We are currently teaching the most entertained generation in the history of humankind. I don’t say that disparagingly; my generation is not morally superior to the students I teach simply because we had access to exponentially less entertainment. (And we certainly had access to more than our parents.) But consider: YouTube is incredible. The blogosphere […]
Long-Term Lens
Being a Workaholic is not Smart or Romantic
This weekend, Mrs. Crystal Stuart hosted a marriage conference in our small town, and it reminded me of one of the first times I knew Crystal would be a blessing in my life. We hadn’t known each other long, and I was telling her about how much I was working. At the time, I was in […]
PERMA and the Science of Flourishing
Here’s why today’s article matters: despite the pressure many of us feel to help our students succeed in whichever high stakes test comes next in their lives, we all got into this work because we wanted to make a long-term difference. Our Mt. Everests, when we were starting out, weren’t “help my kids for the […]
The Work of the Teacher Through Two Lenses
The tasks that comprise our work are not optional. The lens through which we view these tasks, however, is. Following are two lenses through which the teacher’s work can be viewed. The Lens of Minutiae What do teachers do? We greet students, dismiss students, guide students, counsel students. We collect papers, grade papers, teach papers, assign […]
A Simple “Craft Your Credo” Classroom Activity
This past week allowed me the opportunity to experiment with leading three groups of my students in a Craft Your Credo classroom activity, and I’d like to share that activity with you today. Two of the groups went quite well, and one didn’t. The credo classroom activity that went well The super short explanation Here’s the credo classroom […]