Adteacher

Hindsight. I grew up hearing the phrase "Hindsight is 20/20" and when I was very young, I really had no idea what that meant. Now that I am easing up on another birthday tomorrow and preparing to enter yet another new phase of my life (retirement) in a few short weeks, I think I can easily reflect on it and explain. Some of the actions that people take in their youth are based in very fast-paced decision making.  "I need to take action, I'll think about the real consequences later on."   I will just deal with it later is a popular refrain when the main person you are thinking about is yourself. But what if you realized suddenly that your decisions were having an unexpectedly profound effect on your friends, co-workers, partner, children? Would that change how long you might think about your decisions? You know you are an adult when you are actually looking FORWARD to gaining hindsight wisdom. I think that I actually had to make a few bad ...

Maturity. It means different things depending on what phase of life we are in, I've noticed. I have recently had some interesting "mature" conversations. Some have been with colleagues, as I prepare my classroom for the impending move-out day, I get visits from co-workers and others who ask questions like: "are you counting down the days yet?" I guess they wonder how preoccupied with endings I am. Well-meaning, but that is not how I view this phase of my life. I look at it as a beginning, really! I see the end of my years in Lewisville ISD as the beginning of someone else's chance to shine. I hope that the new teacher understands how badly I hope they are successful and happy in this studio. When you are a high school student, I think it is typical to be routinely thought of as immature just because of a lack of experience in life, but I met with a group of 10 students who will be returning for their senior year with the new teacher here at Career ...

Oh my goodness. Since switching gears from the business world and coming into the world of education 21 years ago, I have accumulated lots of memories, and lots of "stuff". You know, we all have it. It's like the drawer in the kitchen that holds a bit of this, and a bit of that, has suddenly exploded and filled a whole studio! I have been working gradually to prepare to leave my formal public school teaching career and move into a small private creative practice and semi-retirement, and I cannot fit a whole studio's worth of "stuff" into my already bursting at the seams home. So what to do? I have been gradually purging, and I find that it is a very satisfying feeling to give things away to people who can make use of them. For example, my students have been very interested in some of my books and prints. I have a massive collection of books about art and design. Most of my students are just about to enter the world of serious study of these subj...

Wow, I unearthed a dusty, inactive blog and have decided to reactivate and write more now that I've just let it rest since the 2012-13 school year. I have been experiencing many hearty, rich years of active teaching recently, including having the honor of being selected to the Top 5 finalists for Lewisville ISD Teacher of the Year in the 2016 school year. I didn't "win"- that honor goes to Rhonda Shelton, an awesome English teacher at Lewisville High School - but being chosen in a grouping of five high school teachers out of many thousands in LISD put a nice bow on the whole experience of teaching high school in Texas for over 20 years and still felt like a giant win to me. Thanks to everyone who has inspired me over the years. I hope you all know who you are. The aforementioned honor is not all that matters about these recent years, that is for sure. I think the most important part of these years by far have been the numerous students that have made their way ...

The studio reopens on Monday! After not posting since springtime, I have decided it is time to create regular posts again now that the 2012-13 school year is here! I feel so excited when I get the new roster of students every semester: I'm not only happy to see the number of students returning for the second or even the third time, but I am also very happy to see the number of young first year students that we get every semester. This year is appearing to be another capacity year with every seat full and not just for the fall semester, but also for the spring. Lots of people continue to want to learn about design and art and especially how to incorporate technology to help them start a career in college in the field. This year, it appears that we have a record number of sophomore students who have signed up to take the course, so in a few years' time, we should have an outstanding crop of very experienced looking portfolios to send to the National Portfolio Days. (This year...

I've been kind of looking forward to this day for awhile, because I always make the most of my summers...but by the same token, I've been kind of dreading this day too. I always look forward to traveling and spending time doing things at home. I love having these few months off work, and it gives me a chance to re-charge for a new school year (2012-13 is just around the corner!) It's very interesting to feel that familiar lump in my throat for about the 15th year in a row, as my students walk out the door for the "theoretical" last time though. I know that when (and if) they come back, it will be to visit, not to learn and to create here in the studio. I have had my time with them, and now it is someone else's turn to influence and help them. I always feel a little bit funny about that. Some of these people I have known since they were in middle school, so it's weird to see them grow up and fly away! But the cool places that they will get to go! We...

Filling our younger students with hope... As we work our way closer to another outstanding year, with a total calculated estimate of over a million dollars in scholarship awards to this year's outstanding seniors in my classroom here at Career Center East alone, it is helpful to take stock of how we are helping students at a much younger age as well. We at Career Center East had a group of young students from the 5th grade tour through here today after school. One of the things that their teacher shared with me is that they are a group of students who are currently not hopeful that they have college in their future, that the ultimate goal is completion of high school. She is trying to change their vision. Bless her and lots more like her who try to give our youngest students a new way of looking at their lives, beyond the vision that they have been given by families or others. Sometimes it is difficult to look past obstacles, and there are people in education th...