• MONOPOLY: HIGH SCHOOL EDITION

    Four years. One diploma. Endless drama. Absolutely no refunds. Ages: 14–18, or anyone still emotionally recovering from high school. Players: 2–8, plus one person who insists they weren’t invited but shows up anyway. Playing time: Four academic years, approximately 3 hours of actual gameplay, or what feels like an eternity in third-period algebra. Objective: Survive…

  • The Eight Words We Probably Use Too Much

    There are certain words that seem to find their way into conversations about students who are struggling academically. They show up in meetings. They appear in emails. They make their way into progress reports and parent conferences. Words like apathy, indifference, resignation, disillusionment, detachment, disengagement, listlessness, and disinterest. Eight perfectly respectable words. Eight words that…

  • Where Are We Going Next?

    Where Are We Going Next?

    I’ve always been a dreamer. The funny thing about dreams, though, is that nobody really tells you what happens when one of them actually comes true. For years, the dream was simple: Write a book. Not talk about writing one. Not have half a novel sitting forgotten in a folder somewhere. Not tell people, “Yeah,…

  • A Splinter? Seriously?

    Today I was talking with a friend who told me about a kid at his school who had been sent home because of a splinter. A splinter. Apparently, the pain was unbearable. He couldn’t move his entire arm. There were tears. He felt like he might pass out.  Again.  A splinter. And as I listened…

  • Dear God, the Comments Section

    I hate election season. I really do. Not elections, mind you. Elections are important. Voting is important. Participating in the process is important. All that good civic responsibility stuff they taught us back when civics was something we actually talked about without somebody throwing a chair. No, I hate election season. There’s a difference. Election…

  • I Can’t… Maybe

    There is no “I can’t.” Well… almost. Can “I can’t” be a valid answer?  Absolutely. In the proper context, sometimes you genuinely can’t. There are real limitations, real circumstances, and things beyond your control. Pretending otherwise would be foolish. But too often, “I can’t” is just the lamest and laziest of all excuses. And after…

  • FROSH ISLAND: The Musical

    A Magical Tale of Hope, Courage, and Absolutely No One Putting Their Phone Away 7:42 A.M. — Opening Number: “A Whole New Day” The sun rises over campus. Birds chirp. Students arrive. Our ADMIN stands majestically at the front gate, coffee in hand. ADMIN: 🎵 A brand-new day, a brand-new start, Young minds to shape,…

  • Ethos, Pathos, Logos, and a Shitload of Coffee

    I remember having to teach these to freshmen in high school years ago. As I was visiting classrooms this year, I saw them again in the AVID classes, written up on the board like three old friends I hadn’t seen in years. Or maybe three old enemies. And just like that, I was transported back…

  • Wait… What Was I Doing?

    Being hyper-focused and completely distracted at the same time. It is possible. I know. I sometimes live that reality. If I am being honest? I always live this reality. It’s that magical state where your brain is laser-focused on seventeen things simultaneously… while accomplishing none of the things you originally sat down to do. And…

  • My Two Cents

    I saw this posted online today: “If you haven’t taught in a classroom post-COVID, you don’t know what it is like to teach the modern student. The students have changed. Teaching has changed. You have to be in the classroom daily to understand what I mean.” Well… That got the brain monkeys stirred up. At…

  • An Unauthorized Tour of a Questionably Managed Mind

    I suppose a warning is appropriate before we go any further. What follows is something of a guided tour of my mind, conducted by someone who isn’t entirely certain he has authorization to conduct tours. I do know the building reasonably well. I’ve been here a long time. I know which doors stick, which lights…

  • A Few Loose Carts 

    I stopped at the grocery store the other day.  Nothing unusual about that.  It’s our local, family owned store. I got what I needed, paid for it, pushed my cart out to the parking lot, loaded everything up, and started to put my cart back in the corral. And while I was at it, I…

  • Just Say It; It Just Might Make My Day

    Feedback… it’s a great thing. And honestly, it’s the only way we grow. Feedback. Such an easy concept. Nature figured it out long before we came along and started putting it into PowerPoints. Pain? Negative feedback. Joy, euphoria, happiness? Positive feedback. Touch the hot stove? Feedback. Touch it again? Okay, now nature is probably questioning…

  • Just Another Perspective

    Time travel… I don’t know a single kid who hasn’t dreamed about it at some point. Can it be done? Is it real science, or just science fiction? Who knows? The movies have certainly had their fun with it. The Terminator. Back to the Future. Avengers. Television gave us shows like Quantum Leap. And if…

  • Congratulations. See You Monday

    I saw a meme that said, “If you’re feeling bad, just remember this: teachers go to school from age 5 until they retire!” Honestly, I have so much I can say about this, I don’t even know where to start. Because that meme has way more material hiding inside it than it has any right…