reflection – Blue Cereal Education

8 Lessons For White Teachers In “Urban” Schools

Blue Cereal — Wed, 18 May 2022 23:11:14 +0000

I wrote recently about some of the challenges of being an old white guy from a non-descript middle-class background teaching in a high-poverty, majority-minority school. My goal was to be honest about some of the difficulties without veering into whining or – worse – appearing to criticize my kids. Whatever my struggles, they pale (if … Continue reading

A Leap of Well-Intentioned Delusion

Blue Cereal — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 01:15:43 +0000

There are so many things about teaching that are difficult to explain to those outside the field. (That may be true of other professions as well, but this is the one I know best.) Even within the world of public education, it’s tricky to balance honesty with optimism, or transparency with teamwork. Too much venting … Continue reading

Blame

Blue Cereal — Mon, 26 Nov 2018 03:01:50 +0000

When authors repeat a theme with minor variations, they’re trying to tell you something. Great literature does it, Broadway musicals do it, even sitcoms do it. Two stories, melodies, or wacky conflicts weave around one another, each echoing and expanding the other. The parallels between this passage and the account of mankind’s initial fall are striking – as are the differences.

The right clergyman could preach a Venn Diagram of these for a straight month.

Becoming a Hard@$$

Blue Cereal — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 02:15:33 +0000

I was 29 years old when I did my student teaching. The first day I was with my new mentor, he asked me at lunch if I’d been paying attention as I sat in his classroom while he talked through whatever that day’s topic happened to be. I said I had. “Great,” he told me. … Continue reading

Actual Reflections (and too many questions)

Blue Cereal — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 01:06:21 +0000

My school is on trimesters, so coming back wasn’t a new start so much as picking up where we left off. Still, having two weeks to regroup and get a jump on some of the planning for this month was, well… it may have saved my life. At least emotionally. Whatever the formatting of the … Continue reading