I rarely take work home any more. I used to do it all the time. Then I noticed something. I rarely got any work done at home, and I felt guilty about not getting it done at home. I also realized that when I didn’t take work home, I didn’t fall too far behind when … Read more
Each morning when I come into the band hall, there are always a handful of students who come to drop off their instruments before school. Often they will come in and stand around talking. Because our custodian runs the vacuum each day and doesn’t fix the chairs after he finishes, the entire classroom has to … Read more
I love reading. I don’t do it nearly enough, but I still do love it so. I find that many people don’t read a single book after they graduate from high school. As teachers, we are also supposed to be lifelong learners. We should be desperate to learn about more and more stuff. I find … Read more
I touched on this topic before in Deepen Your Relationships With Friends, but I want to get even more involved here. I want to look at specific ways that you can collaborate with coworkers. More experienced teachers These people are the lifeblood of education. We’ve all had at least a small handful of teachers who … Read more
Wow. I love my students. I am amazed that I haven’t written more on my blog about this fact. As I search through my blog, I have come to the realization that I probably come across as some heartless disciplinarian who expects nothing more from his students than that they be quiet all the time. … Read more
A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17 Some of the greatest stress relief I have had since moving away from my family has been with friends. Either other teachers as well as church friends or even other friends you have met through other social activities. Maybe hooking … Read more
We now begin our fourth week of 25 Tips For Less Stress. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing these articles as they have helped me to really focus on some of the routines that I take for granted in my life. When I have been tempted to relax on some of them, I have reread my … Read more
Some people come by this site and blow it off because they don’t ever have any dreams of sitting inside a classroom and teaching young hellions. That’s fine. But these people fail to realize that we all are teachers in one sense of the word or another. The problem is that many people don’t see … Read more
I’m taking a break today from my Stress Reduction series and getting back to some real teaching issues. That’s why we’re here anyway, right? So August and September have come and gone with great behavior. Now the students are beginning to do a lot more testing of the limits. It’s been a while since I … Read more
As I mentioned yesterday, westerners generally have too much stuff. That is the result of an extravagant lifestyle that television and popular media promote. The idea is that we shouldn’t be satisfied with what we have. That’s the whole underlying motivation behind much of the advertising industry. Credit cards are a big source of woe … Read more