Dr. Becky Kennedy’s “Good Inside” is written for parents, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how relevant it is to the work we do with teenagers in schools. The core idea is simple, yet powerful: people (including children and teenagers) are inherently good. Even when they mess up. Even when they push back. Even when theyContinue reading “Good Inside the Classroom”
Category Archives: Values
What Drives Us
I first read Drive by Daniel Pink about ten years ago. At the time, I was thinking about it mostly as a parent and a teacher, and it gave me language for something I had seen but had not been able to name. Rewards and punishments only go so far. Lasting motivation comes from somethingContinue reading “What Drives Us”
Slowing Down on Purpose
A teacher friend recently let me borrow a copy of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer, and it’s one of those books that calls for some action. The message is deceptively simple: hurry is not just a scheduling problem. It’s a spiritual one. And it’s hurting us more than we realize. WeContinue reading “Slowing Down on Purpose”
The Voice in the Factory
My wife recently shared a podcast episode with me from one of her favorite shows: Atlas Obscura. The episode was on something called Cigar Readers (or Lectors), and it was absolutely fascinating. In the 1800s in Cuba, with around 500 cigar factories in Havana alone, a tradition/movement arose of having a reader in each group.Continue reading “The Voice in the Factory”
What Do We Make of a Life?
On the way back from a camping trip on the coast, I downloaded and listened to a dystopian novel from the 1990s – I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. As I listened, my mind regularly went to The Life of Chuck that Morgan and I saw a few weeks ago. On theContinue reading “What Do We Make of a Life?”
What To Do With 39 Years
Morgan and I went to Tower Theater to see The Life of Chuck this week. When it finished, I felt like I needed to watch it again to be able to fully process it. It’s a story about time, memory, and what it means to have a life at all. Without giving too much away,Continue reading “What To Do With 39 Years”
Superblooms and Coaching
It was a typical fall sports coaches’ meeting, with 20 or so coaches sitting around the library discussing athletic clearance, first aid kits, concussions, field trips, and attendance on game days. The meeting felt mostly informational. I had a small section on the agenda where I would share my expectations (as the principal) for theContinue reading “Superblooms and Coaching”
Thank you, Del Oro… and Goodbye for now
I met Morgan (now my wife of almost 18 years) at Cal Poly. She had just graduated high school and as we were getting to know each other, she would often tell these fond stories of what seemed to me like a mythical place. She claimed to have gone to a high school where studentsContinue reading “Thank you, Del Oro… and Goodbye for now”
An Invitation for Outsiders & Insiders
Many people have pointed out that one way of looking at the prophet Jonah is as a classic nationalist. You could say he believes in Israel. Israel should be first. He is with the chosen children of God, not the gentiles, and definitely not the Ninevites. Now, his nationalism… maybe it’s the subtle kind. He’sContinue reading “An Invitation for Outsiders & Insiders”
Attempted Escape
Yesterday was the first of my two-part sermon series on the Book of Jonah. This is a story about Jonah, and it’s a story about Israel, and it’s a story about me. And one thing that’s true for all of us, is that the call of God is often clear. It’s often as clear asContinue reading “Attempted Escape”
Mr. Zerwas Teaches Here 