Category Archives: Teacher

…the goal was simply to have fun… I have served on many, many committees in my 30 plus years in education, some compulsory (new teacher cohorts), some formal (task forces, department chair teams, focus groups), and some informal (collections of … Continue reading →

Cell phones. Students should be allowed to have them on their persons in school. This past spring, as I was sitting with faculty members for end of year conversations, I was asked, point blank, where I stood on cell phones … Continue reading →

When a relationship is broken, the educational professional must go to work. “It’s all about relationships.” I have heard that the work we do in education revolves entirely around the relationships we have with students and parents and colleagues. I … Continue reading →

I do not have subpoena power. I cannot keep a teacher at the school. I believe there was a time, and I fully acknowledge that I am not immune to romanticizing the past, when a school administrator could count on … Continue reading →

Teachers and administrators are first responders too. 23 years ago, the term first responders became an unfortunate part of the cultural vernacular.  As the pandemic played out, “first responders” entered the zeitgeist once again. People venerate first responders – those … Continue reading →

The very heart of Star Trek is education. On September 8, 1966, the fabric of American fiction changed when a television series called Star Trek premiered. From the relatively humble beginnings of a tv show that was canceled not once, … Continue reading →

Teaching is noble work. Teaching is praiseworthy work. Teaching is God’s work. Some things I have learned in 32 years in education: True. Also true. The “can be” operative in the above conclusions and the opposing truths indicate the duality … Continue reading →

This was the best education I ever got. “What is your goal for us?” or “what is your goal for the school?” or a variation of those interrogatives are fair questions to be asked of a principal new to her … Continue reading →

Please join me in this post for an annual tradition: the beginning of school playlist! Readers of the blog may remember that,  years ago, my good friend and educational leader Sean Gaillard (author of The Pepper Effect – great reading … Continue reading →

Doing some truly rough math (the only math I know how to do), I am confident in saying that I have written over 500 posts about education over the past nine years. This post officially begins the 10th year of … Continue reading →