In the famous kids’ story, the little engine creeps successfully up the hill muttering to the rhythm of its small, chugging engine: “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” As teachers, we should learn to parrot this with a slight variation: “I think they can, I think they can.” In … Continue reading I Never Doubt That My Students Will Succeed
Dear Graduates, Don’t set out to change the world. As a society, we are impact-obsessed. We look at a mother at home with her kids and, as much as we say we promote motherhood, we secretly wonder what volunteering she has done recently, or whether she has started a super successful business on the side. … Continue reading Dear Graduates: Don’t Set Out to Change the World
By general standards, I have always been a pretty fun teacher. I make jokes, I laugh, I sometimes use educational games. When I had a classroom, it was decorated with pretty things and bright colors. Students usually like me. Therefore, it caught me off guard the first time that a student told me, without skipping … Continue reading Chocolate and Potato Chips: We Want Easier, Shinier Fun
Creative writing often appeals to teenage students, who enjoy the opportunity to create and control their own worlds and the chance to voice their own ideas. Besides, what teenage writer has not at some point fancied him or herself the author of the next great American novel? Though seeking fame is hardly the motivation we … Continue reading Five Do’s and Five Don’ts for Young Creative Writers
I don't need to remind anyone that in recent months, many parents have found themselves the recipients of a new job title: teacher. 2020 has not been generous. For those of you suddenly homeschooling your students, or finding that remote learning simply doesn't happen without you jumping in as instructor-motivator-planner-encourager, these tips that I've collected … Continue reading Ten Tips for Helping Your Students with Schoolwork
Classroom management is a part of teaching that we as teachers often dread. Despite five years of running an ordered classroom, I still have nightmares about teaching students who won’t listen to me. Inevitably, my dream-self begins shouting to be heard above all the ruckus; inevitably, the dream ends in anarchy and failure. I am … Continue reading “Stop Putting Cheetos in His Hat”: Establishing Proper Authority in the Classroom
I was not a cool kid. I conducted my high school and college life on the fringe of popularity. I did not know the right thing to say at the right time; I certainly was not funny or spontaneous; I was neither strikingly beautiful nor impressively fashionable, and I was far too scrupulous--or at the … Continue reading On Being a Cool Teacher
“In this discussion, all opinions are equal. It doesn’t matter what your opinion is--there are no wrong answers.” Haven’t we all heard this? Teachers use the above concept to preface all kinds of conversations and assignments. I can not actually say that I haven't: I would hope that I haven't, but sometimes in flustered, blushing … Continue reading Classroom Discussions: “There Are No Wrong Answers” Is the Wrong Answer
My Dear Students, After eight posts which emphasize the importance of education, I find it a fitting time to temper my enthusiasm for education by saying this: it is better to be uneducated and love God than to be an accomplished scholar and despise wisdom. Of course, uneducated people can certainly despise wisdom, and educated … Continue reading Even Accomplished Scholars: A Teacher’s Thoughts on the Limits of Education
My Dear Students, There is another reason to go to school which I have intentionally saved for last because of its significance. The explanation is short because it is simple, but its simplicity does not make it any less profound. We know that we are here on earth to serve and glorify our Maker and … Continue reading Why School? Part 8: The Most Important Reason
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