Accountability. LEAs (local education agency) will be part of the focus of this blog moving forward. I think there is growing concern about the direction of our system here in Kingsport. It is time to talk. No more silence from me. 1. Something to think about as we proceed during […]
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. […]
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Cultivating Enjoyment in Reading
Cultivating enjoyment in reading might be the single, most important skill that we teach in school. Get it right, and students can do anything. Get it wrong, and doors could remain locked which would otherwise be open. Students, who are both at-risk and below-grade-level in reading, are more likely to […]
Time is Money: Stop Wasting Time w/ Frequent and Long Duration Meetings
In education, we need to learn to be prompt, efficient, and to the point with meetings. We have a “meeting” problem in education – meaning that we meet far too often and far too long when we do meet. People don’t like to work for inefficient organizations. I would work […]
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Time: Is It Really What We Think It Is???
Just the title makes my head spin. This was a well intended program which has just gotten weird and inconsistent. Put this in the category of non-academic things that school systems have delved into which waste academic instruction. Schools are not parents. They are not grandparents. They are not aunts […]
Educators: You Need to Always Have a Good Lawyer at Your Disposal
Getting and retaining a lawyer doesn’t mean you are guilty of a crime. It means you are wise. We often equate legal counsel with wrong doing. There are many times that educational professionals need legal counsel which have nothing to do with criminal activity nor wrong doing. In the Boy […]
Russia: A Study of Its Geography, Culture, and History
I am no fan of communism. Let me get that out of the way right now. Communism is a meat grinder of humanity. I have no love for it. Look no further than the war in Ukraine, a war that I doubt many people in Russia support and a war […]
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 […]
Creative Block: An Instructional Design Dilemma
Creative block is basically writer’s block. It is being at an impasse when designing good lessons. And no, I am not an instructional design expert(aka academic coach) – gross. However, good teachers do still build authentic design lessons, and sometimes during that process….we get stuck. Listen, I am one of […]