Spoiler Alert – If you haven’t seen The LEGO Movie, plot lines will be shared in this article! I can’t believe I’m saying this, but as my wife and I left the theater after watching The LEGO Movie, we were jaws agape. What The LEGO Movie Can Teach Kids of All Ages As self-proclaimed LEGOphiles, we […]
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Posted inHigh School, How to Fix Education, Uncategorized
Vouchers vs. Charters: Comparing Quality School Choice Policies
I work in a charter school, and unlike a teacher in a traditional district school, the students I see every day are not sent to our school based on their street address. Â Some live down the street and some drive 30 minutes both directions. We have students that come from both private and public […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Opinion
Always. Ask. Questions. Always.
As a teacher, have you ever thought about the power of the almighty “question?”  Without questions where would we be as a society, as students, as teachers, as classroom communities? One day I found a website that listed the top ten philosophical questions of all time. The #1 question (of course) “Does God exist?”  The second […]
Posted inFeatured
The Importance of Time Management to Having a Life Outside Teaching
Cross-posted at Bluff City Education During my first two years of teaching, it seemed as if I had no personal life. The demands of learning the craft required so much of my time and energy that I would often work 12 to 15 hours a day, with little energy or free time left over. I […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines
The Apathetic Student
Am I your worst nightmare? If you are a teacher, and I was your student, I certainly could fall into that category. Why?  Would I do drugs or wreak havoc in your class? Would I shout out profanity? Disrupt studies as the class clown? No. When I was in school, I was the one that […]
Posted inFeatured
Necessary Freedoms: How the Little Rock Nine Still Teach Us
[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”] Last November, I had the privilege to attend a conference of educators like myself, who work primarily with dropout recovery and dropout prevention programs.  These are the students society labels “at […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Where's The Outrage for Jordan Davis?
[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”] For months we’ve witnessed educators across the country becoming infuriated with the possibility that a national set of standards, the Common Core Standards, will be implemented in states across America. People […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
A Valentine for my Students
To My Dear Students, Past and Present: I know you don’t like mushy sentiment. You probably wouldn’t associate that with me anyway (I suspect that is one of the last things that come to mind if you think of me!). Â But I’m writing you a Valentine anyway because this is the week for it. Â So […]