Thanksgiving Break 2008 Personal by Joel Wagner - November 26, 2008July 1, 20102 As I've written in the past in How Not To Waste Spring Break (or Summer Vacation, or Christmas Break, or Saturday, or Tonight!), I prefer to spend my down time doing things productive. I am fortunate that my school is off for this entire week. So what have I done? Caught up on housework As a single guy, housekeeping just doesn't seem to find its way to the top of my priority list all the time. This weekend, I caught up on laundry, cleared out some space in my spare bedroom and made it a functional office, completely cleaned the living room, and just got caught up on things that fall behind. Mariachi practice Mariachi has become my
Thank You! Personal by Joel Wagner - October 16, 2008July 5, 20103 I told one of my former college professors about my blog shortly after it first started back in 2007. She liked what she saw and decided to use some of my material in one of her classes. In fact, she used So You Want To Teach? as an assignment for one of her classes this semester. Each of the students was assigned to leave a comment on something that I posted on here. Imagine my surprise when I got an email from her last week asking for my mailing address so that her class could send me a card. The card came in the mail today and I want to thank Dr. Witt for her wonderful work and inspiration as
Reminders Personal by Joel Wagner - October 8, 2008July 1, 20103 Becky writes: Joel ~ Thank you so much for your article on hope. I was sitting here staring at a stack of papers that need to be graded, wondering how much longer I can take the stress that is piling up on me. I am in the middle of KTIP (Kentucky Teacher Intern Program–for new teachers), and the extra work that is involved with it is about to push me over the edge. I need to step back and remember why I am doing all this. It is so easy to get distracted by all the meetings and never-ending to-do list. @Becky - I have to remind myself so much of the time. I've heard it said that often the
If You Don’t Fill Your Schedule, Someone Else Will Personal by Joel Wagner - September 29, 2008July 1, 20102 I have gotten 4 comments in the last 24 hours from people telling me about a time in their life (past or present) where they were so focused on school that it completely stressed them out. A big part of that comes from the fact that so many of us have a hard time saying, "No!" Personal time is a vital key to maintaining (or regaining) the sanity that we have lost as a result of our work. If the only people you hang around are kids, parents, teachers, and administrators, there can be no wonder you are burning yourself out! Quick, read these articles! 25 Tips For Less Stress 65 Things You Should Do Right Now To Avoid
So You Got A New Job! Should You Go Out And Buy A Bunch of New Crap? Personal by Joel Wagner - September 27, 2008July 1, 20102 Just because you have a new job doesn't mean that you need to spend everything you make. Just because you got your first paycheck doesn't mean you need to spend it all. The temptation is there. Don't do it! Listening to Dave Ramsey, I frequently hear him take calls from listeners who have racked up tens of thousands of dollars of credit card and/or student loan debt as well as having car and mortgage payments that they simply cannot afford. This is a trap that all too many people fall into. Ask how much, not how much down Aim to not carry any debt. That may mean that it takes a bit longer for you to get something than you
Hurricane Ike Personal by Joel Wagner - September 13, 2008July 1, 20104 I got an email from one of the readers concerned about me and Hurricane Ike. No, I'm nowhere near the huge hurricane, though I do have some friends who are in the area. At least one of them is pretty much directly in the path of the hurricane, and he decided to stay home. I talked with him a few times yesterday. Over on the Texas-Mexico border, there is not a single drop of rain, so life is going on as normal. We had a middle school football game on Thursday, a high school game last night, and I have a couple of mariachi gigs this weekend (both outside). I also have some family members in the Houston area and
Life Lesson 3: Avoid Debt Personal by Joel Wagner - August 31, 2008July 6, 20165 Debt will kill you. The fastest way to waste your income is to pay interest. The fastest way to maximize your income is to earn interest. As long as you have debt (like most of us who graduate from college do), then every penny you spend is borrowed money. Avoid debt at all costs. If you have debt, make a conscious effort to get out of debt as fast as you possibly can. Dave Ramsey's plan is the easiest and most effective that I have found. Go to his website and take advantage of the $10 special this weekend to buy The Total Money Makeover for a great price of $10. Act now! 7 steps to get out of debt Get $1,000 cash
