I know, I know, just enough of the 2016. But this is one that just can't let go. January 1, my wife and I got up, skipped church, and watch "CBS Sunday Morning" (a favorite past time if we are... Continue Reading →
Ok, disclaimer, I didn't watch the Iowa/North Dakota basketball game last night. Being on the "no cable, no dish" plan, with crappy DSL service, I feel lucky I can run NetFlix without buffering. The joys of being a techie in... Continue Reading →
Somedays, the stars just align for our discussions. We have what's called out our "Kid of Character" award each month. We recognized those students who do the right thing, who work through hard times. Our principal talked with us about... Continue Reading →
There are days where I cannot keep from being just flat out disappointed in our profession as a whole. Most days, I see the good in just about everything we do. We are doing good work with our standard. I... Continue Reading →
That's been the mantra of my eighth graders the last couple of days during reading/language arts class. We started The Light in the Forest and the first time we did a little writing activity, the cry went up: Why can't we just... Continue Reading →
Yesterday was National Writing Day, and, of course, we changed our plans a bit yesterday to reflect that. I had my students do a Kid Blog about this topic, giving their blog the above mentioned hashtag. Here's a small sample... Continue Reading →
Today, I spied one of my students on her phone in the hallway. While we aren't the "kids should never have a phone out ever" kind of school, in the hallway of the middle school isn't allowed and the students... Continue Reading →
Last year, my both of my daughters were offered the opportunity to travel with the Iowa Ambassadors of Music, a group of Iowa vocal and instrumental students who travel to Europe every two years. My oldest daughter took that invitation and ran... Continue Reading →
I've got 5,081 followers on Twitter. How that number ever came to be, I have no idea. I'm simply a guy, trying to do the best he can in a job he's not always very good at. Nothing more, nothing... Continue Reading →
The Life of a Conflicted Teacher 