Lessons from Aging, Reflection, and Renewal at Year’s End Saturday morning, Kelli and I attended our granddaughters’ dance recital. The auditorium was full—the kind of crowd that leans forward without realizing it. Parents held up phones, grandparents smiled through misty eyes, and the music carried that familiar mix of excitement and nerves that only a […]
Teaching as Soul Work Read More »
A Thanksgiving Conversation That Stayed With Me We had a full house over Thanksgiving week—an open house where everyone finally got to meet Rosebud, our one-year-old granddaughter, along with her parents, Scott and Leigh, who hadn’t been back since her birth. Then Thanksgiving dinner, which in our home always seems to swell beyond the number
Teacher Voices II: What Teachers Are Saying This Year Read More »
The Stillness Before the Doorbell Rings We’re hosting Thanksgiving this year, and most of the family will be here. It’s exciting… and a lot. Kel loves the preparation — the lists, the cleaning, the organizing, the quiet satisfaction of making the house ready for people we love. Me? I pitch in, but I’ve never
A Thanksgiving Pause: Rest, Renewal, and the Quiet Work of Gratitude 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 »
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 »
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 »
A Fall Luncheon and the Quiet Work of Presence The other day, Kelli—my wife—and I walked into the Delaware State Education Association–Retired Fall Luncheon. About thirty of us gathered around round tables, catching up, laughing, and telling stories. From the outside, you might’ve seen what looked like “thirty old folks” enjoying lunch together. But if
Holding Space: What It Means and Why It Matters Read More »
