Shannon Costello

Noted on my shampoo bottle:
“Discover Herbal Essences Rainforest Flowers shampoos and conditioners, with an exclusive blend of organic rainforest flower extracts that come to us in pure mountain spring water. Escape to a Rainforest so exotic, the experience will drive you wild.”
Noted on my bag of dried apples:
“Whoever said you can’t guarantee happiness clearly [...]

I could only assume that the message on the plate protector reflected the owner’s attitude. In unsympathetic terms— and less than polite language—I was informed that I was a loser and that that was “sad.” What a downer! My eyes traveled over the rest of the gray SUV. To my chagrin, [...]

This is the first book I ever recall reading that involved a real live Doge!
This rather obscure work by James Fenimore Cooper is set in long ago Venice. Cooper briefly visited Venice and describes the city carefully—not that we expected less than a minute description from Cooper! His goal, as stated in [...]

School zones and residential areas in our county may soon be provided with speed cameras. I could get a ticket without ever getting stopped—a real time saver!
The most common argument against these cameras seems to be the privacy argument. A camera installed at a public intersection for the purpose of catching those [...]

In spite of the bad language, which I felt was excessive and unnecessary, this book by Hal Borland is approved for seventh graders to read.
The book is about a Ute Indian boy who spends his life trying to “find himself.” I am not convinced that he ever does.
He had cause enough [...]

Despite the warnings a judge may utter, jurors will discuss a case before it is officially sent to them. I saw this happen during my experience as a jury member and I cannot imagine that it does not happen frequently. The discussion that I was present for had no effect on my opinion—or [...]

Of making many entries there is no end,
and much study thereof wearies the body.

In a recent moment of extreme cynicism it ocurred to me that teaching is really all about filling the appropriate number in the appropriate blank next to the appropriate name. Each year I really need to fill in 8 numbers for every student—interim reports and progress reports—and my work is done. If I [...]