The daily meanderings of a teacher

Tag: school

  • Checking the toes for mittens

    Bird Droppings July 29, 2025 Checking the toes for mittens It has been some time since one of my granddaughters came to me to show off her new hat and mittens. It was quite a sight, clad in a t-shirt, diaper, mittens, and ski cap that looked like a penguin she was showing off for…

  • Looking for synchronous moments

    Bird Droppings July 28, 2025 Looking for synchronous moments Every year for five or so I have had lunch during teacher preplanning with my oldest son and a good friend whom I used to coteach with. Today was that day, and following, I walked around the school visiting with old friend from the high school…

  • What do teachers know?

    Bird Droppings July 23, 2025What do teachers know? “Teachers are one of the nation’s most important resources for providing the skills, values, and knowledge that prepare young people for productive citizenship – but more than this, to give sanctuary to their dreams and aspirations for a future of hope, dignity, and justice. It is indeed…

  • Quietly listening to Hot Tuna and pondering the word inspiration.

    Bird Droppings July 15, 2025 Quietly listening to Hot Tuna and pondering the word inspiration. Over twenty years ago, at a county-wide teacher kick-off meeting, traditionally a packaged inspirational meeting and welcome before state and federal budget cuts. This was the startup for the new school year led by a brought-in speaker. They would pay…

  • What do teachers know?

    Bird Droppings July 10, 2025What do teachers know? “Teachers are one of the nation’s most important resources for providing the skills, values, and knowledge that prepare young people for productive citizenship – but more than this, to give sanctuary to their dreams and aspirations for a future of hope, dignity, and justice. It is indeed…

  • Maybe we are in the wrong.

    Bird Droppings June 26, 2025Maybe we are in the wrong. “I am tired of talk that comes to nothing. It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises. There has been too much talking by men with no right to talk. Too many misinterpretations have been made;…

  • Trying to teach an unteachable child

    Bird Droppings June 20, 2025Trying to teach an unteachable child “Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.” John F. Kennedy As I…

  • Learning and teaching are not the same, yet they intertwine.

    Bird Droppings June 16, 2025Learning and teaching are not the same, yet they intertwine. “In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but how many can get through to you.” Dr. Mortimer J. Adler Dr. Adler founded the Center for the Study of…

  • Today should always be the first day.

    Bird Droppings June 14, 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 in…

  • What is this desire for freedom?

    Bird Droppings June 12, 2025What is this desire for freedom? “Brute force, no matter how strongly applied, can never subdue the basic human desire for freedom and dignity. It is not enough, as communist systems have assumed, merely to provide people with food, shelter, and clothing. Human nature needs to breathe the precious air of…