We moved in the middle of the pandemic. We started renovating the house. My wife’s mother moved in with us. Remote learning was an off/on again unknown in our two-teacher household. It was strange. It was stressful. The day my wife hung a Black Lives Matter flag, our neighbors across the street looked on. I... Continue Reading →
In her arms. On a hike. Versatile musical tastes: Brubeck, DeLong, Assad Learning new things Laughing with friends Brainstorming with colleagues Walking the dog Playing a game --Thanks to twowritingteachers.org for the 31 day Slice of Life writing challenge!-- Thanks to my writers notebook and previous entries in it for today's inspiration. All my writing... Continue Reading →
I teach third grade. A question I ask from time to time is this: Have we experienced joyful learning this week?¹ That was the question that sparked a 5 minute wildfire of joy in my classroom this week. Picture it: 45 minutes left in the day. Students doing independent work, scattered across the room... Continue Reading →
They say it’s the little things and I think that’s true. Fumbling for the light switch on my way into the kitchen. This is our time. Us time. “Habits are a firm foundation for relationships.” –Ryan Craker I think that’s true. I’ve seen it in these moments, small moments. They build and build and the... Continue Reading →
Sometimes I'm excited but I wonder When it's day twenty-two of this That feeling of "oh, I can't" Is this what my students feel the day they drag their feet? I understand, I understand. I understand. --thanks to twowritingteachers.org and the slice of life challenge--
Today I thought I’d share a list of favorite podcasts. This prompted me to think; what are the most common characteristics of podcasts I enjoy? Multiple hosts: Podcasts with a conversational flow and banter. Humor: They aren’t all “comedy” podcasts, but funny moments are appreciated. Timely: I have always enjoyed keeping up on current events.... Continue Reading →
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about ways I’d leave the social internet. This remains a distinct possibility. As a radical stopgap measure, I decided to Marie Kondo my newsfeed. In case you are somehow unaware of this 2019 phenomenon…actually, I’ll spare you the mansplaination. As I’ve asked “does it bring me joy?” I’ve... Continue Reading →
--Thanks to twowritingteachers.org and the Slice of Life Challenge for the 31 day writing challenge-- Nod to Clare Landrigan for reminding me of the idea of using right/left/center alignment to contrast or show time moving! And she did it with a screen capture which I also borrowed, because making the alignment look the way you... Continue Reading →
Do you ever have that Saturday morning moment of clarity? The one where ideas start flooding into your head? Today was that day for me. It started about 5 minutes into my morning workout and continued while I did all the things in the workout. So, afterward, I jotted and prioritized and listed and discussed. ... Continue Reading →
My wife teases me, because I’m a "nosy neighborhood busy-body." I prefer to think of myself as a dog-walking man who notices things. “The people in the gray house on the middle of the block got a new motorcycle!”“Young couple with a poodle did some nice front landscaping.”“The Garske’s replaced their landscape timber with bricks;... Continue Reading →
Tim's Teaching Thoughts 