Blog - Deborah Ann Davis

How Early Is Too Early?

Our “bop-pum” story, now a favorite family anecdote, came to mind when heard the podcast today. Based on my own personal experiences, I offer this humble opinion: People are uncomfortable with things that are different. If body vocabulary is made casual within the family, small children will use it indiscriminately outside of the home, where it is not casual. Unfortunately, if their vocabulary is not as innocent-sounding to the rest of the world, they may receive negative feedback… but you may never be made aware of the conflict. Without the knowledge of what your toddlers are experiencing, you are helpless to address it.

Work to Live, or Live to Work?

“I offer to pay my employees extra to come in on holidays so I can stay open for the tourists,” the young man told me. “But, they say, ‘No. I’d rather have my time than the money. I can’t get my time back’.” He shook his head, his disapproval more than evident.

How To Reduce Your Footprint on the Earth: Indoor Composting

Earth Day is Sunday, April 22, 2018. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 when I was an unaware 8th grader. As a seasoned teacher of Environmental Science, I am very aware of what a huge carbon footprint Americans leave on the planet, but I’m lazy. I only help the earth when it’s convenient for me.

10 Great Earth Hour Ideas

What are you doing March 24 at 8:30pm? That’s Earth Hour, you know, the event when the world shuts off the non-essentials for an hour in statement of solidarity in support of our planet.

What Happens When the Lights Go Out?

This past December our electric bill was over $500! If there are about 730 hours in a month, shutting off my house would save me less than a dollar. That’s not much, but that’s the beauty of the Ripple Effect. There are about 24,920 households in my town. If only half of them observe Earth Hour, that would be a savings of over $8700 in this town alone.

1 Minute Rant About the Information Industry

Last week my mother cut out an article from the New York Times touting how a gluten-free diet is dangerous to your health. It frightened her because I eat gluten-free. And, for goodness sakes, it was the New York Times, so it had to be true.

10 Jokes for the Road

I was known to do both, depending on what I was teaching. But, on the days when we had a minute to spare, my students were charged with making me laugh. A good joke, especially a science joke, was their ticket out of my room before the bell. (That was actually frowned upon, but the kids never went too far because they were listening to the others jokes.)

Guns or Guidance Counselors?

“The American School Counselor Association recommends a student-to-student counselor ratio of 250:1.” That means your child is vying for counselor time amongst 249 other kids… if you live in one of the 3 states that meet this criteria. “The national average is 491:1, while in California and Arizona, it’s 822:1 and 941:1, respectively.”
And they think guns are the problem?

Repairing Your Mother-Daughter Relationship

10 Ways to Nurture the Mother

This year, I’d like to suggest an outside the box twist on the traditional Valentine’s Day. Normally, February 14th celebrates that special love between a man and a woman. But for the nearly 12 million widowed women in the USA, Valentine’s Day can represent a day of loss. It can also be painful reminder that they are alone for the more than 53 million women raising families by themselves.
Let’s nurture the women who nurtured us, the women who are raising our next generation. Let’s take them out for Valentine’s Day, or spend the evening with them.
Here’s 10 ways to turn the day that ignores those without a significant other into a celebration of appreciation. Enjoy some quality one-to-one time, or gather a posse of your constituents, and celebrate in style.