Wow, what a day. Kelli and I went to the Arden Fair this past weekend, something we usually do every year around this time. I expected the familiar rhythm of wandering through the booths, listening to music, finding something good to eat, and running into a few people we knew. This year turned
When the Year Begins to Find Its Rhythm Read More »
Kelli and I spent the last couple of weeks at our place in Florida. The weather was beautiful, although more than a little hot, and the slower pace gave us time to visit with Amy, a cousin who lives a few houses down with her school-age children. School began there early last week, so
You Do Not Have to Become a New Teacher This August Read More »
What Retention Data Doesn’t Show Part Three of the series: Why Teachers Leave — What the System Keeps Missing There is a kind of leaving that begins before anyone writes a resignation letter. It does not always announce itself dramatically. There may be no sudden speech in the faculty room, no cardboard box packed
The Quiet Leaving Before Teachers Leave Read More »
The Quiet Loss of Teacher Agency Part Two of the series: Why Teachers Leave — What the System Keeps Missing One of the quiet gifts of retirement is time. You can visit with people when they are gathering, linger a little longer over conversations, and listen without watching the clock quite so closely.
When Teaching Stops Feeling Like a Profession Read More »
Part One of the Series: Why Teachers Leave — What the System Keeps Missing Why Teachers Rarely Leave Because of One Bad Day It was 4:17 in the afternoon, and most of the students were gone. The hallway had settled into that strange end-of-day quiet every teacher knows, with a custodian’s cart rattling somewhere
The Thousand Small Extractions Read More »
In the last post, When Rest Finally Gets Quiet Enough to Speak, I wrote about the kind of quiet that does not arrive the moment the school year ends. It takes time for the mind to stop making lists, for the body to release its bracing, and for the inner noise of the year to
Remembering the Person Beneath the Teacher Read More »
I took the opportunity to fly down to Florida for four days at our second home in Vero Beach. The main reason for the trip was to spend time with my mother, Evelyn, who is ninety-five and recovering from her second broken hip. She is doing remarkably well, and I was grateful for the
The Small Joys Teachers Forget They Need Read More »
It is the Fourth of July weekend, and, as usual, Kelli and I are delegates to the National Education Association Representative Assembly. This is our twenty-sixth year. Thousands of educators are arriving from across the country and beyond, and there is always a certain energy in the air. We reconnect with fellow delegates, hear what
When Rest Finally Gets Quiet Enough to Speak Read More »
In the first post of this series, I wrote about expectation creep — the way artificial intelligence is entering public schools as one more responsibility teachers are expected to absorb without enough time, training, or support. In the second, I argued that AI should support teacher judgment, not replace it. The teacher must remain
AI, Teachers, and the Human Work of Schools — Part 3 Read More »
AI, Teachers, and the Human Work of Schools — Part 2 In the first post of this series, I wrote about the new expectation creep surrounding artificial intelligence in public schools — the way AI is being introduced with urgency, promise, and pressure, while many teachers are still being left to learn it on their
AI Should Support Teacher Judgment, Not Replace It Read More »
