Previous publications

I have written curriculum (Social Studies and the Cyber Age, and Washington State Civil Liberties Curriculum) and teacher leadership case studies for PD (Teacher Leader Stories) which have been included in larger collections. I was a blogger for the Partnership for Learning and a guest blogger for the Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession's Stories from School.

Found

Many years ago I started collecting notes that my students left lying around my classroom.  This file of notes has been nagging me to write a story.
In Found, a middle school teacher finds notes and a journal which reveal the secret thoughts and actions of students and others.  A quirky Shakespeare quoting young man, whose addict mother disappears, conceals his solitary homelessness while he creates an elaborate scenario for revenge on some school bullies.  His eventual allies are a dog who adopts him, a Native American family who take an interest in him, and a brilliant Mexican immigrant girl whose cleverness he admires. He lives and sleeps in a park in order to avoid foster care and preserve his desperate need for control of his own destiny.  Eventually he will require the support of friends as the world he has created begins to unravel, and he is Found.  
This Young Adult story was inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest and makes numerous allusions and connections to it.   The protagonist is named Edgar Prospero. 

Last year I used my partial drafts and test drove curriculum I had written for Common Core State standards utilizing both texts.  Many of my sixth through eighth grade students loved Found and its characters, and were very upset when they realized the story was unfinished. They were my first readers and provided wonderful feedback for improving and completing the story.  Found Resources

How Not to Mess Up Your Life

Written by your brain, this short pamphlet helps you understand why it's important to make good choices about what you do with your body and your brain. The brain's advice will keep you in control of your own life.