Laura Merchant
Teacher. Performer. INFJ. Disney enthusiast. Texan.
Instagram: @LMerchant84
The Mirror Has Two Faces
Do you ever wonder what happened to the Doublemint Twins? You know, "...That's the statement of the great mint in Doublemint gum!"
Laura MerchantPublished a day ago in Futurism
Confessions of a Pandemic Educator
For the SECOND time in eleven months, I'm packing up my classroom. In addition to the pandemic, like so many Texas schools affected by last week's winter storms, my campus is in ruins and we teachers along with the staff are having to pack up everything. We've been told to conservatively access what we might need to finish out the year and to box up everything else, as the necessary renovations could take eight-to-twelve weeks. There's fourteen weeks left in the school year. We don't have a temporary location, yet. We will be remote for the next few weeks--if not the rest of the year. Who knows?
Laura MerchantPublished 8 days ago in Education
The Knockoff
“I keep telling him to go digital.” Marcus grumpily flipped through the tabletop jukebox stationed at his booth. What’s the point of having a 50’s themed diner if all the music is post-1970? His chocolatey eyes skimmed across the modest restaurant, one of the few places in New York that still held the sentimental charm of the era. Any moment you’d see Marilyn Monroe enter, walking arm-in-arm with The King, himself.
Laura MerchantPublished 14 days ago in Humans
When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get NO-ing!
“Unsubscribe” is a magical word. It falls right up there with, “Cancel Subscription”, “Delete Contact”, or “Unfollow”. Maybe it’s just me, but there’s something so cathartic about those buttons. Refreshing, even! And listen, it’s not the same as ghosting; you’re simply putting up boundaries.
Laura MerchantPublished 25 days ago in Motivation
Chips & Salsa
I took myself out to dinner tonight. Normally, I'd get take-out after work and go home, but seeing as Chipotle was out of tomato salsa (HOW does THAT happen?) AND the fact that I had a giftcard (Thanks, students!) I decided to treat myself to some complex carbs. (Yay!)
Laura MerchantPublished 29 days ago in Humans
Mend
Friendships are like tree trunks: They twist, they break, they bend. But you won't see much growing trees Unless we choose to mend.
Laura MerchantPublished 30 days ago in Poets
Press "START"
Anyone from the Nintendo NES or Sega Genesis generation knows the tried-and-true approach to restarting a game without losing your progress or those valuable lives: You either take out the game cartridge (and give it the good ol’ harmonica blow) or you press the “Reset” button. It seemed like such a clever strategy at the time—we could literally cheat death, albeit in bit-form—but I fear that such practices have not prepared me for the Real-Time Strategy (RTS) adventure that is life. There are no hidden treasure chests, no “Pause” buttons, no cheat codes or Game Genies (remember those?)—there’s not even catchy theme music! At best, we have opportunities to level up, but only after gaining a certain amount of XP (Experience Points) after what’s usually several failed attempts.
Laura MerchantPublished about a month ago in Gamers
