The daily meanderings of a teacher

Tag: Education

  • Why do we WORK?

    Bird Droppings December 18, 2025 Why do we WORK? “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” Aristotle How many times do we all hear how difficult the job is or how “I hate my job”? I am always confused when I hear this. I want to ask why you are doing this if…

  • Finding a pathway even when one does not appear

    Bird Droppings December 17, 2025Finding a pathway even when one does not appear The past week has sort of run together, though each day was interesting in its own right. It may have been sitting and watching movies with the family, three hectic days shopping with Pat, our 47th anniversary, chasing sunrises every morning, trying…

  • Looking for synchronous moments

    Bird Droppings December 13, 2025 Looking for synchronous moments Every year for five or so years, I have had lunch during teacher preplanning with my oldest son and a good friend with whom I used to co-teach, and afterward, I walked around the school, visiting with an old friend from the high school where I…

  • Today should always be the first day.

    Bird Droppings December 12, 2025Today should always be the first day. Over the past several weeks, we have been cleaning out our storage buildings. It is a slow, tedious process of finding things we have not seen in twenty or more years. I found a briefcase with my bank statements from 1973-76 or so. I…

  • Can you give it one more try?

    Bird Droppings December 9, 2025Can you give it one more try? “You win some, you lose some, and some get rained out, but you gotta suit up for them all.” Satchel Paige is often attributed to J. Aisenberg In my high school teaching days, teachers at my school judged seasons by testing, not by weather.…

  • Walking along the way in my journey

    Bird Droppings December 2, 2025Walking along the way in my journey I am building up my endurance by walking as much as I can each day. Pat and I are heading to see our North Carolina grandkids in the morning, and I hope to take some serious steps. As I think back on who I…

  • A morning meandering while the rain keeps coming down, and no sunrise

    Bird Droppings November 30, 2025 A morning meandering while the rain keeps coming down, and no sunrise Almost ten years ago, after tutoring in an after-school program with a student who needed constant repetition of material to remember, I read through several old emails from my doctoral and graduate cohort friends, as some are defending…

  • I was listening to the stillness of a morning, the sunrise, and sometimes we need a window and not a mirror.

    Bird Droppings November 21, 2025 I was listening to the stillness of a morning, the sunrise, and sometimes we need a window and not a mirror.  I was sitting alone this morning, as I often do, after running, trying to get a few photos of the sunrise. Today, it was mostly foggy and cloudy and…

  • I firmly believe that there is a spiritual aspect to teaching.

    Bird Droppings November 17, 2025I firmly believe that there is a spiritual aspect to teaching. I just arrived after an hour of driving around, chasing the sunrise. I got home, had some breakfast, and went outside to sit, listen, and photograph birds in my backyard. I periodically checked my Apple watch to see my heart…

  • Amazing how intertwined the strands of life really are

    Bird Droppings November 11, 2025Amazing how intertwined the strands of life really are I was asked at dinner one evening when I started teaching, and I responded that I was twelve. The group I was with was thinking I was being my typical sarcastic self. Then I explained that I started teaching swimming to beginners…