I’M BETWEEN TOPICS THIS WEEK, but my keyboard beckons. I’ll do a classroom trick. I’ll give myself a writing prompt. Then I’ll respond. That’s how I’ve got by these 30 years. Here are a few questions often put to me about my past and future, and I grope for answers. Perhaps writing will help me […]

THIS WEEK I REACH THE END OF MY TRILOGY. I shared two stories last week musing over those experiences we all have where someone can say one simple sentence and it resonates deep within and alters our life paradigm. If your receptors are active and you’re looking for answers, an off-handed remark on a random […]

PIVOTAL MOMENTS, LIFE-ALTERING EVENTS, SUDDEN INSIGHTS — these are my topics for the week. Good attendance, environmentalism, love of life — these are my co-topics for the week. The first batch will be the black spades and clubs, the second batch the red diamonds and hearts. I’ll shuffle them together for a public game of […]

DIFFERENTIATION IS WORTHY OF DISCUSSION. Differentiation of learning based on ability is so much a standard part of our lives that if we watch for it, we see it everywhere. Let’s say for example you want to learn the Shimmy Shake. What you don’t do is climb up on stage during the National Shimmy Showdown […]

I’M RIPPING OUT MY TEACHER DEN, down to the bone, and rebuilding it in a new image as a man of leisure. I’m removing all contents, plus the carpet and ceiling. I’ve already torn out the carpet, piece by piece, except for under my computer desk. I’ve removed all my bookshelves and books except for […]

WHO KNOWS IF LIFE HAS MEANING, but it does make sense. Existentially speaking, I guess it’s up to me if it’s worth anything beyond the sheer enjoyment of it all. Sometimes, certainly at random, full circles are created that bring a calming sense of order and purpose to life. Ideas, events, life sequences sometimes stitch […]

I’M ALL ABOUT THE READING. This is how I’ve chosen to define my final semester as a teacher. Reading is the key to everything. I want my struggling readers to catch up and my good readers get ahead. Over my career I’ve compiled a now virtual warehouse of reading options and materials. We read around […]

CALLED ON THE SOLAR CITY GUYS to come give me an estimate on switching over. I was impressed with my options. It made me glad I finally broke down and got the free information. Why was I hesitating? I’ve been playing cat and mouse with the Solar City sales reps at Home Depot for six […]

YES, I AM STILL IN THE SAME VEIN — eating ribs and playing Zynga poker like a scholar. I’ve got eight pages of notes so far and 20 raggedy bookmarks inserted over my four-book library. I’m making up rhymes of reason, copying tips and tricks, and over-learning tight card combinations. Because of my ties to […]

I WANT TO WRITE MORE ABOUT my newfound interest in playing Texas Hold ’em poker. It’s an intimidating and uncomfortable topic in one respect. I’m a newbie writing about a popular strategy game to an audience that I’m sure contains many expert poker players who could take me to the cleaners without much effort. Of […]