It’s Thursday evening in Casa Grande, Arizona, and I’m sitting in the local Chick-fil-A, decompressing from the freeway trek northward to Phoenix and reflecting on my day in Tucson. I am sunburnt, wind-whipped, and pretty exhausted, but it was a
Read MoreMy Reply to Our Biggest Failure by Mike Lee
In Our Biggest Failure, Mike Lee wrote in this space that all other problems in education: Pale in comparison to our students’ ultimate inability or unwillingness to think for themselves, to recognize learning and inquiry as enjoyable, identify their own biases
Read MoreFive Things for Parents and Teachers
Jessica Lahey recently wrote a very intriguing and informative New York Times article entitled, “5 Things Teachers Wish Parents Knew: Your Children Can Do More Than You Think”. As a classroom teacher it brought back memories of the discussions that
Read MoreMyths and Lies and Truth and Voice
I just ordered a book, and I can’t wait to get it. Yesterday, I attended a panel presentation on Tempe’s ASU campus. The authors of 50 Myths and Lies that Threaten America’s Public Schools: The Real Crisis in Education presented
Read MoreAll Aboard!
Every Tuesday, which I call “Trainday”, Dr. Bob Grassi who is a retired school psychologist visits with me and we talk about model railroading. Both of us are Lionel O gauge enthusiasts, which is one of the popular model railroading
Read MoreBuilding Teachers Not Cars
Yesterday I had coffee with a teacher that is very concerned with the student teacher she is hosting this semester. It seems that the student teacher is struggling with the basics such as classroom management, lesson planning and understanding child
Read MoreThis Is What Happens When We Stay Quiet
I wrote a post about how we should change professional development. It had hundreds of tweets and eight thousand page views. People gave it the best possible digital thumbs up they could offer. Talking about professional development is easy, especially
Read MoreThe Yard Sale
I knew it was time, over twenty years of teaching treasures. I was that teacher, the one who bought six copies of a book so I could use it for a small group reading activity or so more than one
Read MoreA More Perfect Future
Melissa is one of my seniors. She has been interning all year at Ben's Bells, a local organization whose mission is to spread kindness through awareness and action. For her Senior Impact Project (required of all seniors), Melissa was determined
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