For the third time this week, I ran 30 minutes nonstop this evening. I walked in a 5K a couple of weeks ago. I am learning a whole lot about myself through the process of running. I will continue posting more updates over at Can Wii Do It? over the next few weeks, if you’re interested.

To read my latest post, go read Joel: I did it.

For the first time since started my blog three years ago, I am going to be taking a break for at least a month. No writing, no checking stats, no emails, no nothing. In fact, I’m pulling the plug on my cable modem as soon as I finish writing this.

This is not just a blog issue, but I am going to be away from Facebook almost entirely for a month. In fact, I deleted Facebook from my phone a couple of weeks ago and noticed a substantial improvement to my productivity at work. My free time isn’t spent checking to see who else is slacking off at work, but rather in avoiding the temptation to slack myself. I’ve been…

This evening, I decided to do something I’ve been toying around with since the summer. I finally deleted comments from my blog entirely.

Where it all began
I began this blog as a hobby back in the spring of 2007, shortly after I began to learn more about the potential that blogs held. Life was much simpler back then. For one thing, I taught 6th grade beginning band only. My obligations outside of school were minimal, and the amount of time I spent in front of the computer was similarly low. Life was much simpler back then.

I long for that again.

Where it has taken me
In the fall of 2007, I moved…

Carol Richtsmeier made me do it. She has pretty much shamed me (guilted me perhaps?) into blogging through my weight loss this year with her. I’m doing it because I want to run a 5K. She’s doing it because she’s tired of dragging along the extra baggage. Well, me too. She’s done all of the legwork and I’ll do some design work when I get a chance, but she’s set up a blog call Can Wii Do It? to track our progress. I suggested there might be others who would be interested in blogging through their journey (either with a Wii or without). If you are, she would probably be the person to contact since she’s doing most of the…

The picture speaks for itself. It’s the new year, it’s time for a change. My little Wii guy isn’t going to look like this much longer. He’s going to get closer to a healthy weight. Wii Fit tells me that a healthy weight for me would be around 140 pounds. That’s more than 100 pounds away. But a weight of 10 pounds less than now is a healthier weight than whatever he currently weighs.

Weight loss
I have a friend who has lost over 20 pounds in about two months. I asked him about it, and he tells me he is severely limiting how much he eats and exercising a lot. But over the holidays, he continued exercising…

The new year always brings with it a certain air of excitement and a new set of challenges. 2010 is no exception. With the first major chunk of the 2009-2010 school year out of the way, I’m looking back on where it has taken me and there are, quite honestly, a great number of changes that I see as being pressing needs in my life. Over the course of the next few weeks, I’ll be looking more in-depth into some of these changes and really digging into where I see things headed.

Entering this year, I am 31 years old. While this isn’t old by any contemporary standards, I also look at some of the notable people throughout history and…

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how my friend Junior had posted on his blog calling for people to write about what kind of a legacy we wanted to leave. I have been thinking a whole lot over the past few months about my progression as a teacher, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to really flesh out some about what kinds of things I have been through.

I’ve sort of broken things down by year and I would be interested to know how many other teachers could say their progress as a teacher has been similar. Clearly I have not yet arrived, but I have learned a handful of things along the way, and it’s been…

I went to the dentist yesterday morning to get work done. They took my blood pressure before they started doing anything and it came out at 150/101. These are not good numbers. Not at all. I have had elevated blood pressure in the past, but never seen the numbers this high. Granted I was at the dentist, so the numbers tend to be higher there than other places due to nerves. But all things considered, this is a huge problem.

I’m posting about it on the blog, because I am asking for support. I’ve done research, I know a lot of things that I can change to get things better (as well as making an appointment with a doctor). What…

Legacy
Main Entry: 1leg·a·cy
Pronunciation: \ˈle-gə-sē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural leg·a·cies
Etymology: Middle English legacie office of a legate, bequest, from Anglo-French or Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, office of a legate, from Medieval Latin legatia, from Latin legatus
Date: 15th century

2 : something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past <the legacy of the ancient philosophers>

My friend Junior writes:

I’m proposing, my fellow Christian brother and sister bloggers, that we do a week of “Legacy…

I recently got my Google Voice invitation and decided to set it up. In playing around with the settings this afternoon, I realized that I could set up a widget to connect my readers directly to my voicemail. I don’t know how many people are interested in connecting to me this way, but I thought it might be a nice way to provide some opportunities for increased communication.

Who knows, this may open up a way for me to get some questions from readers. If the response is positive, I might even post the phone number so maybe some of you could share the number with friends who don’t do the whole blogging thing, but have questions about teaching problems….

