Solterra Way Cottage School

09/28/2025

It is such a privilege to work with Julia on her swimming and literacy skills.

08/26/2025

This is one of the many reasons I teach handwriting skills at Solterra Way Cottage school.

Since A.I. has made the mental effort of writing and problem solving optional, universities need new ways to require the work needed for learning.

06/04/2025

Proud Teacher Moment!

When Rina was in first grade, she came to me for English tutoring, and I still remember the creative stories she wrote about my dogs! 🐾

In fourth grade, she came back with a big dream: to write and publish her first chapter book. Over the course of nearly a year, Rina worked hard, planning, writing, and revising. I supported her by asking questions about her characters and plot points, helping her think through story structure, and guiding her through the editing and formatting process. When the book was finished, I gave her and her dad a set of instructions for publishing it on Amazon.

And now it's live! I just ordered my own copy, and I couldn’t be prouder.

If you’d like to support a young author and her debut book, here’s the link:

https://amzn.to/4jEW6sd

Whispers of the Enchanted Stone by Rinako Kikuchi — a thoughtful story about friendship, courage, and the quest to end the ancient conflict between cats and dogs.

It's a book where Saber and Cedar try to find a way to solve the conflict between cats and dogs, avoiding fatal fights. They are guided by a stone, which shows them what happened in the past and how cats and dogs grew to become enemies. Read the book to find out how they solve it, and what the ch...

04/26/2025

There is no one "best" pair of swim goggles - it's all about finding the right match for your child.

Finding the right swim goggles for your child can make a huge difference—whether they're taking swim lessons, joining a swim team, or just having fun at the ...

04/20/2025

Sometimes my worlds overlap in the best possible way.

This short video of a bright 10-year-old using ASL is part of a new series I’m creating called Investing for Real Life—where I share the stories behind the spreadsheets.

This young boy was adopted at age 5 and soon received his first hearing aids. After two years in a speech-focused school, he knew fewer than 100 spoken words. But in just a few hours of natural sign language conversation, he began picking up ASL rapidly—finally able to share the kinds of everyday stories that mattered to him.

🐛 Spiders
🦟 Mosquito bites
🪂 Parachutes and airplanes
🚲 Bike rides

Children shouldn’t have to work hard to be understood.

Now he and his mom are both learning English and ASL, and he recognizes more and more of the language that his family uses at home. The more he signs, the more he wants to speak and read and write.

I'm grateful that the choices I’ve made around retirement and financial planning have given me the time and flexibility to build relationships like this one—sharing lessons, language, beach trips, and even a birthday party in the pool on my porch with a child I've embraced as a bonus grandchild and his lovely family.

Just a few hours of natural ASL conversation gave this bright little guy more language than two years of formal training in spoken language. Children shouldn...

04/17/2025

📽️ A Personal Update + New Video

Some of you know that I retired early from public education a few years ago after a brain tumor diagnosis—and that I kept teaching in new ways through Solterra Way Cottage School, swim lessons, and some pretty unexpected side gigs.

What I haven’t shared as widely is how I planned for that transition—and how I now teach investing and financial decision-making as one of my microbusinesses.

This new video on my YouTube channel is a little different. It’s about the why behind the how.

Why I chose to retire.
Why I built a swim school on my porch.
Why I’m still teaching every day—just in different ways.
And why I believe understanding your own finances is a kind of freedom.

I even figured out how to add background music to my video. 😄 Small wins!

If you're curious, take a look:
📊 And feel free to vote in the poll or comment—I'd love your feedback.

Thank you all for being part of this community that keeps evolving with me.

I retired early from public education after a petroclival meningioma diagnosis—and like many former teachers, I had to figure out what came next.Now I teach ...

04/07/2025

I've spent a lot of time adjusting goggles to fit little faces, noses, and hair—so I put together a blog post to help! These are the styles I recommend most, with notes on what works best for different kids. Hope it helps you find the right fit!

Tried and tested in real lessons—find a pair your child will loveFinding the right swim goggles for your child sometimes takes a little trial and error. That’s why I keep a basket of goggles by the pool at Tiny Pool Swim School—so kids can try out different styles and see what works for them.S...

04/01/2025

This little swimmer is just four years old—and she’s an unusually strong and confident dolphin-style swimmer for her age. Most kids are still working on these skills at this stage, and that’s totally okay.

But wow, when a little one does learn to grab their own breath and keep going? It’s magical. They gain so much independence in the water—and they have the best time doing it.

Unlike some swim programs, I don’t push kids to go underwater. I help them get comfortable and confident at their own pace—guiding them gently and respectfully, and supporting them as they choose to go under when they’re ready.

Many swimmers come to me after being pushed too hard, too soon. My slower, respectful approach helps rebuild trust and confidence.

I love seeing students discover the joy of being in the water—and I truly believe this approach makes them safer in the long run.

This four-year-old swimmer shows what real progress looks like for preschoolers in the pool. Freestyle can come later — first, the little ones need to:✅ Get...

02/21/2025

I’ve welcomed 10 new swimmers this month, and to make sure they (and my other students) can get the lesson times they need, I’m taking a short pause on accepting new students. Once I see how the schedule settles, I’ll open more spots.

If you’d like to be notified when new spots become available, fill out the form on my website to be added to the mailing list.

Thanks so much for your understanding and continued support! I look forward to helping more little swimmers build their confidence in the water soon. 💙

Personalized swim lessons for children in Durham and Chapel Hill NC with an experienced teacher. Ages 3-8 build confidence and skills through private lessons in a calm, quiet, warm, supportive environment.

01/16/2025

🎉 Big milestones for Ignacio, age 5! 🎉

Since starting swimming lessons at Solterra Way Cottage School's Tiny Pool Swim School last summer, Ignacio has made incredible progress in his skills.

A few weeks ago, he learned to "catch a breath and keep swimming," and in his last two lessons, he learned how to dive to the bottom of our 54" pool to retrieve toys! 🏊‍♂️🌟

We celebrated his success with this fun little video. Huge thanks to Ignacio’s mom for letting me share his amazing accomplishments! 💙

Ignacio, age 5, has reached some major milestones in his skills since he started swimming lessons at Solterra Way Cottage School's Tiny Pool Swim School in D...

01/15/2025

I've been meeting some wonderful new students who will be joining me for swim lessons in 2025! 🐠✨ If you'd like to schedule a "getting to know you" lesson for your child, let me know.

After the first lesson, parents can use a Google Calendar to pick lesson times that fit their schedules.

10/19/2024

Are you interested in learning to invest in the stock market or safely trade options? I can help with that! I recently launched a YouTube channel demonstrating options trades on SCHD and QQQ, and I'm working on a new series, "Starting From Scratch," for brand new investors, which will be launching soon.

I don't yell at anyone or make big false promises that lure people into risking too much. Watch a few videos and let me know what you think. This is a good one to start with.

With this new trade set up on SCHD, I'll be growing a long term position by buying shares, selling cash secured puts, selling covered calls, reinvesting divi...