MCC Summer Reflections: Ella S. Casten

MCC Summer Reflections: Ella S. Casten: "She'll melt every heart she meets... Ella Sabine Casten, born on June 10, 2009. Ava and Henry were c-sections. According to our doctor, ..."

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Looking Out

Looking Out Originally written May 27, 2015 Lightly edited for clarity in August 2026. Just hours ago, my students left. They are on their way to summer adventures, family time, and friends. Just as quickly as they walked into my life, they walked out again. Yet each of them will always be a part of my life. When a school year begins, my new students are just that—students. They arrive as a group, and at first there is little that distinguishes them beyond their physical appearance. They are quiet, reserved, and and still unknown to me. During those first few days, I snap a picture of each one, not yet knowing who they really are. I work to learn their names and match each one to a classroom number. I try to figure out who knows whom from the neighborhood. I share pieces of my own life, hoping they'll eventually share theirs. Time meanders on. Slowly, they begin to let their light shine. Slowly, they begin to share what's important to them. Slowly, I'm afforded the opportu...

Art & Science

The familiar winds of autumn blew rapidly through the playground. Ponytails flying, unzipped jackets flapping, and soaring playground balls all took errant paths. Just as fall has briskly left so has trimester one. Reports cards were sent home today and I plan on placing the final touches to each student’s conference narrative. The practice of filling out the narrative for my students has become one of my favorite “at home” aspects of teaching. I look forward to retreating to my little office in the basement, surrounded by the faint noises of my family upstairs, and writing. I seem to enter into a world only my students and I really know; the life of Room 211 on a daily basis. My mind pictures each student as I am writing about them. Their faces make an entrance into my thoughts followed by the smile I see each day. I travel back in t...

Running...

Running... Original post written on August 18, 2012. Minor changes for clarity made in Aug 2026. Twelve years. That's how long I have been teaching at Lincoln. Twelve years. That's how long I have taken the same route from my house to school. In that time I have seen many houses for sale, then sold. Some were torn down to make room for a new house, a new family, and new students. I've seen the streets that I traverse through Elmhurst being ripped apart and rebuilt to make them safer and more driver friendly, not to mention more car-friendly. Twelve years. I've seen high school kids standing on corners, waiting for the school bus to pick them up for school. Some of them recognize my car while others recognize me as their former teacher. Most of them, however, probably do not pay much attention to me as I pass by. Among all that I see, Monday through Friday mornings there is an unmistakable figure, usually two blocks ahead of me on Fairfield. He is a man. He has slightly ...

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