I first met Dane Porter when he was an energetic pre-schooler who loved music. Dane is now a senior at Waxahachie High School who still loves music. He has Down Syndrome. The year began with Dane and other special needs students being excluded from the senior t-shirts. Last month the band director invited Dane to join the … Continue reading Rocking the Drumline
Play of the Month: Olivet Middle School
Check out this cool play a group of football players at Olivet Middle School (Olivet, Michigan) devised to honor one of their own. Led by quarterback Parker Smith the team developed a two step plan to allow teammate Keith Orr to be the hero of the game. Keith Orr is learning disabled and struggles with … Continue reading Play of the Month: Olivet Middle School
Wright’s Law: Physics and the Meaning of Life
Jeffery Wright is an example of a teacher who gets it. He uses unconventional methods to engage his students. The video is about 12 minutes long. It is worth the time to watch. Read the New York Times article about Mr. Wright.
Another Word on Bullying
October is Bullying Prevention Month and in honor of that I want to share a video by my cousin's students. Oh, yeah they were winners of the 2012 The Great American No Bull Challenge The Formula written and directed by Austin Barker, Copperas Cove High School
Hometown Heroe: Mariah Slick & Azle High
Mariah Slick is like most high school seniors. She is a cheerleader and rarely misses a game. She enjoys talking to her boyfriend on the phone. This weekend she was crowned homecoming queen. So what makes Mariah different from hundreds of other homecoming queens? She was born with Down syndrome. Mariah has overcome great odds … Continue reading Hometown Heroe: Mariah Slick & Azle High
Tips for Preparing for College
As a high school teacher, it always amazed me the number of juniors and seniors really had no plan for the future. Usually, they had a career goal in mind but no plan for achieving it. Other times the dream career was unrealistic. Other times I would see otherwise, good students enroll at the local … Continue reading Tips for Preparing for College
Using Excel in the Classroom
I taught computer in Christian school for about 8 years. I was responsible for teaching all grades. During that time I the standards being taught were changed greatly. The biggest change was on the Elementary level. Around 2000 our accrediting agency wanted elementary computer classes to focus on learning computer skills. This meant no games … Continue reading Using Excel in the Classroom
The Dee Zone 