Education & Faith Blog

What the World Needs Now is COMPASSION. The world is sideways, or backwards, or upside down. It’s anything but righted and balanced. I guess we’re all dealing with a severe case of vertigo; which I understand as a miserable condition. It’s debilitating not knowing which way is up. But I’m encouraged after being in school for about a month and a half now. I can proudly say the school district… Read more: What the World Needs Now

As an educator, blogger, and a believer it’s probably a good time for me to share some ideas I have about this school year. I hope this doesn’t add to the chaotic noise that fills today, but may it greet you as a whisper of encouragement. I was given an image this morning. A trapeze artist hanging in the air. Waiting to be caught by their partner. No net far… Read more: The Trapeze Act: Schooling during a pandemic

The stay-at-home order, order to homeschool, has brought household dissension. It has parents looking to the summer with a painful grimace, anticipating a fight for routine and responsibility; fending off the zombie persona threatening to take control of their child. I know being your child’s teacher assistant is exhausting and summer doesn’t look like much of a break; as vacations and getaways are being cancelled. What we hoped would be… Read more: Learning at Home – The Right Way

An overly tired child is a dangerous thing. Today was like most summer days for my 9 year old son. After being drenched in an unforgiving sun, his body working in or around water all day, we carried that exhausted sack of potatoes to bed. But a quirky thing happens when his head falls to the pillow. His mind awakens to huge philosophical questions, mature theological wonderings! (Is this normal?)… Read more: I Have No Answers for You

How Small Things Become Big Deals “The Good Ole Days!” A fairly new saying; It’s been used for only the last 300 years. It came about around the same time period that technologies transformed lifestyle. The thing I like best about this phrase, is the sly smile it’s always accompanied with, like the older generation has a secret that the young will never get their hands on. We love to… Read more: Restoration vs. Disease

“You little jerk.” “Are you kidding me right now?” “Wow, you’re really good at ticking me off!” (Fists clenching) “What in the world were you thinking!” Embarrassingly, I’ve thought each of these things in response to my students. In the last week. Some just yesterday. It’s obvious I can have an unloving heart in my classroom. When these thoughts raid my mind, I’ve stolen a child’s hope. While a teacher’s… Read more: Called to Love: A Season of Hope

The Golden Gate Bridge is constantly maintained. They paint it continually. They start painting it on one end and when they reach the other end, the crew immediately begins slapping another red coat where they initially started. I can’t remember where I first heard this but I thinks it’s a perfect picture for the work we’re to do in today’s world. It is hard work maintaining our relationship bridges to… Read more: The Cost to Build and Maintain Relationships

If it is true that God doesn’t waste anything or any circumstance, then boy do I make Him work hard. I think of how much has to happen for me to be alerted to His nudges. Looking back at my last blogpost, it is embarrassing to see that it took 11 years of teaching f or me to move just a blip toward professional competency. Although I’m glad that Zechariah… Read more: Some of Us Are Slow Learners; Like Me

At the beginning of every great story the hero is weak and ill equipped. At the end, he is strong and resourceful. What happens in between is the transforming process and the details that make us connect with stories. Like the hero, I believe every greatly respected professional has taken advantage of transforming opportunities in their career. I don’t claim to have arrived as a greatly respected professional and I… Read more: Transformation Through My Years as a Teacher

Happy Spring Break! Spring Break, just another reason to hate teachers. You have to deal with your kids for a week. You may have to pay for daycare. I know, I know, teachers are the worst! Plus, they’re selfish! I do hope that last statement is true during spring break because the best teachers take care of themselves first. “Place your mask on before assisting others.” This holds true not… Read more: Every Great Teacher Is Selfish

One of my biggest fears is that my son might place his value in the flawed messages of this world. I can’t stop or even filter everything the world tells my son. That is scary! It’s even scarier if I sheltered him from the ways of the world and we avoided any encounter with them. This leaving my child to navigate an unknown world with no experience. This is probably… Read more: Instilling Lasting Truths in Our Children: Write to your kids!

We have access to more information than ever, yet we remain uninformed. “The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.”   -Nathaniel Branden   Reality. We have the exhausting task of dredging through the sludge of information. It’s also why we’re able to connect so well to Lewis Carroll’s “rabbit hole” in Alice in Wonderland. In today’s culture we, like Alice, free fall down this deep complex… Read more: We’re More Ignorant than Ever and Here’s Why

This post is a follow up to “The Three Emotions Every Student Brings to School”   What do kids yearn for? Answers. Same as adults, although we that are grown aren’t as persistent. The Conflict Yearning is a conflict in contradictions. We want to be honest yet hidden. We want to make others laugh yet we don’t want to be laughed at. We wan t to be taken seriously, yet… Read more: Yearning: One Emotion Every Student Brings To School

This post is a follow up to “The Three Emotions Every Student Brings to School”   Grief is not an easy concept to understand. It confounding presence frustrates me. But it’s visible in every being, so we must approach it. Grief is simply loss. Loss of anything, from the loss of my favorite Pilot G2 pens that my students keep snagging, to the loss of a loved one’s life. Why… Read more: Grief: One Emotion Every Student Brings to School

This post is a follow up to “The Three Emotions Every Student Brings to School” Which Fear is for You? There are two forces we can choose to fear. The first choice is the disappointments and devastations of the sinful world. The nature of our flesh magnifies every uncertainty, the not knowing breeds fear. The second option we can choose to fear is the almighty goodness and  power of God.… Read more: Fear: One Emotion Every Child Brings to School

Prepare to be uplifted and encouraged for I am about to reveal the three emotions every student is feeling at any given moment! Just think how this information will allow you to support and connect with your kids! And the three emotions every child feels every day are: (drumroll…) fear, grief, and yearning. What? Not what you were hoping for? I know, it’s a real knee to the nuts! How encouraged… Read more: 3 Emotions Every Student Brings to School

Today I’m really just asking questions and exploring as I’m facing some mystery in my life. We’re repeatedly handed incomprehensible situations, both intellectually and emotionally and I don’t get it. How are we supposed to respond? Are we to tirelessly seek answers and dive head first into informational research? Or, are we to “Be still” and hope understanding is revealed? Evenmore, are we to put on a gritty smile and… Read more: Mystery: Our Chance to Grow

Since the fall of man, God has used mystery to draw people to himself. Every conflict or failure is a chance to either move toward him, or away. I think few find this to be a fun way to learn, though I I learn the most when my curiosity is piqued with wonder. These are the times when the easy answer is the wrong answer. When faced with uncomfortable circumstances… Read more: Human Growth: A Simple Process

The Flu Revelation I didn’t realize the importance of routines until I came down with the flu and was out of commission for about a week. I had lost all momentum. While sick I had a difficult time even reading. Now feeling better all I had to do was hop back in the routine. Problem was I didn’t have a strong routine established. I didn’t have a solid personal morning… Read more: Why Routine and Boring Stuff Matters

As you well know, for me writing is my process of discernment. Here is the current battle. How do I knock away at my to-do list while still giving others the attention and service God calls me to? I’m a Slow Learner I first wrote this question down a few weeks ago. Now I see the answer lies in the question. If my to-do list revolves around me and doesn’t… Read more: Find Productivity in Serving Others, Not a To-Do List