The daily meanderings of a teacher

Bird Droppings March 17, 2021Setting priorities on a wet chilly almost spring morning “Keep in mind that you are always saying ‘no’ to something. If it isn’t to the apparent, urgent things in your life, it is probably to the most fundamental, highly important things. Even when the urgent is good, the good can keep…

Bird Droppings March 16, 2021Are we going in the right direction? A year ago, today I was sitting reviewing the status of my student’s online work. A couple of surprises and some that were not. I thought to myself when the virus finally moves on and the smoke clears some grades will be going up…

Bird Droppings March 15, 2021Quietly listening to Bob Dylan and pondering the word inspiration. My mind wandered back fifteen years to a county-wide teacher kick-off meeting perhaps since many teachers are on still monitoring lessons from computers but not in the classroom. Many communities are banning gatherings of fifty or more. With my wife in…

Bird Droppings March 14, 2021Is there a difference between progressive and traditional teachers? In a ninth-grade literature class that I happened to co-teach many years ago, I was introduced to the book, Freedom Writers Diary and the film based on the book. In some ways, the story is similar to the story of Foxfire. Erin…

Bird Droppings March 12, 2021Teaching and life are simply feeding wolves As I opened my computer this morning a virus leads the news stories. A year ago, the numerous news stories and jokes were addressing the college guidance company that was busted for getting wealthy kids into college for money. Today we are faced with…

Bird Droppings March 11, 2021Our teaching can make a difference every day I recall one day that I was looking through data as I sat through a special education training session. This is an interesting situation. I was reviewing data from a recent benchmark test in biology. An extremely poorly made and designed test that…

Bird Droppings March 10, 2021 Should I be a wolf or dog in education? In light of watching current news and political turmoil I recalled a trip to the Atlanta Zoo. I was approached as I walked up the hill at the Zoo by an elderly man. I had never met this man previously and…

Bird Droppings March 9, 2021Can we teach again a love of learning This has been a perplexing time of my life. I recall an event, a car wreck in which a young man was killed and his passenger who was a good friend of my youngest son was severely injured. My thoughts rambled back to…

Bird Droppings March 8, 2021Religion is what you make of it “A poor devotee points to the sky and says, ‘God is up there.’ An average devotee says, ‘God dwells in the heart as the Inner Master.’ The best devotee says, ‘God alone is and everything I perceive is a form of God.’” Ramakrishna Ramakrishna…

Bird Droppings March 5, 2021The inability of surmounting learning difficulties It has been a over a year since my surgical procedure to repair my Achilles tendon. I have been extremely occupied with writing lately. I had forgotten that two years or so ago I had four surgeries over about eight weeks. Two weeks back I…