Some months ago in Content Reading As Teacher Self-Care I wrote that counterintuitive as it sounds, reading in our content areas, in addition to our normal workload, can amount to self-care. That’s because reading a good content book can reconnect
Read MoreThe Fate of Algebra 2: Euclid, Cicero, or Boaler?
“The laws of nature are but the mathematical thoughts of God.” Euclid, in Euclid’s Elements. “We have established as the limit of this art [mathematics] its usefulness in measuring and counting.” Cicero, as quoted by Leonard Mlodinow. “The powerful thinkers
Read MoreYes or No on Algebra 2?
Az House Bill 2278 would eliminate Algebra 2 as a high school graduation requirement. Below are some spontaneous thoughts that come to mind as I process a coherent opinion (stay tuned) about the bill. In the proposed bill, Algebra and
Read MoreResolutions and a Plan
Monday was the first day of the second semester of my first year teaching high school since I was a student teacher in 1987. At the beginning of the first semester, I wrote here about what questions I had and
Read MoreReflex or Reflection?
(Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay) Many years ago I participated in an excellent professional development class called Cognitive Coaching. Over several weeks we learned ways to coach mentees, such as National Board candidates, as they plan, execute, problem-solve, and
Read MoreHomecoming 2021, My First in 47 Years
On Saturday, September 28, 1974, Gerald Ford was president. Rock Me Gently topped the pop music charts, The Longest Yard would soon be number 1 in the box office, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was enjoying a 10 week run
Read MoreContent Reading As Teacher Self-Care
It’s no secret that school staff have large and demanding workloads that leave many with little time or energy to take proper care of themselves. Stress, illness, fatigue, apathy, depression, bad temper, and the like tend to follow. Fortunately, teacher
Read MoreYear 35 or Year 1? The Voyage Has Begun
Some weeks ago, in Year 35 or Year 1?, I pondered how teaching in a high school for the first time since 1987 would go. I wondered what high school students were like, how well I would do, in delivering
Read MoreYear 35 or Year 1?
Sunday, August 8, 2021, 6:35 AM Tomorrow, Year 35 as a classroom teacher begins with a big change in my professional context. For the first time since Ronald Reagan was president and the Bangles walked like Egyptians (you’ve got watch this), I’ll
Read MoreEnemy, Obstacle, Trap, Puzzle, Lie, Truth
Can you find the six title words in the puzzle above? A book I finished last week provides insights I’d never considered before about how to view problems. In the novel The Nix, Nathan Hill tells the story of a
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