Dear K12, I’m sorry I have to be the one to tell you this but the vendors are not your friends. You are not one “big family.” Maybe you can be “partners” but really even that is a distant dream most of the time. Anything they seem to do for you is done with a […]
I had a great time at UMW’s Faculty Academy. Got to meet a number of people face to face for the first time which is always interesting. I was lucky enough to be able to present as a plenary speaker1 as well. After being repeatedly told to “bring my A game” I had completely psyched […]
The Knight Rider gif has nothing to do with this post but it might make you feel better. If you’re here from #ds106, that image is for you, the post is likely to be depressing although it does at least reference Gardner’s digital facelift talk. What passes for deep thoughts on this blog Here’s my […]
Imagine all your life you’ve only eaten cold dog food. Day in, day out, that’s what you’ve come to know and expect. One day, someone comes along and gives you some warm dog food. It is quite an improvement. Warm dog food seems great. The bar is low. Your expectations are low. Education gets served […]
Maybe Jim’s right and I am eating babies1. I struggle quite a bit with a lot about this job. I didn’t think I was already at the baby eating stage but sometimes it’s hard to see from inside. I often wonder where guiding becomes restricting. I am unsure how tools of reflection become tools of […]
Here is a rough idea of what I am trying to engineer for myself and what I am hoping to spread to the people I work with. Passion Based Halos – Many people I know start off in jobs because they have elements that engage them in some way. Then, in many cases, the little […]
In honor of Halloween and returning from the blogging dead, I offer up this post (and so I have an excuse to use the picture above). I don’t blog much. Never have been consistent. The new job is making it easier to be worse. Lots of ready excuses. I recently found myself only looking through […]
I went and saw one of my former students in jail this past weekend. Hakeem has been sentenced to 23 years with no chance of parole. He was arrested when he was 17. He still looked like the 6th grader I knew. Same smile. A number of new tattoos. I wasn’t sure how this was […]
I think about where we spend our money. We’re constantly trying to find easy ways out of holes, easy ways to scale metaphorical mountains. We look for processes to remove the chores of thought and decision. Education is floundering. We lost our faith in teachers. It is every politician’s easy drum to beat- after all. […]
cc licensed flickr photo shared by bionicteaching My son decided to make a slingshot the other day. He disappeared for a while and showed up with this. He’s six. It’s not rocket science and it’s not perfect. That’s not the point. I love the spirit that drove him. He believes he can make things. He […]