In 2003, I made a career leap by changing school districts. I had been in a comfortable position, with eight years teaching middle school social studies in a wealthy suburban school. However, I needed a change. I did not want to teach in a single classroom, in one building, investigating a particular topic for thirty-four [...]
I began my teaching career in 1995. I had no experience with school resource officers, exterior doors at most schools were unlocked during the day, and metal detectors were used only in extreme cases. Then on April 20, 1999, the Columbine tragedy changed the conversation about the nature of schools and about the youth of America. The perpetrators [...]
Have you heard about the Positivity Project, sometimes referred to as "P2?" Maybe you have seen the hashtag: #OtherPeopleMatter? Or possibly you have seen an adult or child wearing a green shirt or hat with the positivity project logo? The Positivity Project, started by two West Point-trained military veterans, was not initially about schools, but [...]
"Is the faculty meeting in the cafeteria, or the auditorium?" I ask two of my colleagues, who both give me smiles filled with bemusement. "We don't have an auditorium," comes the reply followed by a resentful chuckle. How could I forget that the auditorium is no longer operational and that an entire wing of a [...]
"Teacher's kid gets suspended." Headline news in a small town. I drove down that country road fast. The principal informed me that I needed to get to school immediately. It was the end of a good teaching day, and I was happy to be returning home in time to get my kids to practice on [...]