Adventure Playground
My dad never built us a treehouse, or a playhouse, and we loved it that way. Other kids had a cool swing set, or sandbox, but our backyard had tons […]
Category Archives: Kids
Why Do We Give Students Summer Assignments? Seriously, WHY?
Most of my neighbors have hated me from time to time. Specifically in the summer. My most recent neighbor to mock me is a great guy who plays in a […]
The Worst Goodbye: Why every moment counts in school
Have you ever dressed up as Elvis to be the grand marshal in a homecoming parade and thrown out buckets of fried chicken to the crowds lining the streets? Ever […]
The Dark Side of the Course: What Star Wars can teach us about student engagement
A month ago my principal walked in my classroom after school. The smile on his face made me instantly feel: But he just wanted to chat. We talked for a […]
The EDU Scarlet Letter: When SHOULD you label a student with an F?
The scene of my high school graduation is a bit foggy now, but I can still remember standing on the steps of the church (I went to a private Catholic […]
Conversation in the Hallway: Why students don’t read and what we should do about it
Day after day in class I see students working on their math homework or science homework during the passing period. They look driven… as if the four horsemen of the […]
Don’t Follow the Yellow Brick Road: In praise of the off-task teacher
“Follow the yellow brick road… you’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of OZ.” A dead witch, a pair of shoes, some little people and the “miss my […]
The 150 point project: an annual experiment in academic freedom
During my first or second year of teaching AP English Language I showed my class the beginning of the movie Patton as an example of rhetoric. Well, later that year […]
Creating children’s books: a how-to guide to create life-long memories
There is no greater gift a parent can give their child than the love of reading, storytelling, and listening. Writing a great children’s book allows us to practice our professional […]
