Teachers On Fire
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Why Merit-Based Pay for Teachers Would Be a Fail for Student Growth
It sounds like a reasonable idea, but a closer look shows some impossible flaws. A former student reached out on X last week with a link to this clip and a question: What do I think of merit-based pay for teachers? Well hello, Sean and Vivek. Vivek Ramaswamy has provided a lot of good conversation… Continue reading
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This One Factor Can Keep Teachers on Fire Instead of Burning Them Out
It can be the wind in our sails that we didn’t realize we needed. This past Thursday was one of my marathon days. You know the kind, right? With an early morning commute and an evening event at the school, I found myself in the building for over 15 hours. Long days are sometimes part… Continue reading
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I’m Sorry: Why I’m in Favor of Forced Apologies
Should we make students apologize for damage they cause? As an elementary vice-principal, one of my roles is to support teachers with student misbehavior. This work doesn’t consume all of my time, but it has its moments. Even in the best of elementary schools, little humans have problems. They make mistakes. They hurt feelings. They… Continue reading
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I Still Get to Do This
Just about every teacher I know experiences the school year as an emotional cycle. We love the work. We love our colleagues. We love our students. We love the creative energy of the profession. The art of learning and growing together is fire, as the kids say. It’s pretty magical. And then the work starts to… Continue reading
