Tag: routine

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Life, Apparently

    You know the thing about living? It’s a lot like a roller coaster. And I realize that’s probably one of the oldest clichés in the book, but clichés become clichés because some poor bastard said something painfully accurate and the rest of us kept repeating it. So, yeah. A roller coaster. There are ups and…

  • We Were Here

    There are far too many people taking selfies, but there are also far too few people taking selfies. I know. You’re probably thinking, What the heck does that mean? Bear with me. First, you need to understand the basic premise of the selfie. At its worst, the selfie is an act of selfishness and vanity.…

  • When the Words Leave the Page

    I am a career educator. Eleven years in the classroom. Two years as a resource teacher. Thirteen years as an administrator. Along the way, I’ve been an athletic director, ASB advisor, journalism instructor, tech lead teacher, and advisor for technology and photography clubs. I’ve coached pretty much every sport at one point or another—and probably…

  • About Your Son, Connor…

    Some thoughts on kids, consequences, parents, schools…and the questionable decision-making abilities of developing humans Your kid messed up; Welcome to the club. Nobody enjoys getting that phone call from school. You know the one. “Hi, this is the school. Do you have a minute to talk about something that happened today?” There is almost no…