As a kid, Christmas parties were what we waited for. As a teacher, it is a lot of work!!! For the most part, it was the halfway point in the school year. It was all downhill from there. Now, I must say that benchmark testing has thrown a big fat, […]
Category: Lifestyle
Movie Review: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (2024)
The scene with the Herdman’s ham. I don’t know why it was that scene that really got me, but it did. It was originally a gift to the Herdman family, who rewrote the Nativity narrative just slightly to include it. They didn’t feel like gold, frankincense, and myrrh were appropriate […]
Duck Dynasty: Folks, don’t be afraid if your life doesn’t fit the mold….
Yesterday, I was listening to a Podcast with Tucker Carlson and Willie Robertson. Willie was talking about his dad. In the process of listening to Willie, I remembered how much I really like that show. Phil Robertson had everything in front of him when he was young. A great athlete, […]
May Our Lives Have Flavor
Matthew 5: 13-16 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a […]
The Stuff That Works, The Stuff That Holds Up
Pinned: I wrote this as one of my first articles in November of 2024. I am gonna pin this bad boy to the top of the blog. Still rings true. Stuff that works, stuff that holds upThe kind of stuff you don’t hang on the wallStuff that’s real, stuff you […]
Being a Christian in Public Education: A Follow-Up Commentary
Every, single day it gets harder to be a Christian educator. This is a follow up to a post a few weeks ago. The theme of persecution is similar, but the content and perspective are a bit different. It is a good reminder worth repeating about the adversity which accompanies […]
Christmas 2024: A People Walking in Darkness Have Seen a Great Light (volume 1)
Introduction: I was so fortunate to go to a private school in Knoxville that valued hands on learning. It also valued celebrating Christmas. We used to go to nursing homes and sing. I had terrible stage fright as a kid…unless I was singing Christmas music. Drummer Boy was my favorite. […]
The YMCA: Another Way Educators Can Find Balance in Their Lives
With after-school meetings, returning parent phone calls, writing lesson plans, providing valuable feedback on student work…it is very easy to stay at work too long. You may not feel the effects of those bad habits for 5-10 years or even 20. However, at some point you are going to feel […]
Surround Yourself w/ Good Counsel
You are who you surround yourself with. Parents teach their children this. Wise children listen. We talked yesterday about the pitfalls of “group think.” Conversely today, the discussion will revolve around who we need to surround ourselves with. Hint: It isn’t the group think crowd. wise counsel: having or showing […]
Hurricane Relief: Some Things I Have Learned Through the Years
“Many hands make light work.” Hurricane Helene has wrecked havoc on the Southern Apps. Now the task is to rebuild and to offer assistance to those who need it. There is work to be done, and a lot of it. Once rescue work is done and people have access to […]