Someone forwarded me this link the other day. It describes #outofmypocket — a movement to share how much teachers spend on classroom supplies out of their own pockets. While this didn’t take off in quite the same way as last year’s social media posts about teachers’ low paychecks and second jobs, I was taken aback by some of the stories. The site estimates that 94%
Some Thoughts on the West 1. Every year, after about my second run, I start to remember the rapids. Then I don’t come back for a year. 2. If you are with a group that doesn’t want to hike up and run the top rapid, find another group. An open boat is no excuse. 2a. Because that’s the best rapid, that top one. The dam.
For years I’ve been searching for a hobby to replace whitewater canoeing. I still haven’t found one — and I don’t think I ever will. Oh, I’ve tried quite a few: hiking, mountain biking, road biking, hang gliding, glider flying, snowboarding — even golf. Nothing comes close to whitewater. But why? For the last six years, I’ve been searching for the answer. What was it
Picture this: a powerful white man walks into a room full of African American parents. He tells them that he, the head of schools in a major American city, is going to close their neighborhood school. The parents get angry. They yell at him. One woman calls him a racist. Calmly, the man asks her what grade her child is in. “Third.” Okay, there are
Yesterday evening as I was making dinner, I found myself reading a Washington Post article about the growing shortage of doctors in the United States. Apparently, by the year 2030, we’re going to be short up to 100,000 physicians. (Oh, perfect, I thought — right around the time I’ll be having to submit to regular prostate exams, I’ll have to drive 100 miles and wait three
Fellow Educators, I have some concerns about proficiency based learning (PBL). The first is the abbreviation. “PBL” apparently stands for BOTH of our hot new initiatives: proficiency based learning AND project based learning. What gives? Language aside, here’s the thing: Even though it’s been a herculean effort, we educators kind of like PBL. It may be incredibly different than what we’ve known, but we like
*** “Excuse me, do you have your cell phone out?” I asked. “Don’t worry, it’s not what you think,” the boy responded. I was surprised because even though I fight this battle every day in my other classes, here in my advanced writing class, I had never seen a cell phone. As I thought about it, even after nearly a year of teaching these 15
A few months ago, I did something crazy. Even though it’s what I want, and even though I’ve had time to get used to it, I still find myself wondering, “What the hell am I doing?” Or, “Who am I to try this? I’m just a teacher.” Let me explain. In my world, I’m realizing, things don’t change much. Public schools are remarkably consistent. Sure,
*** As a public school teacher, I could not have agreed more with President Trump last week, when he said, “We have to harden our schools, not soften them” in response to school shootings. Trump’s directive was echoed by other conservatives. Instead of fewer guns, they said, we need more guns in schools — especially in the hands of teachers. We also need more metal
*** A lot of people have been speculating about the best thing we can do to prevent further school shootings. Some people say, “Vote Democrat.” Others say, “Study the problem scientifically.” But I’ve got the real answer. Join the NRA. I remember during the 2016 election some pollster — I think it was Nate Silver — joked that the best thing Democrats could do