There is something you gotta remember Midst a round of the public speaking game “Table Topics,” my students decided their teacher needed to feel the acute pain of extemporaneous speech. “BUT IT’S SO HARD! You need a question!” The class was almost over, so I let them put me on the spot: “Miss Hess, what…

As summer approaches and beach trips and idle vacations are planned, it’s time to ask my personal favorite question: what will you be reading? To help you get  started, I have compiled a list of summer must-reads: 1. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.  Move over Tess of the Duerbervilles,  Far From the…

One of my biggest fears growing up was having someone call me out for being a wildly emotional girl.  Say emotional, and I think needy, whiny, and burdensome. Each of those words makes me wince. ...Especially when our world seems to be overly emotional. Cue barfing emoji. When I was a little girl, I preferred…

Let me tell you a story of two beautiful women.  The one ruled the land; she was considered the most gorgeous woman to have ever lived; she was entranced by her own beauty. Obsessed and consumed. As she ruled, the land could produce no spring; the earth was encased by perpetual winter.  Then, one day,…