I have shared this before, but it is worth sharing again and again… I was speaking to my class about D-Day one year. It was quiet. Almost instinctively, young people can sense the importance of that moment of history. I had finished talking, and then my assistant of 70+ years […]
Category: Instructional Design
D-Day Tribute: Andrew Jackson Higgins
Let me first be very clear, there are no braver men than those who ran up those beaches in a hail of German machine-gun fire on June 6, 1944. They road boats across turbulent seas, the door then dropped, and they immediately faced hell on Earth. The question of whether […]
Sometimes we make teaching too complicated…
The task of modern educators is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts. ~ C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man (1943) Inspire your students to learn, and the rest takes care of itself. Inspire them to be great at something. Inspire them to take initiative, to lead, and […]
A Lesson from Shawshank
Andy Dufresne. He is an iconic character. With circumstantial evidence, Andy Dufresne was sent to prison for a murder he did not commit. He was tortured there. He was taken advantage of due to his talent and refusal to bow down. He hatched a plan to escape which began with […]
Some Great Podcasts
When I am running or on the treadmill or driving, I like to listen to podcasts or books which are both good for me and keeps me interested. Need some ideas? I am constantly asking my friends for good content. Actually, one of these was even shared with my by […]
What Makes a Great School?
I have been a student, a teacher, and the parent of a student. My family has earned degrees which range from business to education to medicine to engineering. We value great education. Here are some things we look for when selecting great schools: As a youngster, I had the privilege […]
A Devotion: I Corinthians 13
This verse has been on my mind recently. I was once asked to write my Philosophy of Education. It was embarrassingly slick w/ lots of buzz words from that era. But if I had to rewrite it, I would simply reference I Corinthians 13 – all of it. No matter […]
Frank Lloyd Wright Unit Study
From my youngest days, I always wanted to be an architect. I let someone talk me into engineering school while in high school. No offense to my engineering friends, but it is one of the great regrets of my life. At heart I am a writer, an artist, and a […]
Dr Joe Vigil and the Measure of a Man
In my family, I doubt there is a person who has had more influence on our family’s running practices and athletic philosophy than Joe Vigil. Joe passed away a few weeks ago, but not after helping to rebuild American distance running. Vigil is known for building a XC dynasy at […]
Every Student Needs a Clean Slate w/ Each New Year
One year as a young teacher, I had a family who had been somewhat difficult to deal with the previous year. I mentioned to my principal that I was worried about it. This principal happened to be the best person I have ever worked for in any job. She was […]