The daily meanderings of a teacher

Tag: faith

  • Being reborn is listening with the heart

    Bird Droppings April 22, 2026 Being reborn is listening with the heart So often in life, we hear words, rationalize those utterances, develop an opinion, and then logically state a response. I returned to a conversation discussing existentialism with my granddaughter one night nearly fifteen years ago as she cooed and babbled, trying her best…

  • Is curriculum sacred?

    Bird Droppings April 21, 2026Is curriculum sacred? My wife and I have been talking about taking a few days’ hiatus to head to the South Carolina coast with no schedule and little baggage—just a spur-of-the-moment trip. I was thinking about our last crazy trip, which included a nursery or two, tourist traps, museums, and good…

  • Is the curriculum sacred or simply someone’s idea of what it should be?

    Bird Droppings April 15, 2025Is the curriculum sacred or simply someone’s idea of what it should be? My wife and I are talking about taking a few days’ hiatus to head to the South Carolina coast with no schedule and little baggage—just a spur-of-the-moment trip. I was thinking back to our last crazy trip, which…

  • Occasionally, we need to learn again about the Rock and the Smoke, perhaps before it is too late.

    Bird Droppings April 8, 2026Occasionally, we need to learn again about the Rock and the Smoke, perhaps before it is too late. Thinking back to my biology teaching days, high school students always ask questions about religion as we get into evolution. Occasionally, I get someone who wants to prove a point. A young lady…

  • Hunting for the right words on a spring morning

    Bird Droppings March 21, 2026Hunting for the right words on a spring morning “The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart, head, and hands.” Robert M. Pirsig, American author Whether we are trying to offer a few words of condolence to friends whose loved ones have passed away or trying to…

  • Individuality can be a lonely journey for some of us, a lifelong pathway.

    Bird Droppings March 17, 2026Individuality can be a lonely journey for some of us, a lifelong pathway. It was fifteen years ago that I walked out about 1:30 AM this morning, taking our westie for her constitutional, and off in the pines that are within a hundred feet of our house, several hundred acres of…

  • We need LOVE

    Bird Droppings March 2, 2026We need LOVE Sometimes we use the word “love” so easily. It gets used daily by many folks, yet do we truly have any conception of what we speak. I was just in a conversation, and the word “love” came up, and I responded that we each have our own understanding…

  • Thinking for a minute about what to write and trying not to be political

    Bird Droppings February 25, 2026 Thinking for a minute about what to write and trying not to be political Over the past few weeks, I have read several blogs and emails about counting sheep, and last night, I lay down to get some sleep after a long day and a long week of ankle issues,…

  • Patience

    Bird Droppings February 15 2026 Patience Since 2003, I have pondered the idea of a book, Bird Droppings, a teacher journal. The idea came from my daily postings I was using with students and started sharing through social media in the early days, with email and MySpace. In 2009, I began using WordPress for my…

  • Perhaps I had a vision while walking and driving under the moonlight.

    Bird Droppings February 6, 2026 Perhaps I had a vision while walking and driving under the moonlight. In my crazy way of looking at reality, I will gauge my day on my morning observations. Today, thirteen deer, a gray fox, and a harrier. I have been trying to get a good photo of the Hrrier…