NerdyTeacherMom

Photo credit: NEA Today M y typical reaction to surprising things is to stare in amazement . Only later do I think, “Dang! That would have made a great photo.” Or “I wish somebody had caught that on video.” Today’s teens and tweens react differently. As quickly as my mouth drops, their phones are capturing the moments.  My 14-year-old is no different. Last week, her little sis and I were trying to harmonize the chorus of Lukas Graham’s “7 Years.” (I don’t particularly love the song, but if a kid wants to sing with her mama, who am I to turn down the opportunity?) After nailing the notes, we high-fived each other. Seconds later, we heard our voices replayed on a cell phone. My reaction: “You were taping that!?!” (Yes, I still use words like “taping” instead of “recording.”) My second reaction: “Was it video or audio?” Looking raggedy in my ‘round-the-house gear – even if I do sound like Whitney (ahem) -- is not the look I want going viral.  I’m sure today

It's happening: writer's block. This is why I hesitated to start a blog. I worried that I might actually write something that people would actually want to read, then lose my credibility because I only posted once in a blue moon. It's not that nothing's been going on my life. In fact, I have plenty of legitimate reasons for not writing. Do I set aside [fill in the blank from the list below] to tap out a few paragraphs? grading papers planning lessons clipping coupons reading tweeting checking Facebook napping doing hair Candy Crush getting organized (you get the gist) And once blogging has been prioritized, what the heck do I write about? My kids are at the age where EVERYTHING is embarrassing. So I have to tread lightly when using them as writing material. I have personal issues (don't we all?), but do I really want to put all of that out there? People who do that come across as super self-centered, especially if their business does nothing to