a large urban middle school, I never enjoyed that job half as much as being a classroom teacher. As the dean, I worked mostly with teachers, monitoring what and how … Continue reading →

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English Is a Silly Language

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Coming East

Every Tuesday I tutor a young Vietnamese woman in English, helping prepare her to take the citizenship test next year.  Lately we’ve been working on her vocabulary and writing skills. Until you look at English through the eyes of someone … Continue reading →

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Stop the Blame Game

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Coming East

This morning I was having difficulty trying to come up with a topic for my blog post. As I was reading the op-ed section of the newspaper this morning (yes, a physical paper copy, not an online edition. Some of … Continue reading →

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Role Reversal

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Coming East

My father was a brilliant man, a mathematician, an aeronautical engineer who was head of the team who designed the airframe of the Blackhawk helicopter. I remember cocktail parties at our house, my brother and I sneaking halfway down the … Continue reading →

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January Rain

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Coming East

Today was one of those dim, rainy, long January days.  I listened to the patter of raindrops as they played their tune on my kitchen’s vent hood while I poured myself another cup of Earl Grey tea.   Toll House … Continue reading →

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You’re Never Too Old

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Coming East

I saw an ad in today’s paper that enticed students to write an essay so they could win a pair of tickets to “The Lion King.”  It reminded me of all the times as a classroom teacher I found some … Continue reading →

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A Well-Learned Lesson

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Coming East

Last week I posted a letter I would have liked to have sent to my third-grade teacher, Mrs. Zunker.  We all have teachers we loved and whose memory and lessons were sweetly remembered.  Unfortunately, most of us have also had … Continue reading →

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Letter to My Third-Grade Teacher

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Coming East

Dear Mrs. Zunker, I found this old photograph of my third grade class, and it brought back so many memories of you and Roger Sherman Elementary School.  That’s me, in the second row, third from the left, with the overbite … Continue reading →

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