The daily meanderings of a teacher

Tag: Writing

  • Teachers need to consult their hearts more

    Bird Droppings December 29, 2025 Teachers need to consult their hearts more I was amazed when I walked out this morning to the car. It was 58 degrees, and a few frogs were still chirping away. I was going through some research material and pulled out a little book. It has been several years since…

  • I do wonder about getting older.

    Bird Droppings December 23, 2025 I do wonder about getting older. “Age is an issue of mind over matter.  If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” Mark Twain I find myself using my age to my advantage when the little girl at the Kroger register asks if I’m a senior citizen. I carry my AARP…

  • 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, it was 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…

  • It is said dreams do not stand alone.

    Bird Droppings December 20, 2025It is said dreams do not stand alone. “You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however.” Richard Bach It has been so many years since I first read and experienced the whimsical book Jonathan Livingston…

  • 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…

  • Who would have thought that a buffalo snort in the dark could impact me almost thirty years later?

    Bird Droppings November 24, 2024 Who would have thought that a buffalo snort in the dark could impact me almost thirty years later? I use the word synchronicity quite often. Perhaps more than twenty times a day. I drove up to the corner store for gas, and I gathered up coinage from the dashboard. 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.…