Mrs. Moore's Musings

‘We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?'” (Bradbury 50) Here’s my hot take: posting about going out to buy the books that are being banned is grossly oversimplifying a truly terrible issue. Don’t get me wrong, you should read Maus and Thirteen Reasons Why and The Hate U Give. Read whatever you want, but the current movement to ban books from public schools and libraries has nothing to do with the texts themselves. The ludicrous notion that the brilliant, heartbreaking, and challenging graphic novel Maus was banned for a couple of curse words and a tiny piece of nudity reveals much about our current culture. I know, Tennessee school board, it would be difficult to defend not wanting our children to grapple with the horrors of the holocaust (heck, that might even get you canceled), but protecting them from “nudity” - that’s something “everyone” can supp...

Listen. I love words.  I love the sound of the word listen-the soft sounds-the first syllable emphasized-the ending is left almost like an invitation to lean in and be a part of something.  The potential opportunity to receive a gift from someone, to participate in something beautiful, interesting, funny, challenging, confirming, lovely--I love this word.  This is my word of 2019. Unlike last year, this word has, in its soft, gentle way, been shouting at me to be still for a minute and LISTEN.  I was perusing the internet and fell into a tiny, intriguing rabbit hole on a site called Medium that hosts blogs from some fascinating people.  They were posting people's words of the year.  My favorite by far was by Nancy Gibbs-her word was "listen," and the title was, "We risk getting dumber and meaner when we don't listen."  I started really thinking about when I felt dumb and mean.  It was almost always a result of me hearing something but not...

Tuesday, Feb 14 in the afternoon, during my 7th hour class, a student looked up and said, “Mrs. Moore, something has happened in Florida.”  I  thanked him for the update, refocused the class, and we moved on, working on our research projects.  As soon as the bell rang, I met with some students regarding their college interviews and we practiced questions.  During these sessions we had heart-to-heart discussions about how senior year is wonderful and horrible.  We talked about how it is never what we think it's going to be.  We talked about the idealism of the year versus the actuality of the year.  There were tears and laughter.  As I headed to my car, I felt really great about my day, and I was authentically excited about my lessons for the next day. On the way home, I turned on NPR (because I’m an English teacher and I don’t want to disappoint your stereotypical view of me--I also wear funky patterned dresses, carry a huge bag, wear my hair in...

I am a lover of words and language.  I believe with my whole heart the power words have to heal and to connect.  I have prayed about this, wept about this, and tried to make peace with this.  I have brave students, who have written powerfully, who have used their words to help heal and connect through their true pain.  I have been a coward. September is National Suicide Prevention Month.  I’m still afraid.  I don’t want to be a person who preaches but doesn’t practice.  So, I am writing.  I am writing as real and as true as I can.  There will be grammatical errors and there will be things I leave out that will be important, but I know I need to write and I need to tell my story because I want the world to be a place where no one else is afraid. I am a teacher. I am just a regular teacher who loves her kids.  I have the privilege of teaching Language and Composition.  I am unafraid, in my classroom, to approach difficult subje...

I woke up Wednesday morning and did what I always do.  I made a cup of coffee, turned on my local news, and grabbed my iPad.  My husband had sent me a text message at 2am telling me I was right, it was over, and Mr. Trump had won.  It said some other private things that I will cherish forever, but that is private.  I feel like, as a nation, we've forgotten some things can be private.  My husband and I have never discussed who we voted for or why in public forums.  We watched the debates, and as a teacher of language, my students and I discussed both candidates' rhetoric.  We discussed the different media approaches to the election, and had lively, thoughtful discussions.  I would wager that many of my students have no idea who I voted for.  It never came up.  I am a teacher of language.  We analyzed the language on both sides and had wonderful discussions about how both candidates were attempting to address their target audience....

Welcome 2016!  For the past two years, I have selected a word to focus on.  I saw a guy talking about it on the Today show, and I was hooked on the idea.  The first year, 2014, was the year my son graduated from high school.  I picked the word "cherish" and I did my best to focus on enjoying the process.  Last year, I picked the word "embrace" because I knew it would be a year of a lot of change. This year, my word found me.  In the last month of the year, I had several things happen that drew this word to me. First of all, I have lost touch with many of my writing friends.  Every time they planned something, I couldn't make it.  I was too busy or it seemed too far away.  Then, one of the most important people I associated with the Writing Project passed away.  He was always planning ways to keep us together as a group.  I felt horrible I hadn't been to any gatherings.  However, at the busiest time of the year, I found a way ...

HOORAY!  It's my favorite time of the year.  I love New Year's Day, and this entire season-more than any other part of the year (not weather related of course).  New Year's Day is my most favorite holiday of all of them.  It's because it's not about anything other than giving yourself permission to attempt to be better. New Year's is time to acknowledge your blessings and truly reflect on your goals.  My family traditions include sitting around all day and watching Netflix (I'm pushing for an all Gilmore Girls extravaganza of awesomeness-we are on the final season, and I hate it, but I will push on).  We will have a toast in our ONLY NEW YEARS ONLY fancy champagne flutes we got as a wedding gift, I will make black-eyed peas with ham and green vegetables with bacon and cornbread in a cast iron skillet, and we talk and laugh and love each other.  I freaking love this holiday! As you may know if you read my blog, three years ago I stopped making resolut...

