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Establishing quality relationships with students

Recently, I took an informal survey of fellow instructors regarding their most memorable moments as a “student” in education. This would have been long before many considered a career in teaching. Responses included memories of elementary school, junior high, high school, and even college. While expecting a collection of stories regarding a specific event or…

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Teacher Appreciation Deals for the week of May 4-8

This upcoming week of May 4-8 is Teacher Appreciation Week, with Teacher Appreciation Day being May 5th. According to the nonprofit TCEA, Teacher Appreciation Week originated in the early 1940s, when Mattye Whyte Woodridge, a teacher from Arkansas, lobbied political and educational leaders to advocate for a day honoring teachers. Scroll down for the businesses (both…

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Gratitude Tour: Chuck Roser

I visited Chuck Roser, his husband Tom, and their sweet rescue dog Patsy in their Pittsboro, NC, home on Friday, September 12, 2025.  As a gesture of my gratitude, I took Chuck and Tom a six pack of 12-ounce bottles of Kona Big Wave Liquid Aloha.  I gave Patsy dog treats and gentle pats on…

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Learning Insights; A Nerdy Take on the Judgment of Learning

I am, unapologetically, a nerdy educator. I enjoy exploring research from other disciplines and examining its potential value in the classroom. I do so with skepticism. What holds up in a carefully controlled, research-driven lab environment does not always survive the unpredictability of a classroom. Still, fields such as behavioral psychology, neuroscience, and cognitive psychology…

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You are a Teacher; Not a Mum, Not a Savior: Teacher

As a full first-term teacher assistant, I was living the dream. I had built a class family that followed the rules, settled nicely, and spread love amongst each other so much so that we had become the envy of the other classes. I juggled many responsibilities and still found a way to show up in…

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Ronie L. Mataquel: Leading Through Service, Faith, and Innovation

“To lead is to serve—faith gives the courage to do both.” This guiding principle has shaped the remarkable career of Dr. Ronie L. Mataquel, a visionary educator, scholar, and community leader whose impact stretches from classrooms in Queens, New York, to Filipino communities worldwide, to being named a Top 50 Educator for The Educator’s Room.…

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Gratitude Tour: Carl and Nancy Frye

Carl Frye was one of the first colleagues I came to know well at Blue Ridge when I arrived in 1998.  I wouldn’t coach until the winter, but,…