teacher motivation – Blue Cereal Education

Something Of A Rut

Blue Cereal — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 20:48:29 +0000

I’ve fallen into something of a rut, and I worry if I don’t commit a few things to paper (er… you know what I mean), it may gradually evolve into the new normal. That’s one of the trickiest things about ruts – it doesn’t take long before you feel like you’ve always been in them, … Continue reading

Back-to-School Motivational Playlist

Blue Cereal — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 13:22:54 +0000

I’ve always been one of those people who’s better at sharing a song or playlist with someone than explaining how I feel about something. While I’m not particularly nostalgic in terms of wanting to go back to high school (as a student) or anything, I do miss the golden age of the “mixtape.” I compiled … Continue reading

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

Things I Heard This Week

Blue Cereal — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 10:46:50 +0000

I teach in a district that’s had some struggles in recent years. We’re majority-minority and 100% of my kids are “free and reduced lunch” (mostly “free”). Add in eighteen months of not having real school and the fact that most of the schools feeding into mine are already under state “control” (an ironic term by any measure), and it’s easy to grow discouraged. There aren’t always those “breakthrough” moments you count on to stay motivated - personally or academically.

All the more reason to build a few monuments to the encouraging or amusing episodes which do occur from time to time. Here are three from this past week.

The Importance Of Being Delusional

Blue Cereal — Tue, 18 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

You may remember the old Roadrunner cartoons where Wile E. Coyote, distracted by his mad pursuit of his prey, runs right off the edge of a cliff before pausing in mid-air. Oddly, he’s fine as long as he doesn’t look down and notice the reality of his situation. If he’d just kept running, he might … Continue reading

I’m Not Sure I Want My Students To Succeed

Blue Cereal — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 16:07:13 +0000

I’m not sure I want my students to succeed. How’s that for an attention-grabber? Now I’ll skillfully jump back and lay the foundation for such an outrageous claim and hope it’s enough to keep you reading until we reach it again further on. Four-Point Scale or Back Hoe? The question of how to grade, what … Continue reading

The Blue Cereal Podcast For New (Or Reviving) Teachers

Blue Cereal — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 00:59:13 +0000

Well, my #11FF, I decided to record a few podcasts for new (or reviving) educators. This seems like a wonderful idea because I lack the proper equipment, there are dozens of excellent education podcasts out there already, I have nothing to sell, and this year is so weird it’s hard to know how to prepare … Continue reading

You Get Up

Blue Cereal — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 10:16:14 +0000

Take Me Anywhere I was in a band many, many, MANY years ago. We considered ourselves “college alternative” – immersed in R.E.M., the Smiths, the Cure, and MTV’s 120 Minutes. We didn’t actually sound like ANY of them, which was both a glaring flaw and source of inner pride. Originality and Lack of Quality formed … Continue reading

Better Than You Think

Blue Cereal — Fri, 20 Dec 2019 17:07:34 +0000

Let’s face it – no one carries around a pervading sense of guilt and inadequacy like teachers. They care deeply, feel strongly, and give muchly – often to a fault. Many of us are able to be professionally developed, pedagogically creative, and politically active, all while scoring way too high on any clinical assessment of personal dysfunctions.

I think it actually goes together – the passion for learning, the tolerance for teenagers, and the emotional mess most of us manage to be. Two sides of the same smashed penny.