This past week we took one of those spiritual gift tests, and I wasn’t really surprised by the results, except for when I looked at the category that I scored lowest in: faith. So I was like, well that’s great, a missionary who scores lowest out of like twenty different categories in faith. I’ll …
I quit my job. So now I can tell you what I really learned about teaching.
Today was my last day teaching after three years in the classroom (to pursue teaching in a different context). Here. This is what I've learned. Pick favorites. Every kid in their life needs the chance to be special to someone. It is actually really, really hard to discipline a kid you love, but …
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Irresistible Grace
The other day in school we were reviewing prefixes and suffixes in preparation for the EOGs. I put up irresistible on my ActivBoard, wanting my kids to think through it like this: ir = not, ible = able to be, irresistible = not able to say no to something. (That was a nice little English recap …
Just Say Yes to Drugs
For those of you who know my dad, you know that growing up, my family didn’t celebrate a lot of holidays. When most people were anticipating a day off work or school, excited to spend time with family, my dad was bemoaning the fact that the mail wouldn’t come and the banks would be closed. But I …
Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Xanax and other scary words
I was nineteen years old. I sat alone in the doctor’s office on a chair in the corner with my pulse 120+ and my hands visibly shaking. And all I could say was “I just feel really nervous a lot of time. I can always see my heart beating when I look down at my chest. It doesn’t slow down.” That was …
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Syrian Refugee Post #234,679,675,999
This is the 234,679,675,999 article/blog/note published about the Syrian refugees. But whatevs. ... Stop making excuses for why you've closed your heart to the cries of refugees. Just call it what it is: You can't be bothered with other people's needs. Stop saying we should take care of our vets …
Teacher Apologies: Part 1
I bet you remember it, no matter how long ago it was since high school - those blessed end of quarter assemblies that got you out of (if you were lucky) your least favorite class. And I bet you remember some rendition of the following: “Will the following students please come to the stage to be …
Why We Stopped Liking Teachers
Why We Stopped Liking Teachers 1 - “Teaching is the hardest job there is.” It’s not. You know that people in other careers work too, right? And actually, retail in the months of November and December are harder. And hell to the no for Black Friday. No mouthy kid even compares to that. 2 - “We …
Thoreau, the most Christian non-Christian
It confuses me how often I find atheists and non-believers knowing more about the Bible than Christians. It’s like some way, somehow they’re closer to understanding God than those of us who profess Him; and I don’t get it. It’s kind of like looking at a flat map your whole life and thinking Russia …
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Why Young Teachers Quit
Now I know why we quit. You always hear people say that teachers quit because of the excess paperwork or common core or standardized testing etc. But that’s not why this generation walks away from the profession. All we know of being an educator is paperwork, common core and state testing. It’s …