Posts Tagged ‘teacher’
The tyranny of the syllabus
I know a handful of college professors personally. I know a handful more via Facebook and Twitter. I have known many, many more throughout the years. Right around this time of the year, the discussions about their fabled syllabi begin to appear, both in real life and on social media. Their comments can usually be…
Read MoreWhy does writing instruction so often suck?
Slate’s Matthew J.X. Malady offers any number of reasonable answers to this question, but I think the answer is far simpler: Writing instruction at the elementary, middle, and high school levels is taught primarily by teachers who are not writers and do not engage in writing on a regular basis. Most teachers are readers. We…
Read MoreWorking hard for the money: 2014 update
A few years ago, I posted a list of all the jobs I have held in my life in chronological order. It was an interesting exercise that I highly recommend. Things have changed since I first posted the list, so here is my updated list: 1. Farm laborer, Blackstone, MA: When I was 12-years old,…
Read MoreWhat were the three most important decisions of your life?
A recent Quora question asked, “What were the three most important decisions of your life?” I’ve been debating this question for almost a month, and I have finally settled on three. While many decisions could have occupied these three spots, I decided to favor the toughest and most unlikely decisions of my life rather than…
Read MoreBest Teacher Appreciation Day gift ever
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, my students presented me with a gift on Friday. The first was a PowerPoint presentation that explained why I was an excellent teacher. It included many inside jokes, a song that the kids performed, a few veiled insults, and a couple of slides that meant a great deal to…
Read MoreTeaching is not quite a minimum wage job, despite what my students may think.
My students were reading an article about the proposed increase in the minimum wage in their Time for Kids magazine. I was secretly listening to their conversation. Student #1: “If they increase the minimum wage, at least Mr. Dicks will get a raise.” Student #2: Mr. Dicks doesn’t make minimum wage. Student #1: I thought…
Read MoreA teacher’s memory of 9/11
The following is a piece I wrote on the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attack on our country. __________________________________________________________________ I was teaching my third graders when my classroom phone rang around 9:00 AM. It was my ex-wife, calling to tell me that a plane had hit the Word Trade Center. She said that it was…
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