David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants, by Malcolm Gladwell Publisher: Penguin Books, Ltd., Oct. 2013 [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] I remember years ago watching a piloted TV show that was based on a […]
Mindy Thierolf
I teach English in Kansas.
Posted inFeatured, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Happy Writing; Finding Your Purpose
Pharrell Williams, has been around for quite a while seeking his fame in music, yet it wasn’t until his recent hit song “Happy,” that Pharrell became a household name. When interviewed and asked what he thought of his long awaited rise to fame, Pharrell stated that he used to write songs that lacked purpose. He decided that […]
Posted inHigh School, Literacy, Opinion
Sharing a Blessing in Teaching
Do you know what it means by giving/receiving a “Blessing”? This was a new concept to me when I heard this phrase a few years ago, but I have since come to understand the importance of its meaning. What is a blessing? It’s approval, it’s unconditional love, it’s showing someone that you do not necessarily approve […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
Three Months Off; The New Math
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] I’m not a math teacher, I’m an English teacher, and I admit it: math and I have never been good friends. Â But we do speak occasionally, and that’s why I’ve never […]
Posted inFeatured
The Pancake Theorem of the New Teacher
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] A Lesson in Pancakes This morning, as IÂ sat enjoying a grand round of homemade, blueberry pancakes, I couldn’t help but think of all the ways that the delicious breakfast food has […]
Posted inFeatured
Isolation in the Classroom
How many times have you heard a teacher say it, “I don’t care anymore, I just stay in my classroom and lock the door.” It’s a very real issue and it’s what teachers say and do when they no longer feel supported, respected or valued in their building. They keep to themselves. They lock the […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum
Life Through the Lens of a Yearbook Advisor
My dad is a professional photographer so cameras have always been a part of my life. Perhaps that’s why being on one end of the camera or on the other makes very little difference to me…it’s all good!  As a child I was taken in-tow from job to job with my father; I posed for this poster, that spread, this advertisement, […]
Posted inFeatured
Climbing Mt. Everest…Why Do We Do It?
Last week I received a CNN e-mail that stated that ten people were missing and presumed dead due to a major avalanche that occurred on Mt. Everest. My first thought was, “Why do people climb that mountain??!” I don’t get it! Why would people put their life in danger to climb a mountain? Do they do it for […]