Thousands of high schools around the country participate in the Day of Silence each year, which includes my own high school. However, in my state the bulk of the media’s attention centered on Mt. Si High School because Rev. Ken Hutcherson, pastor Read More...

Do you have a cling-on? You know, that kid who attaches himself to you or your room and wants attention all of them time. I had one last year and have another this year. He’s a nice kid but doesn’t understand boundaries well. He just likes Read More...

He rarely smiles. He rarely speaks. His rakish suits and power ties seem to imply a need for attention and respect. And people suspect he’s reading a book on how to teach. He’s our assistant principal. He’s not my evaluator, but the Read More...

I believe unions should only fight for better benefits, higher wages, and working conditions. These are the only issues I will discuss as a union executive board member, and I don’t believe my union(s) should take moral stands on issues like the Read More...

I can’t recall where I heard this, and I’ve heard it a couple different ways, but I always liked this one. A Creative Writing teacher created a writing assignment for his students to complete over the weekend, and the tale he deemed the best Read More...

I am attending the NEA Convention in Washington D.C. this summer during the first week of July. Is anyone else attending? Read More...

I turned the movie evening with my students into a hot dog feed. While they watched the movie (Minority Report because of reading Julius Caesar), I barbecued hot dogs and provided chips and pop. It was great! The best part was watching the kids figure Read More...

I’m on a committee right now, and then I read the joke below on dailyspark.com. It hit way too close to home. I have to admit it, Jensen had offered a brilliant proposal to resolve our troublesome problem. He suggested we form three committees, Read More...

What do Brutus (from The Tragedy of Julius Caesar) and John Anderton (from Minority Report) have in common? The answer is: pre-crime, preemptive action. And this is why my Sophomores will have the opportunity to watch Minority Report after school with Read More...

Our English classes are slated to be maxed out again next year. In a year when our department was told we were the focus for class size help, we will again have 32 students in every freshman course (our most at-risk students) and in each sophomore course. Read More...

Recently I decided to include more music into my lessons. I started this with my American Literature courses (the College in the High School and mainstream classes), and my students have reacted quote favorably. Initially, I used The Who’s “Baba Read More...

A while ago I mentioned that I had my students research topics for the era in which our novels take place. We then used their findings to create visually pleasing bulletin boards. The requirements were: to include at least one image for each researched Read More...

A few of my teacher friends and their families are coming over tomorrow to barbecue, to watch the NCAA tournament games, and to play some games. Then the wives are having a night out while the guys take care of the kids. Should be a blast, especially Read More...

Do you tire of the played out teen movie scenario which ends with the climactic prom scene? Or the nerd gets the girl? Or the kids mesh old-school and new-school? Well, fear no more! The Onion made my eyes water and I laughed out loud as I read this satiric Read More...

Through the neon haze he sits alone at the end of the bar snacking on pretzels and nursing a light beer. Everyone knows his name, though no one sits with him. He watches the game, the bartender, the guys playing pool, the college girls who ignore him, Read More...