August 2008
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Final Preparations
I’ve spent most of the past two weeks at my new school. I’ve cleaned and organized my classroom. I’ve hung up banners, posters, and decorated my bulletin boards. I’ve extensively planned the first day of school. I’ve drawn up a rough plan of the entire school year. I’ve typed up a newsletter to go home […]
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This Time of Year I Miss TV Guide
I remember the first time I went to a grocery store and couldn’t find a TV Guide to look at while I waited in line. I scanned the other aisles thinking that perhaps they were just sold out in this aisle. But I didn’t see any. TV Guide became a casualty in this modern age […]
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What’s The Priority?
“We are experiencing higher than normal call volumes. Please stay on the line and your call will be answered in priority sequence.” I’ve heard this automated response dozens of times from different companies. The first time I heard it was when I was on the phone with the gas company. To the gas company’s credit, […]
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You Can’t Throw That Out
“Garbage day! Can we go see Mom?” Remember when you used to do that? I’m sure every young boy thinks that garbage day is an event. But like all events, things aren’t the same as they used to be. I remember watching the garbage truck pull up to the curb. Two men would jump off […]
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My Teaching Mission Statement
“To help every student develop to his or her full potential. To develop intellectual potential and provide opportunities for social, ethical, emotional, physical, and aesthetic development of every child in my class, and by extension, the entire student body whenever the opportunity presents itself.” This is my teaching mission statement. I think it is important […]
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Inconsiderate of Those Who Come Behind
Yesterday I wrote about my experience in Scouts. Today, I can’t think of a better way to start this post then one of the lesser-known mottos of the organization; “Leave it cleaner than you found it.” That’s what I did. When the school year ended in June, I left the class in impeccable condition. I […]
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Vespers
“Softly falls the light of dayas my campfire fades away.Silently each cub should ask,Have I done my daily task?have I kept my cub laws true?taught to me by old Baloo Always try to do my best,God grant me a quiet rest.” We sang this song at the end of every Cub Scout meeting. The Cub […]
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Amazing Beauty and Grace
It was something else to watch Usain Bolt sprint his way into the record books this morning. Commentators didn’t expect him to do it. They thought after running seven races during these summer games that he would be too spent. It wasn’t a priority for him to even attempt the record. But right out of […]
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Dragons Can Be Defeated
“The important thing about any story where you fight a dragon is not that you’re telling people that dragons are real. But that you’re telling people that dragons can be defeated. And that is a huge, true thing. And something that should never be forgotten.”– Neil Gaiman, writer Beowulf from the DVD bonus feature “Beasts […]
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What Does It Mean to Be a Child?
A long time ago, children were thought of as mini-adults. Childhood was not a concept that was understood. So when did children become children and what exactly does it mean to be a child? It happened in the middle ages. It became necessary for middle class parents to train their children in a trade so […]