Teachers On Fire
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Mourning the End of Summer and Embracing the Mission Once Again
This will be my 25th year in education. Summer holidays are a sacred blessing for K-12 educators. For the ten-month school year, we give this work our all — often to the point of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion. Then summer blissfully arrives, and with it, an extended emotional intermission. We have our critics, of… Continue reading
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How to Manage Student Behavior Effectively: 7 Essential Skills
Seven moves you can make to save your sanity and empower your students. What’s one student behavior that you’ve found challenging recently? Whether you’re new to teaching or you’ve been around for a couple of decades, we’ve all got room to grow in terms of how we interact with students and manage our spaces effectively.… Continue reading
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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
Teachers on Fire 