Grades. Where do they come from? Why have they played such a prominent role in the American education system? All of us know students who have received an assignment and immediately asked, “Is this for a grade?” Why would that question be so common? Isn’t school about learning? The use of standardized grading systems that…

Never could we have imagined that the 2020-2021 school year would start the way it has. If you had asked me about the start of school this time last year, I would have described the great anticipation of students’ return, jumping back into learning, providing new and innovative programs for students, collaborating with colleagues and…

This year, my son decided to try something new and enrolled in a theater arts class at his high school. I was proud of him for taking a risk and engaging his curiosity. While he isn’t a stage actor, he was interested in working on the team that managed sound during the productions. The students…

It’s a new year. Usually, that turns into a nation of people reflecting on the past several months and projecting into the future by setting New Year’s resolutions. I have never been a great New Year’s resolution guy. I have the best of intentions, like most people. I start off with so much energy and…

When I was a kid, I didn’t like to read. It wasn’t that I couldn’t read, I just didn’t enjoy it. I distinctly remember being assigned a book to read and feeling the tedious and emotional angst as I slowly went page by page just trying to finish the task. I was a deliberate and…

John Spencer and A.J. Juliani, authors of Empower, say, “Students continue to fall into the same trap year after year with traditional schooling. They rarely have the chance to choose their learning path in school and routinely treat school like a ‘job’ instead of the most valuable learning experience they will ever have. By the…

As a young boy growing up in Southern California, I was always interested in other people and cultures. I would spend hours learning about distant lands in Europe and was captivated by their royal histories. The idea that a person could travel by car or train, and within a few short hours, have driven through…

Let me tell you the story of a young boy named Louis. Louis grew up in a small French village outside of Paris in the early 1800’s. He was the youngest of four children and was raised by loving parents who were leather workers by trade. Louis often went to visit his father at his…

I love to read. Recently, I saw a post on social media that shared how you can spot a person who loves books. It made me chuckle to myself as I read the cited “evidence”. Reads several books at one time… While also having a stack of books to read next and…  Keeps a running…

Recently, I had the opportunity to listen to a keynote address where the audience was filled with men and women from different walks of life, all there to learn and grow. As I sat there looking around the room, I realized how each person uniquely brought their own individual and varied experiences, perspectives, opinions  and…