by KP | Nov 20, 2014 | Ceramics, Education
In the forming of the pot, it is the pushing from within that shapes the pot’s exterior. So too in our existence do our inner doubts and dreams shape the lives we live. -Chris Staley, The Hegemonic Eye During the thirty minutes I have for lunch, I am up to my elbows...
by KP | Oct 16, 2014 | Ceramics, Education
During my second year of teaching at a small-town high school in New Jersey, I met Shannon. Â She came to my classroom by way of a few other art courses, and at first we were a little cautious of each other. Â She was clearly talented in ceramics and meticulous about...
by KP | Jul 23, 2014 | Ceramics, Education
It’s a beautiful July night in northern Michigan.  I’m settled into an outdoor amphitheater seat next to a comfortable friend, listening to the tuning chatter of a high school orchestra.  Windows on the back wall amplify sparkles from the backstage lake.  The students...
by KP | Jun 11, 2014 | Education, Journalism, Social Issues
This past weekend, a school colleague challenged me to ‘get a selfie with the president.’ As I watched President Obama leave the State Room where he had just spent the last hour talking with about a hundred of us about education, I heard one young woman in...
by KP | May 31, 2014 | Ceramics, Education
The ending of a school year is never easy. I’ve often thought that school should be a year-round job, with the consistency of daily rhythms and relationships throughout the calendar year. Summer means severing ties, saying goodbyes and see-you-laters, and...
by KP | May 13, 2014 | Education, Social Issues
In the spring of 1993, I received a letter that changed my life. I’d been accepted into the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts – a 5-week summer program for the visual and performing arts.  Over 2,000 high school sophomores and juniors applied, and 200...
