I’ve been setting New Year’s Resolutions for as long as I can remember. I’ve even got my family hooked. Each year during Winter Break, we sit down at the kitchen table to check off the goals we accomplished in the
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National Board = Service and Leadership
This December, my school district became home to eight more National Board Certified Teachers. There are now 22 in our district of 238 teachers. This is quite an accomplishment for a rural district that has struggled both to ensure we
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I went through the line at Dutch Bro’s this holiday, and in true fashion of their business model, it takes only seconds for them to ask if I had any New Year’s Resolutions. I sat back and thought about it
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Life’s a Great Balancing Act
I have been thinking a lot about Dancer’s Pose lately. Dancer’s Pose is a yoga pose that incorporates aspects of balance and strength. To get into Dancer’s Pose, you start by balancing on your left leg with your left arm
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How do YOU build a teacher army?
5:00 am BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! There goes the alarm clock, I haven’t heard it in two weeks. Christmas break is over, the new year has begun, and it’s time to get back in the routine of school. 5:15-6:15 am I’m
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What Makes a School Great?
I drove by my school at 6:30 pm Sunday. Teachers and staff weren’t due back until Monday morning, but my school buzzed with the enthusiasm of a Friday night football game. Pop up tents, propane firepits, camping chairs and tents,
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Just OK is NOT OK
As teachers, we can get stuck in doing the same old lesson plans we’ve always done. “It’s easier” and “Most students get it this way” are common responses. When I hear these, frustration sets in as questions race through my
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Rearview Mirror
Let’s be perfectly honest, reflection at any time of the year is hard, let alone in the moment or in real time. This is especially true as the year winds to a close. In schools, we witness and experience extreme
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13 Things I’m Happy About at My New School
Some months ago, in The Last Walk to the Parking Lot, I described how a long tenure at my previous school ended and what working there had meant to me. Now, in this season of thanksgiving and hope, it seems
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All I Want for Christmas: A Teacher’s Legislative Wishlist
Even though I’m listening to Wham’s “Last Christmas” for the third time today, I know the Ghost of Christmas Future looms right around the corner – for January brings the beginning of the Arizona legislative session. I’ve written before about
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