Life Lesson 2: Don’t Miss An Opportunity, Don’t Spoil An Opportunity Personal by Joel Wagner - August 19, 2008July 6, 20166 So many hours can get wasted with regret. I hear people say all the time that they don't regret anything they have done. Now I think there may be some validity in that statement, but at the same time, I think they're just missing the point. Every experience we have gives us the opportunity to become a better person. Our response determines what we learn from it. At the same time, there is great wisdom in realizing that we made a mistake somewhere along the way and regretting our decision -- or indecision -- at that moment. Only in admitting we are wrong and gaining insight into how we could better respond in the future, will we be able to most optimally
Life Lesson 1: Experience Is The Best Teacher Personal by Joel Wagner - August 12, 2008August 5, 20163 This article is the first in a series of "life lessons" exploring some of the things that I have learned over the years. In this one, we explore the concept that experience is the best teacher. Life has with it certain milestones that we reach and we stop briefly to analyze where we are going and where we have been. I recently turned 30 years old and have been thinking quite a bit about a great many topics. I think I will occasionally share some with the readers of So You Want To Teach? as I think they may prove helpful for others. Experience is the best teacher As much as we like to claim otherwise, most of the greatest learning that happens in
Getting Busy Personal by Joel Wagner - August 8, 2008July 1, 20106 Today is my 30th birthday. I have summer band this morning, and then not much else planned the rest of the day. I'll probably end up writing a more substantial blog article about this later on. On that note, I have been out of touch with the blogging world lately. I guess it has a lot to do with the fact that I have become quite busy in the "real world" and blogging takes a back seat to all of that. This has really been the case since April and many of you have probably noticed quite a downswing in the number of articles I have written. I also fall behind in reading. When I first started blogging, it served
Nobody Works Harder Than Teachers! You Sure About That? Personal by Joel Wagner - July 13, 2008August 5, 201629 I recently wrote the most-commented article on this site to date about the number of hours teachers work and comparing those to standard business world people. As I write this one, I’m sure it will stir up just as many responses, though many of them will surely be in disagreement with me. Just keep reading, and tell me where I’m wrong at the end! One of the comments to that article said something to the effect that “nobody works harder than teachers do!†While I agree with the sentiment, I think it’s possible for our own passion to cloud our word choice at times. Comments continue coming in about that article, and I saw an email right before I went to be last
20 Books Everyone Should Read Personal by Joel Wagner - July 12, 2008July 1, 201012 Summer is a great time to read and catch up on reading. I have a bookshelf full of books, but very few that I have read really jump out and grab me as being amongst the greatest. But a handful do. These books have, in one way or another, changed the course of my life. I recommend each and every one of them to you now, in no particular order. We'll start 10 spiritual books. After that, we'll go to 5 personal growth books, and finish up with 5 teaching books. 10 Spiritual books that everyone should read The Bible Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret by Howard Taylor
Freedom And 50 Other Things That Make Me Happy Personal by Joel Wagner - July 4, 2008July 1, 20102 Freedom from oppression Doing what I love and making money for it Freedom of faith The Bible Hymns My family My friends My dogs My home My blog Clarinet Learning The opportunity to learn Dave Ramsey My iPod My laptop Summer "break" Spring break Christmas break Trumpet My students Making music Mariachi Text messages My iPhone 3G that I'll be rewarding myself with next week WordPress The color blue Enchiladas Cheesecake Texas Drum & Bugle Corps Preaching Teaching Accomplishing things Creating things The feeling of being organized Water Horn Making progress Learning to play golf IHOP Winter Rain Clouds Happy memories Abstract Art Shostakovich The look on someone's face when they are learning something The look on someone's face
Urgent Personal Finance Advice Personal by Joel Wagner - June 21, 2008July 1, 20101 This public service announcement is brought to you by Seth Godin. Read it at once.
Stuff About Joel Personal by Joel Wagner - April 23, 2008July 2, 201012 Matthew tagged me. Blame it all on him! With round 3 of TAKS testing coming up next week, we all could use a little break. The rules: The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer. Got it. 1) What was I doing 10 years ago? 1998. Wow, I don't really know! Ha. I was finishing up my sophomore