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
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
Whew. Today I can breathe. Fall break has arrived. I just finished the first quarter of my eleventh year at my current school and my ninth year as the principal. It doesn't seem possible. Truth be told, there always seem to be new challenges and in many ways, the job has become more difficult (maybe … Continue reading Tubas and Teaching
Over an education career that has spanned twenty years, I have had the good fortune to work, and learn, from many exceptional educators. Currently, I am blessed to be the principal at a school with amazing and dedicated teachers -- people who really care about our kids. There is no shortage of advice about skills … Continue reading 10 Things Great Teachers Do
Coming to school each day can become a hopeless task for some children unless they succeed at what they do. We teachers are the sentries against that hopelessness. — Robert DeBruyn As educators, we all bring our own memories and school experiences to our work and into our classrooms. Undoubtedly, those experiences are a wide variation of … Continue reading Sentries Against Hopelessness
One of the great things about working at a junior high school is that kids are generally pretty happy people -- and happiness is contagious. I find that when I am feeling stressed, or overwhelmed, a short walk across campus is often the cure. On these walks, I am typically greeted with a chorus of … Continue reading Kindness: We Can Do Better
Over the past four weeks, I have had the opportunity to be back in the classroom -- as a teacher. We are currently short-staffed, so I have been teaching a class called Academic Perseverance. The class focuses on social-emotional learning and executive functions, but there is significant latitude for creativity and pursuit of topics the … Continue reading What I’ve Learned From a Return to the Classroom
There are kids who challenge us. Kids who are confused. There are kids who are dealing with more than a kid should be dealing with. There are kids who are angry. Kids who seek attention in a wide variety of inappropriate ways. There are kids who bully and are mean to others. There … Continue reading There are No “Bad” Kids
