Tuesday, January 26, 2010

A Teddy Bear of A Book....

I'm trying like heck to get through the Wilderness Warrior... I'm loving every page of it...but I can't seem to find time to actually sit down and read it.

This in and of itself is kind of a paradox... and here's why. In the book Teddy Roosevelt seems to accomplish an amazing amount of work with what seems to be very little free time. I envy his passion, his drive and his determination to do his job, and still find time for his adventures and his passion of wildlife.

The book opens up a whole new version of TR that I had never seen before. It recognizes his love of family and his conservative, almost secretive nature in revealing his relations with his wife. He's a good husband. He doesn't kiss and tell.

But there's good news ahead...

Our school has implemented 2 days of Sustained Silent Reading during our Seminar/Study Hall period. I now have those days to find time to read. And this will hold me accountable to finish reading.

Disclaimer: This entry is by no means a reflection of the book. With my busy schedule and so many interests, I find it hard to actually sit down and read. But I made a New Year's resolution to finish the books I start. Because I read mostly history books, I have a tendency to read a lot of it, really enjoy it, and then pick up another book, and thus have 2, 3, 4 books at the same time. This is going to stop. The disclaimer is the book is great, I'm learning a lot, and my love for TR grows with each page.

Read More...

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

My School

It's not often I let down my online wall and allow people into my personal life. This post is an exception. I'm very proud to say that my school has been highlighted in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the online version of the this article has been picked up in several national news feeds. It's nice to know the work we've been doing wearing many different hats, as founding teachers at a new high school is starting to be noticed.

Here's the article: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/81206917.html

We're in our second year. We have just 9th and 10th graders. I'm happy to say as the boy's basketball coach and Athletic Director, we got our first ever victory as a high school yesterday, with a dramatic win. The kids rushed the floor as if we upset Duke or UNC. The school spirit is high... kids love coming to school here. The teachers love coming to work. It's an excellent environment.

I say this to preface some of the comments on the ensuing page below the article. I invite anyone to come into the school, and perhaps they'd change their mind.

Read More...