Well, Indiana has decided to start sacrificing kids, their parents, and definitely their grandparents to COVID-19 starting TODAY. In other words, kids are going back to school. Parkview and 17 other schools in the Greater Clark County Schools district welcomed more than 10,000 students Wednesday, becoming the first school district in the Louisville area…
Category: Students
Reflection on many things
Part of my preparation for becoming a teacher, at my MAT program at Johns Hopkins, was to take time to reflect on what I was doing. Further, since my mid-teens, I have rarely been without a small pocket notebook in which to jot down observations and reflections. In addition, I used to regularly take time…
Thoughts on “opening” schools
from the perspective of someone who has taught every grade from 7 through 12, in public, charter, and private (both religious and secular) schools. CLASSROOMS — It is impossible in most schools to have 6 foot between students. Last year I had up to 30 seniors in a room at a time, with a social…
some thoughts from an ordinary blogger
I have no medical expertise but I do understand data and government policy. So make of this what you will. First the good news. One of my students was just named a 2nd string HS All-American in basketball, and another was named Honorable mention, both considered in top 50 in country & with D-1 full…
Not so random thoughts – impeachment, personal, and more
Today is Sunday, which means tomorrow I report for pre-operative stuff at the hospital for the forthcoming operation on Wednesday to address the stenosis (blockage) in my left carotid artery that caused my recent stroke. While I have no intimations of forthcoming disaster, I will be undergoing general anesthesia, so I find it incumbent upon…
Some thoughts on the hearings
One “advantage” of having been hospitalized for 76 hours is that I was able to watch a substantial amount of the impeachment hearings on Wed and Fri. While in general my thoughts were, as might be expected, in general focused on other topics (including getting back to my students), I have been able to read/watch…
One down, three to go . . .
Friday was the final day of 1st quarter. It was also the penultimate game for our freshman soccer team. Both of those events are occasions for another reflection on teaching and related. If interested in my observations, which will use those as a starting point for broader reflection, please keep reading. If not, my feelings…
So this is my first post since August 25
which is the longest I have ever gone silent here since joining this site during the 2004 cycle in December, 2003. Given how visible I have been here, I thought I owed the community some explanation for my silence. Let me start by noting that I have not lost interest in politics nor in what…
Tomorrow I begin teaching my students
As I wrote in June in So here's my new teaching gig, I am now employed by DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville MD. I am, besides teaching 6 (of the 8) sections of Government required of all seniors, also one of the two coaches of the Freshman soccer team — we have 21 players,…
Is teaching an art or a science?
I was asked that question a number of years ago, and wrote a brief piece where I explored the issue. As I now apply to independent schools for the possibility of teaching in one next year, this is one of the documents I include to give a sense of who/what I am as a teacher. …
Do I still really want to be a teacher?
After this week I have to wonder, for lots of reasons. Let me start by acknowledging that the leadership of the school where I work and my fellow educators are quite supportive of me, and after yesterday’s deadline to notify me if I were not being brought back, I have in theory the guarantee of…
