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CARITA GARDINER

What to Read When You're Avoiding School Work

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“Why”…Wednesdays

213. Why Read Banned Books

Posted on January 25, 2023January 24, 2023 by caritagardiner

You’ve probably all heard or seen the quotation above. I fully endorse its idea (if not its modifier placement — please switch the order of “only” and “function” as you read it) even though I hadn’t given much thought to the final word until recently. The benefits of having an open mind seemed obvious to…

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212. Why Acknowledge the Ocean

Posted on January 18, 2023January 18, 2023 by caritagardiner

Given that last week’s post was about surfing, you might think I’m obsessed with water and water metaphors. Honestly, until writing the last sentence, I would have denied that, but when I think about it, I’ve had a lot of water-related touchpoints in my life. I grew up in a city I could navigate because…

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211. Why Surf

Posted on January 11, 2023January 12, 2023 by caritagardiner

I took the screenshot above from the AccuWeather website article about where to find the best waves. I’ve added the link for you in case you know how to surf and want to visit a beach where you could do what the woman in the photo is doing. You might think, given the title of…

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210. Why MJ

Posted on January 4, 2023January 2, 2023 by caritagardiner

We’ve finally reached 2023, henceforward known as The Year of Michael. I know that not everyone grew up in Chicago, a mile from Chicago Stadium (now called United Center). I know that not everyone came of age during the late 1980s and early 1990s. I know that not everyone thought basketball was the only sport…

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209. Why Learn to Bake

Posted on December 28, 2022December 28, 2022 by caritagardiner

When I asked my husband for a Dutch oven for my birthday last summer, he thought he was heading into a trap in which whatever he did would make him a bad husband. If he didn’t get what I requested, he wasn’t listening to me. If he gave it to me, he was filling a…

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208. Why Good Trouble

Posted on December 21, 2022December 22, 2022 by caritagardiner

When I had the idea for this post, I didn’t know there was a television show called Good Trouble. It’s apparently a spin-off from The Fosters, which I enjoyed. Maybe I’ll watch it sometime. If you’ve seen it and can recommend or advise against, please let me know. The show has nothing else to do with the…

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207. Why You Can’t Delay Making a Decision

Posted on December 14, 2022December 13, 2022 by caritagardiner

I took the image above from a management training study guide about making decisions. It perfectly captures the way I used to think about making decisions, which is that resting on some neutral ground, a person has multiple directions she could choose to go, each of which would lead her to a different place. What…

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206. Why Let Yourself Go

Posted on December 7, 2022December 4, 2022 by caritagardiner

Did you know there’s a Green Day song called “Let Yourself Go”? I didn’t. Clicking the photo above should let you listed to it/watch the video, but I don’t recommend doing that if you have or are near someone with innocent ears. It’s got some salty language in it! I looked up the title phrase…

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205. Why Grateful Outshines Gifted

Posted on November 30, 2022November 30, 2022 by caritagardiner

The photo above captures many aspects of my life for which I feel incredibly grateful: I’m married to a supportive, thoughtful, fun, loving, smart, handsome, strong, safe, boat-driving husband. I work at a school with amazing people who do great deeds such as organize and participate in the Hotchkiss Swimathon to raise money for the…

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204. Why Deal with Our STUFF

Posted on November 23, 2022November 23, 2022 by caritagardiner

The photo above has nothing to do with the post, but isn’t he cute? Also, if you see my dad (RG) or cousin (CW) today, please wish either/both of them a happy birthday. I have a rule in my classroom check-ins that students aren’t allowed to say anything negative, including complaining about stress, workload, and…

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WHAT I DO

I teach English to high schoolers at a boarding school in Connecticut. I read AP English Literature and Composition exams and serve as a teacher mentor for the University of Pennsylvania Teaching Fellows program. I’ve earned a Bachelor of Arts (Amherst College), an Education Master in Learning and Teaching (Harvard University Graduate School of Education), a Master of Arts in English (Bread Loaf School of English), and most recently a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a certificate in the online teaching of writing (Southern New Hampshire University).

As a writer, I hope to capture the complexity and joy of life in the New England boarding school world. On this site, I share what I know about trying to write fiction while teaching English, coaching, and doing the other tasks associated with helping to raise over six hundred other people’s children.

WHAT I CAN DO FOR YOU

Teach                    Tutor

Revise                   Edit

Entertain             Enlighten

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Contact Me

  • cgardine@hotchkiss.org

Read my recent “Why” Wednesday Blog Posts

  • 213. Why Read Banned Books
  • 212. Why Acknowledge the Ocean
  • 211. Why Surf
  • 210. Why MJ
  • 209. Why Learn to Bake
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