As educators most of our actions and observations are based on words. We communicate with them and focus on what we believe they mean and represent. Words can mean different things to different people in different situations. Words matter. The actions that accompany those words matter also. Beginning with the manner in which students are greeted at the door as they enter schools, we impact the state of mind they will bring to their learning. Some students are met with metal detectors…

No words can express the need for models for minority children better than those of SCOTUS Justice Sonia Sotomayor:

"When a young person, even a gifted one, grows up without proximate living examples of what she may aspire to become---whether lawyer, scientist, artist, or leader in any realm - her goal remains abstract.  Such models appear in books or on the news, however inspiring or revered, are ultimately too remote to be real, let alone influential. But a role model in the…

Announcing: my book of 65 education articles titled Saving K-12 to be published mid-November. Preorder after Labor Day.

 Books are being printed now. I just stopped by a local art gallery to set up a book-signing party (in Virginia Beach). I’m contacting radio shows, websites, and so on. I want to do what I can to promote this book. I don’t think there’s much hope for K-12 unless a great many people reassess what’s going on. I…

One of my earliest school memories is from the third grade. I call it 'The Kickball Incident' and I still remember it like it was yesterday, not the seven years ago it really was.

I have an autism spectrum disorder (at the time my diagnosis was Asperger syndrome). One of the things I have trouble with is understanding things when there's no logical explanation given or when someone repeats themselves instead of trying to explain in a different way.…

8 Fun Ways to Become a Better Teacher This Summer   

“It’s easy for you. You have the whole summer to enjoy without thinking about your job. Who wouldn’t want a vacation that long?” You get that a lot, don’t you? All teachers do. People think you’re going on at least two vacations. The rest of the time? Oh, you’ll just spend it binge-watching TV shows on Netflix. Unfortunately (or…

This fall, two remarkable young men, seniors at Fondy, approached Mr. Scottberg, the assistant principal charged with the role of scheduling that hour.  The students, Isaiah Zubke and Kevin Wuest identified some of the difficulties with our current scheduling program, including the ability for students to "override" the program.  Isaiah and Kevin came with a solution-focused perspective.  As young entrepreneurs, Isaiah and Kevin Co-founded Rebentify Technologies and offered their…

Public education is a wonder. We have managed through federal and local funds to provide a free education to the children in our nation.  It is an expectation that a student will be educated, free of charge, no matter where they live, no matter their income. But, how do schools meet the needs of all students when they are structured so all students fit as fully as possible into one single design? How do schools manage to reach the invisible children when they are built to address the…

 HOW I TEACH

The 2017 National Teacher of the Year on the mom who changed how she…

Have you noticed you stop reading articles before coming to the end? Or that professional development books have fewer pages?  Has attention span been affected by Email and Twitter? Many notice these changes in their own behavior and the behavior of the learners in their classrooms. This attention reduction changes the way information is obtained and will ultimately affect the manner in which teaching and learning takes place.  …