There’s a scene in To Kill A Mockingbird, one of my all-time favorite summer reads, where Mayella Ewell, a poor white girl in rural Alabama, tells the court Tom Robinson, a poor black man, hit her and raped her.

Mayella is distraught and tearful as she gives her testimony. Atticus… Read full post »

Drury University’s graduation is over.

Aurora High School’s baccalaureate and graduation ceremonies are now in the past.

Both events will hold special places in my heart forever.

My grades are all in. The laundry is almost caught up. My house is clean.

Yesterda… Read full post »

Each May for the past several years I have written a column to my seniors at Aurora High School. It is always a bittersweet time. I am anxious to see what they will all accomplish. But, I am always sad to see them go.

I went over some of the… Read full post »

Dear Jake— You will graduate this weekend from Drury University with two degrees, one is in business and finance and the other is in history. I am a big picture girl.

 You are a man who gets lost in the details. You focus on perfection and achievement. I focus on… Read full post »

I made some great memories with some good friends and my husband in Las Vegas. I went for a wedding. I had never been to Vegas, but was anxious for some much needed down time.

I’m always a sucker for love… Read full post »

I am excited about some new things going on at Aurora High School.

The town has a colorful history with stories of mining, railroads, wars, the Trail of Tears and industrial growth. I am always looking for ways to incorporate these benchmarks into learning opportunities for others.

One… Read full post »

As I sat at in the back of the Aurora R-8 meeting of the Board of Education on April 9^th, I paid attention to the body language in the room when the time came to talk about teacher salaries. Money is always a touchy subject,… Read full post »

The Aurora High School Student Council will be hosting its last regular blood drive of the school year next Wednesday, April 11^th. I’d like to take the time right now to issue you an invitation to join us. We will be open for business from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.… Read full post »

Hair.

We cut it, color it, trim it, shave it, wear it, hide it and worry about it.

My husband brought me six inches from his pony tail a few weeks ago when he received a haircut. I squealed when I saw it because I like his hair. I like… Read full post »

“Oh Lord, I reckon I’m not much just by myself.

I fail to do a lot of things I ought to do.

But Lord, when trails are steep and passes high,

Help me to ride it straight the whole way through.

And… Read full post »

I have been in Branson, Missouri the last three days attending a professional development conference at Chateau on the Lake. I have left home at 5:30 a.m. and returned home after dark. Some of the sessions have been amazing and productive. A couple of them have been a little dull.… Read full post »

“Be good and you will be lonesome.”

“You ought never to "sass" old people- unless they "sass" you first.”

“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”

“I have been an author for 20 years and an ass for 55.”

&l… Read full post »

Bob Korpella is a local writer with a background in human resources.

I am honored to call him a colleague. I’m tickled pink to call him my friend.

 I first met him close to 20 years ago when I was editor of a local newspaper and I took a tour… Read full post »

As you can see, I’m still immersed in Presidential trivia these days. I’m working on a presentation I’m giving next week at Missouri State University about Abraham Lincoln & Literacy. With this being an election year, I’m intrigued with the characteristics of an American P… Read full post »

Since February is a time we celebrate the birth of two great Presidents, I thought it only fitting to discuss how a young George Washington hand-copied a list of 110 “Rules of Civility.” A lot of us are so used to typing, grabbing an online link or sharing documents via… Read full post »

 February is full of birthdays for the likes of Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

My son’s Grandpa--Frank McCully--turned 70-something on Sunday.

Ronald Reagan would have been 101.

The world gave us Langston Hughes 100 years ago, too.

If you missed Saturday night’s 2012 Aurora Chamber of Commerce Banquet, you missed a real treat.

The high school, where I work/play/hang out, was represented well. Brad Boettler received a Top Dawg Award for his work on the Habitat house. Leanne Cope received a Golden Houn’ Dawg Aw… Read full post »

I made a jaunt to Green Forest, Arkansas, last Saturday. The sun was shining. The fog lifted. I sang old country tunes at the top of my lungs the whole way there. I left home at 9 a.m. and meandered through Jenkins, Shell Knob,… Read full post »

Here’s a  little bit of fun trivia for Aurora residents.

I was talking to a group of kids the other day at school about what it meant to be a Houn’ Dawg.  I told them part of the overall character trait was that you just simply resolve to never give up./… Read full post »

Are kids getting smarter? Are we smarter than our ancestors? Or do we just have more resources at our disposal? Is technology dulling our social skills? Are we dumbing down our expectations in the workplace to make sure everyone has a taste… Read full post »

“Reading. Writing. Driving A Car.

All three burn up about 75 calories per hour.”

I start off every year by pouring over old almanacs, checking out the new ones, updating my Farmer’s Almanac daytimer/calendar and seeing what I can find online.

In the pages, I find words… Read full post »

“Auld Lang Syne
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.”
--- Robert Burns, 1759-1796

It’s that time… Read full post »

That’s the quote on my Christmas card that I made this year to send out to friends and family. It is complete with a collage of family photos from the year, including a Civil War replica cannon from Wilson’s Creek Battlefield, a 1940s era p… Read full post »

Our “Hometown Hero” series in Dual Credit English wound to a close this week at Aurora High School.

I’m not sure if it was the fact that it was a Monday.

It could have been that students are a little stressed over finals.

Or, maybe—some realized that these… Read full post »

I am writing you this letter after 188 years of marriage. I love the twinkle in your eyes and the dimples on your cheeks. Your fluffy white hair reminds me of floating clouds in a sky of blue. Despite the fact that my heart melts when you walk… Read full post »