Lots of press around teaching and learning these days. So, before anyone asks me (nobody ever asks me but that hasn’t stopped me in 221 blogs), I thought I’d give you the real story. Ready, here it is, education is in crisis because kids are in crisis because their parents [...]

Tuesday rules.   The other side to last week’s blog about trickle down tyranny is that we are not in the Middle East or Ukraine. Sure, their pain is our pain and we will do all we can to stop the killing of innocent people but life goes on and [...]

Trickle down tyranny.   Are you fighting with your friends/neighbors/colleagues/wife/husband/teachers/bosses or just about anyone you come in contact with who doesn’t agree with your way of thinking?   Are you tired of seeing destroyed buildings and humans in pain due to bad people fighting or natural disasters which we seem [...]

“The Herculean work you do with kids.”   Yeah, yeah, Herculean is definitely a stretch, but this line which came in an email from a friend/professional contact who knows my work, has kept me going for weeks.   It’s all about the little victories. We are sitting in the shade [...]

Burning man is the world.   I mean, think about it, a fun idea to bring people together, celebrate and promote worthwhile causes grows from a few people to 70,000 people then nature decides to turn a dry lakebed into a mud pit and suddenly people realize that burning might [...]

I’m wondering how Taylor Swift can change the world.   It’s Saturday night and I lucked into a seat in row six, section 116 at Levis Stadium. There is only one word to describe what is going on all around and that is spectacle. Like, the foursome of 12-year-olds who [...]

Hey teachers! In the spirit of building bridges, I wanted to pass on a list of local arts programs, contact info and prices for your classroom:   Sonoma Community Center: Ceramics, Culinary, Drawing/Painting, Fiber Arts, Performing Arts, Printmaking   Contact: Lexi Baker, youth program director (707) 938-4626 x 826 lexi@sonomacommunitycenter.org [...]

The Sonoma Acai bowl is the winner. Thick berry smoothie on the bottom, homemade granola, Watmaugh strawberries, banana, blueberries, and some coconut mixture which Kate has created using her magic morning chef skills. Just the ticket for the final Saturday of the summer.   And yes, I know it’s only [...]

7/13 and I’m thinking about KWL.   This is day four of summer school for me and my 11 students this morning are busily working independently or following along on my journey to outline US History Semester 1 Unit 3 on the board.   Summer school is always a challenge [...]

My final this semester in Physical Science was to plant seeds.   Like literally, after a four-week unit on sustainability I brought in soil, pots and seeds and had students dig in the dirt (many for the first time). Course, I also had students prepare and present reports on their [...]