North of Montgomery

Every weekend, I get a report from one of our teacher leaders who supervises our Credit Recovery program at my current school.  This report summarizes the students who have completed courses over the previous week and gives a shout out to the teachers, aides, and staff members who have assisted in their progress.  Normally, I — read more

Over the last few hours, in short stints and bursts, I was able to make it through Gleason, the documentary on the life of former NFL player Steve Gleason.  Steve is a nine-year NFL veteran most noted for his block of an Atlanta Falcons punt in the first football game to return to the New — read more

“Sign, sign, everywhere a sign Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?”  –  Les Emmerson Over the course of the last year, I took pictures of signs posted throughout school buildings I visited.  I was struck by how many of these signs communicated a double — read more

I’m not sure when it happened exactly.  It certainly wasn’t overnight.  But, over the course of the last several months a stark reality has emerged in my life and to be honest, it hurts.  I mean, like really hurts.  I’m talking constant daily reminders that life as you know it is over kind of hurt. — read more

An open letter to my students past, present, and future: To my former students:  I’m sorry. For far too many years, it was about me and not about you. I “welcomed” you on the first day of school with a copy of my classroom policies and procedures. I spent our entire first day together describing — read more

In my last few years of teaching AP European History, I only displayed one poster on the wall of my classroom.  That poster is pictured below.  The poster hung between the two large windows directly in the student’s line of sight as they entered my classroom each and every day.  This poster became my social — read more

I love books.  Always have.  Some of my earliest memories are grabbing a stack of colorful children’s books before bed and reading until I fell asleep surrounded by them.  My mother subscribed to a number of monthly book services that kept me with a ready supply of exciting new reads.   We frequently visited our — read more

Few things excite me as much, or give me as much energy as “back to school” season.   School supplies, new clothes, new teachers, a different schedule, seeing friends again, seeing favorite teachers in the hallway, and even the smell in the air (it smells like football to me!).  I love every single thing about — read more

The simplest things make you immortal.  I am reminded of the final scene of the Tim Burton movie Big Fish, where the narrator states that his father had told stories so many times that he had become the story and would live forever through them.  This resonates with me, not only because the movie was filmed — read more