If you are a teacher, it will be impossible to avoid major student discipline problems. It will happen at some point in your career....

A couple years before I retired, I was teaching fifth grade mathematics at my Title 1 elementary school – despite the fact that I was the...

I do not own a washing machine. Never have. I use the condominium laundry room with its ten washing machines and dryers to handle my...

“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” This old joke is amusing and timeless because of the obviousness of its one-word punchline: Practice!...

About 15 years ago, I attended weekly central administrator meetings as an elementary program supervisor in a large urban Texas school...

One Friday night about 15 years ago, I was resting on my couch after a long day at work when my cell phone rang. I looked at the phone to...

When a child ignores an adult’s questioning using ‘the silent treatment’ and successfully avoids consequence or accountability for their...

Over the last decade, Graham Elementary School in the Austin Independent School District's dramatic and sustained academic Title 1...

Above all else at a public school, the first priority of teachers and administrators must always be ensuring children's safety....

I was a first year teacher – TWICE in the same school year. I was hired as a second grade teacher, and I taught that grade level for a...

In the 1970’s, my father started the first Christmas tree farm in South Dakota. A slotted hole was dug using a long steel spade shovel...

Earlier this summer I was talking to a seasoned elementary teacher that is a standout educator and asset to the profession. She mentioned...

In the early 1980’s, I was out of money, and I could not continue my engineering studies at the University of Texas at Austin. However, I...

On my planning period, I walked down to the teacher workroom to check my school mailbox and make several Xerox copies. As I walked back...

Federal and State money flows into the Title 1 public schools. The river of money flows regardless of academic results each school year,...

We live in a Base 10 world. Base 10 is everywhere! Of course, a math person may counter with clock time – hours and minutes. Time is kept...

This is an interesting question. Public schools are not exactly free, of course. Parents often must pay for any number of items for their...

“Andrew will not complete his homework.” “At least half my class does not do their homework, consistently.” “I have called the parent...

As both an elementary classroom teacher and a principal, a few parents each school year have questioned the modern need for nightly...

The choices made by students in their behavior have everything to do with their social and academic success in the classroom. Their...

According to Exodus, Moses climbed Mt. Sinai, and God gifted him the Decalogue – Ten Commandments that provided a foundation of conduct...

You are a public school teacher. You are about half-way through your science or math lesson. The door opens and the principal walks into...

There are many industry specific words bandied about in public education that all too often, educators possess only a vague definition....

The other night I was watching the latest release of ESPN’s 30 for 30 – a remarkable and interesting documentary series highlighting...