Home

Past Articles

Conferences

Citation Information

Feedback

About the Authors

Subscription Information

Submission Guidelines

Editorial Welcome

By Mona Pelkey

Dear Readers,
I know many of you have been wondering why our January/February issue is coming out so late, and I assure you that it is all my fault. I am certain that you have heard every excuse in the world why your students’ assignments are late, poorly done, or undone. Here is my excuse, and I think it is pretty unique: My Chinese Crested powderpuff dog, Abby, had six puppies—prematurely--while we were moving, and there was no way I could write or edit, and do a reasonably decent job, without sleep, which as of late is a luxury I haven’t been able to afford.

Everyone who has ever moved knows that it is a chaotic process that takes a lot of time and energy. Add a litter of premature puppies to the mix—puppies who need extra veterinary care, night feedings, breathing treatments, antibiotics, and frequent weigh-ins —and you don’t get very much else done. For many days, my husband and I literally stayed up all night, nursing the smallest pups. Despite our diligence, two of them have moved on to puppy heaven, having been born too underdeveloped to survive. One more is being treated for pneumonia; he is slowly improving, but his condition warrants constant monitoring, as he is half the size of his healthier sisters. So, amid unruly piles of household goods is our “puppy hospital,” complete with heated whelping box, nebulizer, digital scales, assorted medical supplies, and the four furry, squirming patients we have left.

We have a lot of important things going on at our house—work, real estate deals, wedding plans for two of our daughters, elder care for our parents, renovating our apartment building, volunteering, and getting our household back in order—but six tiny puppies derailed our fast train for a few weeks and reminded us that the simplest of all purposes is most important—focusing on and caring for those who most need our help. Although we lost two little ones along the way, we saved four, and despite the fact that we are falling behind in every other aspect of our lives, we are focusing on our successes rather than our failures. Life is good.

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Kyle Cushman, who has faithfully and superbly served as writing columnist for The Learning Center Exchange for the past several years. She recently resigned this position, having experienced a career change that has swallowed all of her spare time. We will miss her, we wish her well, and we hope she will find time to write occasional guest articles in the future.
Enjoy this issue!

All the best—

Mona

Questions or comments? Contact the author at mpelkey@learningassistance.com.

More about the author

Printable Version

Back to top