Series: This post is part of Policy in the Classroom. See the full series → ☕️ Read my new book: Beyond the Grade Short, practical reflections for real classrooms—stories, psychology, and what actually helps. Read on Amazon I was recently interviewed for an article for the DSEA. The interviewer, David White, was very skilled in […]
Beyond Compliance: Finding Your Quiet Center in a Policy-Driven World Read More »
Kelli and I are both members of the Delaware State Education Association Retired local. As members, we recently attended the Appoquinimink Food Service Union social — a lively event full of conversation and support for their contract negotiations. While there, I overheard someone mention a growing worry about young men and their mental health. That
When Young Men Fall Silent: What Teachers Can Learn from Their Struggle Read More »
Series: This post is part of Policy in the Classroom. See the full series → One Halloween years ago, my students were cutting out paper bats for the psychology club bulletin board. The room smelled faintly of construction paper and pumpkin-spice candles someone had snuck in. It was one of those rare fall afternoons when
The Hidden Curriculum of Policy: What Students Learn in the Shadows Read More »
The Voice That Fades October has a way of holding mirrors up to us. The leaves are turning, the evenings grow earlier, and every store seems filled with masks and costumes. Kelli and I drive past a church on our way to service each Sunday. Every year, the local high school football team unloads hundreds
Beyond Burnout: How Spiritual Practices Can Restore a Teacher’s Authentic Voice Read More »
The Other Night at Five Below The other night, Kelli and I took our niece, Ava, and two of her friends to Five Below so they could pick out some Halloween pajamas. I was struck by the sheer number of costumes lining the aisles—masks and makeup for every possible identity a child could imagine.
The Masks We Wear: What Teachers Hide Behind the Smile Read More »
Series: This post is part of Policy in the Classroom. See the full series → Two Lessons, Years Apart One afternoon at Delaware Technical Community College, I sat across from a colleague in our shared office, papers spread everywhere. We were filling out end-of-semester reports — the kind that tried to translate our teaching into
The Metrics of Trust: How Teacher Evaluation Reshaped the Classroom Read More »
A Meeting Between Worlds The other day, Kelli and I were out and about and happened upon an Applebee’s dressed up for fall. I noticed a couple of older folks—older than me (!)—sitting and chatting in a booth by the window. It got me thinking about all the times I’ve met with younger teachers over
Archetypes in the Classroom: What the Sage and the Novitiate Can Teach Us About Teaching Read More »
A Perspective Shifts feature post A Chorus in the Room A week ago Kelli, my wife, and I attended a protest in Rodney Square, Wilmington, Delaware with about 150 union members. I was struck by the solidarity. I had a chance to chat with other teachers. Then, the other night, I found myself scrolling
Teacher Voices: In Their Own Words Read More »
If we were sitting across from each other at a little café table, coffee in hand, here’s what I’d probably say first: “I’ve been working on something new—something that’s been brewing in my heart for a long time.” After fifty years of teaching—in private schools, public schools, special ed, high school, community college, and
Something New is Coming: Beyond the Grade Read More »
Series: This post is part of Policy in the Classroom. See the full series → Years ago, I was president of the Brandywine Education Association. That role meant regular meetings with the superintendent about how new policies would affect teachers. I still remember one presentation where he clicked through PowerPoint slides explaining our “new equity
Equity on Paper, Equity in Practice Read More »