This summer, I began playing golf. I’ve actually wanted to learn for a while now as I have a handful of friends who enjoy the game. Over the last few years, I have expressed that interest to some of my friends. Last spring, one of my friends saw me at church and told me to come out to his truck. When I got there, he handed me ten golf clubs.

So last summer, I went to a couple of driving ranges a few times and learned from some of the good golfers in my life. One of these men in particular has really been helpful. It’s great that he also happens to be the best golfer I know, and I…

Here is a brief summary of the last 19 months of my life.

In December of 2007, I was getting ready for work one Friday morning. I got a phone call from one of the high school assistant band directors. He told me that the other middle school director I work with had a stroke and was at the hospital. This was a huge blow to the band program as he has been in the district longer than I’ve been alive. It also made for a difficult month for me that included taking two bands to the Christmas Parade the next day, taking each band to four elementary concerts on consecutive days the next week, and preparing both bands for…

A friend from college recently posted the following on her Facebook status:

How do teachers not spend so much money over the summer???

I threw a quick response in my typical list-type style, but then I realized these things might benefit some of my readers as well. So here’s the list I gave her:

1. Go to dollar movies (actually first run movies are $3 where I live)
2. Find a friend who works on the country club and go play golf for free on his days off
3. Practice guitar (for church) and trumpet (for mariachi)
4. Go to the park (disc golf is cheap)
5. Budget and use cash for all purchases
6. Our bowling alley has $1 Tuesdays and buy one get

…

I recently got an email from a reader who found my blog and is looking at moving into the teaching field. This individual has been in the business world for over two decades and has recently been laid off.

Last month I was laid off from my position with a multi-billion dollar company as a national recruiting manager.  I have a friend that went through iteachtexas.com last year and is finishing her first year as a middle school teacher [in Texas].  Talking to her has really made me think hard about teaching.  In almost every job I have held, I have found a way to teach someone something.  I have taught martial arts and have over a decade of experience working with teens in church.  I…

We are halfway through the Total Teacher Transformation series. I’ve been pretty much forced to take a break from it because of the busyness of the end of the school year. It will resume next week.

This week, I plan to do a wrapup of the 08-09 school year. I just thought I should drop all of you a note to thank you for continuing to visit and link to my blog and also let you know I am still alive…

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I gotta come clean. I’ve texted while driving. Quite a bit. I saw this video this morning thanks to DetentionSlip.org.

I’ve Facebooked while driving. I’ve looked up maps while driving. I’ve Twittered while driving. I’ve just flat out used my iPhone for almost everything it can possibly do while driving.

I don’t think I’m gonna do that any more.

Next time I do, I’ll watch this video and remind myself of how dumb of an idea it is.

Do you teach economics? I challenge you to use this in your class.

Everything You Ever Really Needed to Know About Personal Finance On Just One Page

Okay, it’s actually a 49-page ebook that explains the one page, but it is well worth a review. It is tragic how many of us got out of high school without truly understanding simple financial concepts. You know, Spend less than you earn, live frugal, earn money, live with the future in mind (avoid credit cards),  and follow your dreams.

All right. This is completely off topic, but since today is Cinco de Mayo and since I have lived on the Texas-Mexico border for about five years now, I felt like it was an appropriate time to share with you this incredible salsa recipe that I learned after I moved here.

The coolest thing about it is that it is all fresh and natural ingredients. At least they are simple to find for me living here on the border. You may have to shop around for a few of them, but it’s so worth it!

Ingredients

…

This is an article in the Total Teacher Transformation series. Click here for a complete table of contents.

Today’s lesson is simple, and yet profound.

One of the most difficult concepts for me to grasp was one of the most important in my early days of teaching. It is also the most transformational and pivotal of everything that we’re going to be doing through this process.

Every problem that happens in my classroom is my fault.

Or stated more positively

I am responsible to ensure good things happen in my class.

If we can get over that hurdle, if we can get through that first barrier, we are on…

I’ve been thinking lately about trying to have each day be a sort of theme day. I don’t intend on posting every day (that’s not realistic for me at this time), but I would like for things to be a bit better aligned. So for instance, if I write a list article, I’ll schedule it for the next available Monday. If I have a blogging article, I’ll schedule it for the next available Wednesday. Or something along those lines. Here’s the ideas I’ve come up with:

Monday
Music Monday - I am a band director. I haven’t posted a whole lot about teaching band. I would like to overcome that and really begin to place a bit more emphasis…