Learning to Grow Every Day

There is a common saying that says, “work smarter, not harder.” I often find myself repeating this mantra to myself when I am spending too many hours on school work, whether planning or grading. Granted, I want others to think of me as a hard worker, who puts in many hours devoted to my teaching craft. However, it is so easy to go overboard because we associate long hours with hard work. What if we could do a simpler task or create a more efficient plan that would accomplish the same goal? I frequently find that the more simple lessons that I plan wind up being the most interactive, engaging, and thought-provoking, and it leaves me wondering why I spent so much mental energy and time planning a more complex lesson. This same idea applies to assistive technology in the classroom. When it comes to reading, writing, grading, and editing there are many tools at our disposal. From Read and Write Gold to Speech to Text, we have so many valuable tools that would make our lives easier. I ...

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year. There are so many reasons for this, whether it is the savory cuisine placed before us every year, or the chance to reconnect with family, it offers an unhurried reflection of life not seen in some other holidays. My wife and I have been traveling to my grandmother’s house in Florida every year since college for Thanksgiving. Now that we have our two children, it is even more special. We have the opportunity to basque in the Florida sunshine, swim in her pool, enjoy a Thanksgiving feast at her country club, and I always get at least one round of golf in with her. I cherish these moments with my family, and especially my grandmother. Even at 87 years old, she is playing golf 3 days a week and filling the remainder of her time on other pursuits. As sad as it is to say, it won’t always be this way. I am so grateful for having these moments with her now. And yes, it helps to be in Florida for this celebration every year, but there i...

The prompt I gave my English 12 classes for their end of unit assessment for Wonder was, how has this book changed or enlarged their thinking? Most students admitted to this book being very thought-provoking and moving in many ways. Many lessons can be gleaned from this beautiful novel, including not being quick to judge, being intentional about kindness, the importance of perspective, or even the seriousness of bullying in our schools. However, I equate this to hearing a rousing sermon in church or making a new years resolution; if we do not actually act on our convictions and our immediate passions and make them a habit they won’t stick. Wonder is a truly inspiring book, which has enlarged all of our thinking about how we treat people and how we judge people. We have a very divisive world, in particular in the political arena at the moment. Judging people quickly, not considering their perspective, not choosing kindness, and not standing up to bullying in the adult world is hav...