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The Shoe Game (a cheap dad’s perspective)
(Yes the shoes above are signed, game-worn Ron Anderson Pony basketball shoes. Read more to find out why anyone would ever consider putting them in a blog post.) A long time ago, before Zappos and even Dick’s Sporting Goods, there were mom and pop sporting goods stores that were basically the only place to get what you needed for the upcoming season. When I was … Continue reading The Shoe Game (a cheap dad’s perspective)
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Teaching like Questlove
Quest Love is my favorite drummer. Truthfully, I don’t know a lot about drummers, and I don’t really love his drumming. I don’t even know enough about drumming to love anyone’s drumming. I do like The Roots and I love watching them on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. What makes him my favorite drummer, though, is that he does so much besides drumming. I’m pretty … Continue reading Teaching like Questlove
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Measuring Coaching Success (Part 6): Final Thoughts
At the beginning of each season, our team sets goals together; some have to do with winning – games, conference, playoffs – while others are more abstract – great team chemistry, mastering team defense. The truth is that goals like great team chemistry, mastering team defense, or any other abstract qualitative goal is because we think it will lead to winning (which it should). As … Continue reading Measuring Coaching Success (Part 6): Final Thoughts
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Measuring Coaching Success (Part 5): Me, Myself and I
So I saved the hardest for last. Probably because it’s hardest. Maybe because I needed a lot of time to think it through. As you’ve seen from the previous posts, I have obviously questioned whether our team under achieved this season, and I put most of that on myself. The success of individual player’s and the team feel like my responsibility. Similar to the other … Continue reading Measuring Coaching Success (Part 5): Me, Myself and I
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Measuring Coaching Success (Part 3): Getting better or getting worse?
Measuring Coaching Success (Part 1): Reflections on a season past Measuring Coaching Success (Part 2): Winners and Losers Prior to the season, I listened to John Wooden’s biographer talk about his pyramid and how he measured his team by effort rather than wins. Obviously that’s a bit easier to say when you’ve won 10 national championships, but there’s something to be said for the attempt … Continue reading Measuring Coaching Success (Part 3): Getting better or getting worse?
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Measuring Coaching Success (Part 2): Winners and Losers
Read Part 1: Reflections on a season past My high school football coach used to tell us that high school sports weren’t meant to be fun, they were meant to be rewarding. I’ve never fully subscribe to this belief, but completely understand his sentiment. My son’s under-8 YMCA games are meant to be fun. There is a scoreboard, but you generally shouldn’t care much about … Continue reading Measuring Coaching Success (Part 2): Winners and Losers
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The emotional balance of coaching
While being an assistant head of lower school is my main job, my role as high school coach can become difficult to put to the side at times. We are nearing the end of our basketball season, and this has been a long one. After five years as head coach though, maybe they all are. It is a job we do out of love for … Continue reading The emotional balance of coaching
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Ten (or Eleven) books that tell the story of my reading life
As the year closes out and Top Ten lists pop up everywhere, I thought I’d get in on the game, but take a different route. Recently, my friend Danny Bauer shared the first book he remembered reading as a kid – Danny the Dinosaur – and what made it so memorable for him. He also asked our group to share the first book we remember … Continue reading Ten (or Eleven) books that tell the story of my reading life
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Wandering Thoughts
After a day of professional development with my colleagues, we sat in Meeting For Worship to end our day, and as usual, what started as a few random thoughts led to some meaningful reflection. First was a zombie apocalypse. Not sure exactly why this popped into my head, but it was immediately connected to the recent senate hearings with Brett Kavanaugh. Similar to you, I … Continue reading Wandering Thoughts
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The Art of Teaching
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou (or possibly someone else) If there ever was a quote that represented teaching young children, it is this. This morning, I had the opportunity to attend a memorial meeting for worship for a teacher who taught kindergarten at school … Continue reading The Art of Teaching
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Put the politics and burning shoes aside, an important message is getting lost
So, for now, while shoes burn and talking heads discuss the economics of Nike’s ad, I’ll let my son watch these images as many times as he can, and I will believe in the potential power of those words. Continue reading Put the politics and burning shoes aside, an important message is getting lost
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Who am I being? How many eyes are shining around me?
Why can’t 100% of people be excited about education. Who am I being, how do I talk, how do I walk, if I believe that 100% of people love the power of learning, they just don’t know it yet. Continue reading Who am I being? How many eyes are shining around me?
David Attenborough for a Week
Two common sayings have been running through my mind for the past week. Necessity is the mother of invention. Survival of the fittest. Nature is brutal and amazing all at the same time, and taught my family a few things this week. Last Friday, our family found 4 baby birds lying on the ground near a bush in our yard. These featherless chicks were strewn … Continue reading David Attenborough for a Week
Dear Almost 6th Grader,
As our year winds down and 5th graders get ready to transition to our middle school next year, it felt right to send them off with a poem. It focuses mostly on the fact that most middle schoolers I see, and even high schoolers, ‘forget’ to say hi as we walk by them. If I decide to say anything, it is often met with a … Continue reading Dear Almost 6th Grader,
Seeing children as they are
Every day, in a 100 small ways, our children ask, ‘Do you hear me? Do you see me? Do I matter?’ Their behavior often reflects our response.” ~ L.R. Knost Do we really see or hear children? Do we help them understand how much they matter? For the most part, we see what we want to see. Many people see children as less – helpless, … Continue reading Seeing children as they are
Trust the Process & Let it Go
As I watch the Sixers attempt to force a game seven against the Raptors, I recognize that the phrase Trust the Process has a slightly different meaning in Philly than other locations. Some of you may be disappointed that this post is not about the Sixers version of Trust the Process. It is also not related to Frozen at all. For all of the Elsa … Continue reading Trust the Process & Let it Go
The number one job is taking care of each other
What if that were the mantra for a school? What if kids were able to go through a day thinking that it was as important for them to help others as it was to learn some skill or connect with their friends? How would your teaching or learning improve if you know that it was critically important to everyone else that you were taken care … Continue reading The number one job is taking care of each other
