The Way Home

The Crucible: Classic & Current

You must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between. This is a sharp time, now, a precise time—we live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world. Now, by God’s grace, the…

Home Is Where We Start From

Three days into spring break, I find myself on a windy hilltop, alone and reading poetry. At my back is the high outer wall of Rodborough Fort, a well-kept castle of indeterminate history or function, not open to the public but apparently available to lease. I text Timmy a picture of the castle and the…

April: News, Thanks, and Prayers

News and Dates: March 26-April 5: Spring Break April 7: BFA Staff Appreciation Dinner April 9: Classes resume (Start of Quarter 4) April 20: Freshman class party Curriculum for April: The Crucible, opinion columns and reviews We’re Thankful For: Oma and Papa, also known as Richard and Donna Dahlstrom, who came for a short visit in March. We’re thankful for…

Nothing Wasted: Of Slides and Research Papers

Friday morning, and the playground is deserted. Since I teach only one class today and Timmy is hard at work in the counseling department at school, Friday mornings I stay home with Luci. After what feels like a month of freezing weather and sickness, we’ve seized our health and the balmy temperatures and walk across…

March: News, Thanks, and Prayers

News and Dates: March 2-4: High School Retreat March 22: End of Quarter 3 March 23-April 8: Spring Break March 23-28: English Department Trip Curriculum for March: Modern poetry, Of Mice and Men We’re Thankful For: BFA Basketball Teams for a wonderful season, capped off by both teams winning the Division II DoDDS Europe championship! Timmy loved working with the…

On Labels

We’re putting the finishing touches on our latest issue of the BFA Chronicle newspaper, admiring a photo of Fiddler on the Roof cast members in the Arts section when one reporter looks up at me suddenly. “You play violin?” She phrases it as a question, but since this student journalist is also herself a member of the Fiddler cast,…

February: News, Thanks, and Prayers

News and Dates: February 3: Sadie Hawkin’s Hoedown February 9-10: BFA Basketball @ Vilseck February 10, 17: Fiddler on the Roof dress rehearsals February 16-17: BFA Basketball @ Home February 20-24: DoDDS Europe Basketball Tournament February 23-25: Fiddler on the Roof Curriculum for February: The Great Gatsby, research project, newspaper editing and layour We’re Thankful For: Ken & Delena Poe, dear friends…

Remembering How To Read

In order to arrive at what you are not You must go through the way in which you are not. And what you do not know is the only thing you know And what you own is what you do not own And where you are is where you are not. “East Coker,” T.S. Eliot…

Thoughts From the Valley

“With every job when it’s complete There is a sense of bitter-sweet That moment when you know the task is done…” Mary Poppins February 2010. I’m crying in a theater in mid-town Manhattan. Heeding the advice of one of my bosses from college, who regularly travelled to New York for business, I’ve taken this evening…

January: News, Thanks, and Prayers

News and Dates: January 2: Timmy takes his counseling board certification exam in Frankfurt. January 8: Classes resume January 12-13: Basketball at BFA January 16-19: Semester 1 Exams January 19-20: Basketball at BFA January 26-27: Basketball on the road! Curriculum for January: Exam review, Journalism enterprise projects We’re Thankful For: Christmas Visitors from Seattle! Thank you to Ben, Susanna and Emily for…