Sticky post
Should we treat kids like adults?
Kids want to be treated like adults. I think this is a fact. We can all remember in our childhood wanting to be treated like adults. Whether it was more responsibility, dreaming about our future, being in charge on the … Continue reading Should we treat kids like adults?
Sticky post
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 … Continue reading Teaching like Questlove
Sticky post
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 … Continue reading Measuring Coaching Success (Part 6): Final Thoughts
Sticky post
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 … Continue reading Measuring Coaching Success (Part 5): Me, Myself and I
Sticky post
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 … Continue reading Measuring Coaching Success (Part 3): Getting better or getting worse?
Sticky post
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 … Continue reading Measuring Coaching Success (Part 2): Winners and Losers
Sticky post
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 … Continue reading The emotional balance of coaching
Sticky post
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 … Continue reading Ten (or Eleven) books that tell the story of my reading life
Sticky post
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 … Continue reading Wandering Thoughts
Sticky post
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 … Continue reading The Art of Teaching
Sticky post
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
Sticky post
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?
A reflection on failure and success: Preparing for the school year
Eight months ago, I wrote a list. Today, I found and reread it, feeling as if it it was lightyears away. As summer winds down, and I finish my preparation for the new school year, I feel lucky to have … Continue reading A reflection on failure and success: Preparing for the school year
Basketball IQ and How not to be stupid
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been coaching our JV summer league team, a group of mostly rising freshmen whom I am just getting to know as basketball players. Earlier this season, I read an article about How not to … Continue reading Basketball IQ and How not to be stupid
What can you learn from a schedule?
What do you see when you look at this image? I honestly don’t know how other schools do their scheduling each summer, but this is actually the result of the work at the tail end of a three-day scheduling binge … Continue reading What can you learn from a schedule?
Top 10 reasons I love reading aloud with my son
I get to spend time with my kid and he enjoys it. I get to make up silly voices and no one makes fun of me for it. We have been reading the Harry Potter series and we’re about to … Continue reading Top 10 reasons I love reading aloud with my son
World Cup 2019 – A win for US Soccer in more ways than one
Today, my family sat down to watch the 2019 World Cup Final between USA and Netherlands. Everyone knew before the game that our team was awesome, and most expected them to win. To be honest, the only surprising thing about their performance was the fact that they didn’t put two or three more goals on the scoreboard. My true surprise was what I learned about the greater value of this team, beyond the win on the field. For the past four years, my 8 year-old son has become a die hard soccer player and fan. He has spent hours practicing outside … Continue reading World Cup 2019 – A win for US Soccer in more ways than one
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 … 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, … 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 … 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 … Continue reading Trust the Process & Let it Go