One thing I love about teaching Seniors is that I get to participate in an event each year that marks a definitive change in someone's life.  I have been blessed with participating in so many young people’s life changing moments. Today marks one of the most important personal moments of unequivocal change in my own life.  16 years ago, December 22, at 3:32 in the afternoon, one of my most favorite human beings came into existence-my daughter!  I was there the whole time!  Olivia Linda Moore, I have loved you since before you existed, and now, 16 years later I am absolutely certain I will love you forever and always.  In honor of your day, I want to celebrate 16 of my favorite things/memories/awesome things that make you the greatest gift I have ever received: You hate mornings and love late nights, and I love mornings and hate late nights: This might not be everyone’s favorite, but some of my favorite memories we have together come at really not great ho...

I am unequivocally one of the luckiest people I know.  I am so freaking blessed, I don't even know where to begin.  I have an incredible husband who loves me and makes me feel valuable and special and loves all my weirdness.  I test him and push him, and despite everything-he is always by my side.  I have two kids who love me and accept me.  They have become amazing friends and who love each other. I am not even exaggerating that random people have approached me to tell me amazing stories about my kids.  My sister is the BOMB! If I go more than two days without talking to her, something is seriously wrong. My friends are super ridiculous.  They are smart and funny and we have discovered Snapchat together. They make me think critically, and when I can't do that anymore, they make me laugh at really ridiculous double entendres that only English teacher people can understand (we have the ability to make everything dirty-I mean everything.  Staff mee...

Thanksgiving!  It is not my most favorite favorite, but I love it.  Our family likes to chill out, eat, and celebrate all darn day!  I love to send texts to people near and far all throughout the day to let them know how thankful I am to have them in my life.  I've been thinking about writing this post for a while now, but today seems like the perfect day.  I have read a lot of posts grateful for teachers-from students and parents and friends.  I am a high school English teacher, and I appreciate the fact that I have so many people have lifted my profession (and myself) up and encouraged me and thanked me over the years.  I work alongside some truly gifted educators and people who humble me not only with their intellect, but with their compassion and generosity.  I hope that they know how thankful I am for them.  My family is ridiculous.  They love me and support me and encourage me. They put up with so much so that I can do crazy thing...

Over the last couple weeks, I have had some pretty amazing opportunities.  First, my students and I applied and were selected to attend not only a reading from Taylor Mali, but we got the chance to write with him in the afternoon.  Then, this past Thursday, I took 80 of my high school seniors from my AP Language and Composition class to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, a world class museum located in Bentonville, Arkansas.  After our trip to the museum, I was honored to watch my daughter perform in her first high school play (along with several of my students).  It has been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks. There is something that has been hitting my heart as I have been participating in this crazy season of my life-imperfection.  I am swimming in a sea of imperfection, and I need to figure out how to embrace this. Taylor Mali, a nationally acclaimed slam poet and author, asked us to describe a page in our journal.  Then he explained that he usu...

Last week was spirit week and parent teacher conferences at my school.  I am a crazy woman for both of these things. When I think about my word for 2015, when I chose "embrace"-I really intended for it to be metaphorical-as in "embrace the challenges."  But, now that I think about it, I think the word has a more literal meaning that has truly impacted my life. During spirit week, Tuesday was the most wonderful spirit day of my existence-it was "Tutus and Ties Tuesday."  I was born for this spirit day.  My tutu (that I made with my dear friends) was the very most glittery, beautiful creation imaginable, and my tie had been specially made with a super glittery "Go Cats" and paw prints from one of my favorite boutiques in town. I wore glitter tights and I put a glitter paw print on my face.  But, what was magical, was the amount of hugs I gave that day. I felt the literal importance of "embrace."  I loved every moment of that day. T...

I am not going to lie, it's weird for me to blog on a Monday night, but today has been somewhat unexpectedly challenging. As a lover of learning all things, I have certain teachers who are definitely my favorites. Tonight, two of the teachers who mean the most to me are hurting from their own personal struggles, and I really want to let them know, as privately as I can, what they mean to me and to let them know they are in my heart. Four years ago, I was struggling to find my true direction as a teacher. I mean, I was doing okay, but as a lover of all learning, my classes tended to be a little disconnected.  I joined the Northwest Arkansas Writing Project because I figured giving up four weeks in the summer to learn about teaching writing-that could be nothing but a party. It was! That is not sarcasm! (Neither is that-I am being totally serious.)  I remember the first few days, surrounded by these amazing teachers thinking, "What am I even doing here?"  To top it of...