Relationships are complicated, and sometimes changes happen so gradually that we don’t even notice them. I had this experience with a friend at Rangeview.
Bobby was a custodian at Rangeview and had been there almost since the beginning in 1982. He was a fixture, the institutional memory of the school.…
Small moments in life can have a huge impact. Looking back, I realize that many of my interests and passions were sparked by events that might seem insignificant to others. Theatre, for example, became a major part of my life—first in high school and later when I taught at Rangeview.…
I believe that as we grow up, life gives us signals about what we should be doing. The key is to pay attention. Sometimes, those signals come later in life. My last fifteen years of teaching were spent in computer science, cybersecurity, and engineering.…
When I started teaching, I had the misconception that my point of view was the most important thing in the classroom. But the longer I taught, the more I realized that my perspective was just one part of the classroom culture—not the driving force.…
People need refuge on occasion. I am an introvert at heart and can spend hours just in quiet or with my music. I know my facade is as an extrovert but that is what I do to teach and be in the world.…
We are in our last week of instruction. This is a time I reflect on what went well and what needs changing for next year. This year I don’t have to plan for next year so I will take time to reflect on thirty years.…
Another story about Amanda from my elementary days. It was my first week of teaching and I had the principal come into my classroom and ask if I wanted a gifted student. I don’t know of any teacher that doesn’t want to work with the best and the brightest.…
These 2 songs were important during my years of high school. We always looked to be free and so we sang Freebird a lot. The other one for this week is the song played by every high school student sing its release in 1972.…
The is nothing more sacred to a teacher than the opportunity to use the restroom. We hold it dear and do not want anything disturbing our routines. When I got to Rangeview I was in my early 40s and was one of the younger people in our area.…
We have very short speeches during graduation. The reason is that the event is about the graduates and not the adults. In APS we have a special reason for not letting school board members speak. It is not because of all of them but one specific incident at an RHS graduation.…
I try to avoid making promises because I don’t like the idea of breaking them. Every now and then I make a promise and wait and hope that I can deliver. Our first year with CyberPatriot was successful because we made nationals.…
Our first year in CyberPatriot saw us push all of the rules. The competition started as an added piece for ROTC. It really hadn’t considered the open division, so when they made it available to all schools, the rules had to be challenged.…
Emails have become extra work in this modern day of education. There was a time when the principal got all of the information from the district and anyone else and synthesize what we needed to know. They would make a weekly or daily bulletin that we all read.…
The escapades with my hair continue. A few years after the leg waxing incident, I decided to do another homecoming hair challenge. I knew that the legs were off-limits this time and so I went with shaving my head bald. The good news is that after every time I have done this, it has grown back.…
One of the fun activities in high school is the annual homecoming. As a teacher, I felt it was my responsibility to participate and show the students the value of school spirit. I mentioned the dress-up days previously but I want to highlight getting deeply into the spirit.…
I have been asked what are some of the crazy things I have done as a teacher. I will explore the pathway that hair has held for me over the years. You may ask what my hair has to do with the crazy things I have done as a teacher.…
Last week was about lost youth but I think this week is the best description for students leaving us at the end of high school. It speaks about a loss of innocence and facing adulthood. Fore those of you who think it has drug references are wrong.…
I think we have a responsibility to give our students a sense of themselves and where they can go. High school is often the beginning for many students but it is their destination that is the most glorious. Theatre was a place for many students to find themselves.…
It has been said too many times in my career that I have to be a little crazy to be a teacher. With that idea, I decided to direct One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest. Upon reflection, I might have been crazy.…
Actors always think they are the best and most creative to ever take the stage. That is why they are good actors but sometimes they take it too far. Sandy Scott, Tammy Strouse, and I had different styles of directing. One of the hallmarks of my technique was freedom on stage.…
Les Miserables was one of my favorite productions we did at Rangeview. The show we did in 2003 still ranks as one of the best high school productions I have been a part of or seen. We had exceptional actors and the set was a thing of wonder.…
This story is reported from my perspective and memory. I know people have had other experiences so I am speaking just for myself. There are students that have a huge impact on their teachers but not many transcend as much as our theatre spirit.…
As an American teacher, I am used to having an office for my job. I loved my desk in the business office and it was a place to relax and not be stressed for a short time. It was very important until it was taken from us a couple of years ago.…
I was listening to the Barry McGuire song, The Eve of Destruction, and thinking about anger as a part of teaching. I have over the years had moments of frustration but I only think I was angry at a student a couple of times in my career.…
A little advice from James Brown in 1967.
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BRING TOILET PAPER AND HAND WARMERS. It is not often that you see a headline like this. In 2009 we had a group of students attending the Presidential Inauguration in Washington DC. The trip had been planned for many months without regard to who the winner would be.…
This story happened to Ingrid from my department but it is too good not to include. When I first started at Rangeview we taught computer applications which was the Office Suite. We also taught keyboarding. At this time we also had a graduation requirement of Practical Arts and our department counted for that.…
Another fun school song and many of us had this experience in school. Van Halen at it’s best.
“I don’t feel tardy!”
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I mentioned in my last post about being a class sponsor. There are several more stories about that role but I want to share a quick one. I did not realize that we were a little better off than the elementary school I started with.…
A large part of my experience at Rangeview has involved travel. All over the country and Europe. One of my favorites was traveling to Disneyland with the student leadership group. Disneyland has a wonderful leadership academy and ran a good program that taught the fundamentals of leadership.…
I am a strong believer in our commitment to diversity at Rangeview. We have been a No Place For Hate designated school by the ADL for many years. One of our added pieces is the Diversity Week we have every year.…
I am going to recycle a post I did several years ago. It is a post about tragedy but also about why I teach and accept the good and the bad.
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We were given the question at an in-service about the day that we wanted to quit teaching.
One of the great pleasures I have had at Rangeview is coaching baseball. There will be many stories later about our baseball escapades. The colleague that I am thankful for is our head coach Mike Hamilton. Our field for the lower levels were separate from the varsity and JV field and we liked it that way.…
Some good old Folk music. It is a part of my war protest music and is a very fun song with a serious message. It sometimes gets lost on people who don’t understand satire but I hope you enjoy it.
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf5Jn8O3s0c”]…
Recently I did a post about the cafeteria manager who got teddy bears for students. I want to now tell the story of the “Book Lady” that kids loved. Mrs. Truman lived down the block from Montview and had lived there for many years.…
Facing blatant racism was a new experience. I had witnessed racism daily as a kid but I never expected to see it when I was teaching. I now know that I had a very naive outlook. I believed people had enough class to keep some of their opinions to themselves and let the rest of the world go on. …
There are things that young teachers learn the easy way and some are learned the hard way. The difference is often dependent upon if the teacher listens to the parent, students, or colleagues. One of the hallmarks of a new teacher is the confidence that come from teacher training and a controlled student teacher setting.…
