I have student behavior on my mind. The search for solutions is keeping me up at night (or waking me early in the morning). I have this vision of what success should look like, but I am struggling to find the pathway to that vision. I have this notion that a school does not necessarily … Continue reading 5 Thoughts and 5 Questions: Behavior and Discipline
Years ago I ran across this political cartoon by David Fitzsimmons, published in the Arizona Daily Star. At the time, I remember thinking "This guy gets it." The "it" being public education. I wrote him a quick note and asked for permission to use his work in a blog post. He gave me his blessing … Continue reading The Seating Chart that Shouldn’t Be
This past week I stopped to visit with a colleague who has been absent from work due to a health issue. Our conversation began with college football but eventually drifted to work. "I'm just trying to get caught up," he lamented (as he stared at his computer screen and what I imagined was an overflowing … Continue reading My Plan to Deal With Overwhelm
This week I took a break. I packed up some of my gear and headed into the mountains near Payson, Arizona for a two-night camping trip. October in the mountains in Arizona is true fall weather -- something I don't often experience in Phoenix. It was beautiful, with highs in the low seventies and lows … Continue reading Go Ahead and Take a Break
I am exhausted. I've spent the last week and a half trying to "catch-up" and put myself in a position where I feel like I am able to return to school after fall break and avoid feeling overwhelmed. I'm not caught up, but I'm not buried either. So how did I get myself into this … Continue reading Reading. Riting. Rithmetic.
A long time ago, I worked in the correspondence department of a mutual fund transfer company in Kansas City. It was a satisfying job. Each day I would boot up my computer and a list of projects (letters to write) would pop into my queue. One letter at a time, I would work my way … Continue reading You are More Than Your Profession
