Jessie Voigts's Blog, page 61
June 26, 2022
Read This: Lessons of Family, Love, Life, and Loss Blooming in A Garden for Grace
Combining beautiful poetry with stunning hand-drawn floral illustrations, A Garden for Grace by Ellen Mainville is an exploration of family, love, and life through lessons inspired by the beauty of nature.
Sadly, after three years of detailed illustration and poetic crafting, educator Ellen was 98 percent finished with her book when she died of COVID-19 in September 2021. The book has been published posthumously, thanks to the help of Ellen's loved ...
June 23, 2022
Read This: The Moth Girl
The world needs more books like this!
I recently read an extraordinary new YA novel, entitled The Moth Girl, written by Heather Kamins. Why do I make such a bold statement?
This book is an important (and rare) read, in that the main character has a chronic illness. As someone who *has* a chronic illness, I am elated that this book was written. While the world is ever expanding resources for diversity (oh so important!), that often excludes disability.
The Moth Gir...
June 22, 2022
Through the Eyes of an Educator: A Compendium
Hi. I’m Stacey. I’m an empath, an optimist, a wanderer, and dreamer of big dreams. I grew up in New York, went to university in Boston, got bit by the travel bug in Israel, traveled the globe, have taught multiple levels of high school social studies for nearly 2 decades, and see the entire world as our classroom.
I feel like my most authentic self when immersed in cultures and experiences. While my ...
Tyler Gedman: #CommunityCollegeBecause ... It helps make me who I am
Tyler Gedman studied art at CCAC South Campus, and graduated in 2022. Tyler is continuing his education in the fall, but in the meantime, is substitute teaching and painting his way through life.
How did you choose your major? What motivated you to choose that field/profession?
I choose Art as my major, because I’ve been drawing since I was 5 years old. My passion only grew from attending CCAC.
What did you enjoy about attending CCAC? Any memorable moment to shar...
Exploring Michigan's Coasts: A Compendium
I have written a three-book travel series exploring Michigan’s coastlines, entitled Exploring Michigan’s Sunrise Coasts, Exploring Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Coasts, and Exploring Michigan’s Sunset Coasts.
Holland's Big Red photo courtesy Gary Martin Photography
The books are not your traditional travel books. The reader will find no information about motels, hotels, or restaurants, and very few tchotchke shops. I love traveling, and for every place I plan to...
June 21, 2022
The Empathy Advantage: Coaching Children to be Kind, Respectful, & Successful
“Nothing is more important than empathy for another human being’s suffering. Nothing—not career, not wealth, not intelligence, certainly not status. We have to feel for one another if we’re going to survive with dignity” - Audrey Hepburn
I have long believed in the power of empathy and the need for more of it in our classrooms and our boardrooms.
I introduce myself as an empath and have a life philosophy to be a good human. As an educator, my classroom focus...
June 20, 2022
Musical Tapestries of Connection and Reflection
Music can help create connections; it can also help remember them. Music can recall times of kindness, of grace, of patience. A lot to ask of a song or a tune? Not necessarily.
Here are several pieces of music to go along with these ideas.
When Sarah McQuaid was small, she'd often fall asleep to the sound of her mother playing guitar in the next room. Sometimes, she'd call out requests. This memory was the spark for Sarah to write Last Song. You will find it rec...
June 18, 2022
Shipwrecks of the Great Lakes: The Storm of 1913, Part Two
June 17, 2022
Highlights of New Zealand
New Zealand is at the top of the bucket list for most travel enthusiasts. Known for its incredibly diverse landscape and rich local culture, the country has a lot to offer to all of its visitors. Because of this, it can be difficult to pick which tourist attractions to visit, as seeing all of them is simply not possible. If you would like to discover New Zealand, here are some of our top picks to visit.
Consisting of over 144 islands, the Bay of ...
June 16, 2022
Christine O’Donnell: #CommunityCollegeBecause ... You Can Go Places
Christine O’Donnell recently obtained her Associate Degree in General Studies at the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC). She will graduate in August with her Associates in Accounting. Christine plans on transferring to a four-year university to obtain her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. She got accepted to Penn State University and she’s waiting to hear back from the University of Pittsburgh. Christine currently works full time and she’s married with fo...
