Blog | Half 'n Half

Johnny with 2 Ns, a beginner’s mentality & curiosity in the classroom

October 4, 2021

I peered over my student’s shoulder. I saw the black inked letters J-O-N-Y printed on the white name tag I’d folded and placed on each student’s desk. My student, otherwise known to his Czech classmates as Jonáš,* looked at me for approval. I am Johnny, he told me. Is it right? I grinned. Yes, that’s right. Just add an “H” and double the “N.” Johnny looked puzzled. H like horse, I said. N like nose. I pointed to the letters…

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Education Language

Why our tech world needs kids who craft

March 13, 2020

students' clay faces hanging on a school's fence

Whether it’s playing a lively game of Guess in 10, using Rory Story Cubes to tell a make-believe narrative, or simply providing a crafting workspace and keeping my mouth shut when my boys swipe cardboard from the recycling bin, I believe supporting my students' (and my children's) creative spirits is the best way I can help ensure their bright futures. …

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Multicultural Family Travel

The Passport Game

January 30, 2020

In the age of Trump, when fear, nationalism, and racism have spread from the United States outward toward Europe and beyond, even raising my children in a fairytale village outside of Prague still doesn’t keep them safe from the Trump-created crises that pop up on their social media and in the news.…

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Holidays Multicultural Family

At the Black Horse Pub

January 23, 2020

Our family sitting with Kathleen at a table

Years from now, I bet I will have forgotten how many times my children asked, "Can we go already?" during our three-day whirlwind in NYC. But I am pretty sure we will all remember walking into a pub and re-connecting with a bright-eyed waitress who made space for our family at her table.…

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Autumn Outdoor Life Travel

Wet Feet in the Jizera Mountains

October 25, 2019

There is a part of me that will always want to register for a planned race – to know the variables I am up against and to gauge my chances against known odds. But, I am also coming to realize that learning to adapt (with a cheerful spirit) to circumstances beyond my control is a race-worthy skill of its own. …

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Czech Culture & Adaptation Education

When Back to School Nerves Strike Mom

August 29, 2019

It’s a few nights before school starts in the Czech Republic. My children are sprawled across their beds, breathing soundly. It’s me that can’t sleep. I could blame my restlessness on the mini-heat wave. With temperatures at 30C (again), heading back to school on Monday feels surreal. And, I’m not even the one who’ll be sitting in a classroom.…

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Outdoor Life

How to Train for a Spring Marathon

April 5, 2019

Registering to run the Prague May 6th marathon (and its sister half-marathon to be held 4-weeks before), had been a split-second, instinctive decision made on a dark November night, when I was desperate for a tangible goal to guide me through another grey Prague winter. I didn’t want to wait until my children were grown; by that time, I figured my husband would be right – my knees would be shot. I’d have missed my chance.…

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