Author Archives: Paige Givens

I wish my mother was here, she thinks as she looks over the unfamiliar surroundings. But she didn’t leave on the greatest terms with her mother, and her mother isn’t here. She wearily pushes her hair out of her eyes … Continue reading →

It hurt to watch him. The curled-over, life-worn man was practically crawling to his car in the parking lot. I handed off the buggy to the boys and began to approach him to help when he said thanks, but no … Continue reading →

To my sons’ teachers: I know you don’t have much time to stop and read this, but I want to say it anyway. Your job is underappreciated, overlooked, and underestimated so many times and in so many ways. You barely … Continue reading →

Whether they are learning at school or at home, young children love to write. You don’t know my kid. He hates it. She just scribbles. He runs away when he sees a pencil. She screams when I say, “Let’s write.” … Continue reading →

We have an ancient peach tree in the yard. I mean, it’s old. It was here back when my great grandfather lived here, and at one time, it bore fruit and shone in all its glory. Now it is stooped … Continue reading →

It wasn’t our final good-bye. It wasn’t even the last day of school. But it was the last day we were together. I called for the “bus kids” to line up and high-fived them out the door. “See you Monday!” … Continue reading →

It’s been a busy week full of planning, scrapping the plan, planning again, scrapping again, and planning some more. All in order to help our kindergarten friends continue to learn for the last nine weeks of school! I work with … Continue reading →

I love the story of Daniel and his friends, young Jewish men who found themselves in a strange land, under close rule of a strange king, and worse, surrounded by people who worshiped strange gods. I would have been shaking … Continue reading →

Five-year-olds can teach us so many lessons! My students constantly inspire me with their love for little things. My classroom has tubs upon tubs that are full of tiny manipulatives, and a favorite activity for the whole class is “tub … Continue reading →