Tag: learning

• Home Alone (Yeah, not that one…)

  Nov 17

  Every now and then—usually when I’m sitting around minding my own business, sipping something cold, letting the world drift by—I’ll get hit with one of those memories from way back.… more ›

• Cooking: the world’s most delicious dehydration project

  Oct 20

  Did y’all know that cooking is basically just strategically drying your food to a preferred edible status? That’s it. That’s the whole operation. We’ve spent centuries building cuisines, writing cookbooks,… more ›

• The Curiosity of Curiosity

  Sep 29

  Curiosity is one of the first languages children learn. Long before they master full sentences, they’re pointing, tugging, and asking questions in a hundred different ways—“What’s that?” “Why?” “How come?”… more ›

• A Writer’s Manifesto

  Sep 23

  (Or Am I Just Rambling?) I remember, when I was still a teacher, how I answered the question: What makes a good writer? I always said, “Just write every day.… more ›

• Rain, Memories, and Mischief

  Sep 22

  Not too long ago, I wrote about memories and how they have a way of popping up when you least expect them. Maybe it’s because I’m — how shall we… more ›

• Tinkering

  Sep 14

  Once upon a time, every kid was a tinkerer. We learned by unscrewing things, prying them open, poking around inside. Radios, bikes, door hinges, cassette decks — if it rattled,… more ›

• Why We’re Holding the Line on Phones and Dress Code

  Sep 12

  As both a parent and a school administrator, I often stand at the intersection of two worlds. At home, I want my own kids to laugh with their friends, make… more ›

• Homework: An Epic in Four Pencils

  Sep 12

  (A Poem in Slightly Crooked Lines) I sat at my table at quarter to four, With four little pencils (I might need one more). A worksheet of fractions stared back… more ›

• Between Covers, Beyond Pages — From Reader to Writer and Back

  Sep 9

  Awaiting the publication of my first book has changed something I never expected: the way I hold a book in my hands. I’ve always loved books. As a kid, I… more ›

• First Days Without Cell Phones in School

  Aug 19

  Over the past few years, it’s become obvious: our students were living in two worlds at once—the real world, and the endless scroll. Heads down, thumbs flying, eyes glued to… more ›

• But I Just Wanna Play Catch

  Aug 13

  There was a time when the only thing that mattered was whether you could catch the ball. The sun burned hot on your back, the grass smelled like summer and… more ›

• The Glorious Absurdity of the First Day

  Aug 13

  Ahhhh… the first day of school. The crown jewel of the academic year. And this time, it comes after professional learning. Two glorious, soul-crushing days where you learned… well, you’re… more ›

• The Day Camp Diaries

  Aug 11

  When you hear “summer camp,” you might picture kids whisked away in vans, lugging haphazardly packed duffel bags, shipped off to some far-flung campground for a summer of “character building”… more ›

• Mischief Monkeys

  Aug 9

  Every kid, no matter the generation, knows mischief. It’s written deep in our DNA—the most primal way we learn as humans. It’s how we explore, how we test boundaries. It’s… more ›

• Will Work for Burritos… and coffee.

  Aug 4

  (Walks on stage holding a coffee mug like it’s a trophy. Sip. Slow nod.) You can tell a lot about a school… by looking at the snack table.Forget the mission… more ›