Archive for October 2022

The McDonald’s video menu in the drive-thru is a thing of beauty. Not only are the menu items clearly displayed, but you can see your order as it’s entered into the computer. No more errors in ordering. As a person who once had to constantly update items and prices on an analog menu board, this…

There are many remarkable benefits to being a teacher. Too many to count. There are also some annoying aspects of teaching, too, of course, but they tend to be created by administrators who no longer work in schools but presume to know something about how children learn, how teachers teach, and how a school operates.…

On Saturday, I performed at Next Door in New Haven, Connecticut. Elysha wasn’t able to join me, so Jeni Bonaldo, my friend and fellow teacher, storyteller, and writer, came along. We were eating pizza before the show, in need of drinks, when Jeni pointed to the server and said, “I’ll order drinks when she comes…

Every day, during our morning meeting, I tell my students about my previous afternoon and evening, highlighting the kinds of things I want them to consider for their own lives: The books I’m reading The ways I exercised The time spent with family The writing I’m doing The time I spent outdoors The new things…

“Why reinvent the wheel?” Whenever I hear this question (which is a lot, including yesterday), my response is always the same: “I believe in the possibility of better wheels.” Also: “My wheel will be better.” “Why reinvent the wheel?” asks us to accept work that has been already done as ideal. It implies that the…

All of the ten best-selling novels of the previous decade featured female protagonists. Every single one. E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey (2011) – 15.2 million copies E.L. James, Fifty Shades Darker (2011) – 10.4 million copies E.L. James, Fifty Shades Freed (2012) – 9.3 million copies Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (2008) – 8.7…

The strangest thing about micromanagers, I think, is that they almost never know that they are micromanagers and can never see the damage they cause on a daily basis. This image captures this perfectly. These supposed leaders spend their days stripping grown-ass adults of the most basic decision-making, imposing their will on the least important…

I had the honor and pleasure of consulting with Trevor Ragan on this video, which I think should be watched by every teacher, manager, executive, and anyone else responsible for the supervision and well-being of another person. It’s everything I believe. It’s the reason I’ve found success in the classroom as an elementary school teacher.…

Choose only one? I choose none. Every one of these homes has at least one major problem, and some sound downright awful. If I was forced to choose one, I’d grudgingly choose House 6, but I certainly don’t want a hot tub. I have never felt one iota of desire to take a bath, and…

Almost every day of the workweek, my lunch is the same: A bowl of oatmeal. Boring? Maybe. Quick and satisfying? Absolutely. Lowered my cholesterol by almost 50 points over the course of a year? Yup! But when I have a field trip, the daily bowl of oatmeal is tossed aside for something far more adventurous.…