What I've Been Up To Lately - Fall Semester 2025

I've pretty much stopped using social media, so I post the occasional status update here, instead.

Professionally

  • I moved to a new school in a new district for 25-26.  Back to 5th grade after 5 years teaching 6th and 7th.  It has been a lot of fun applying all that I've learned about Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics and Leaning Into the Science and Engineering Practices to a grade level I haven't taught in several years.

Personally

  • The most notable personal event, unfortunately, wasn't a good one.  I got hit by a car biking to school in October and broke my foot in the accident, which put a pretty big damper on having any outdoor fun right when the weather got good.  I'm in PT and on the mend now.
  • My alma mater won the college football national championship!  I'm not going to pretend I've been following the team for decades, because I haven't.  Nonetheless, it was a great sports story because they've stunk for decades, and it was cool to have a connection to it.
  • I got a discounted membership to the Atlanta Botancial Gardens, and my two-and-a-half year old niece loves​ the place.

Travels

  • Didn't take any pictures, but I visited my other niece in Chicago, where she just started college, in October.  It was great to see her enjoying her new life up there!

Media

  • Books - I loved everything I read this fall!​
    • The Rules of Civility (Amor Towles) - The last of his novels I hadn't read.  Probably my favorite of his three.
    • The Secret History and The Little Friend (Donna Tartt) - Both were absolutely enthralling.  I see why she has such a devoted following.
    • Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (Gabrielle Zevin) - A total gem of a novel.
    • Stoner (John Williams) - This book seemed to have a recent revival as "the best classic novel you've never heard of."  The revival is well deserved.  Fantastic read.
    • The Catcher in the Rye (Salinger) - I never read this in high school and I didn't expect to enjoy it.  I was way wrong.  Total masterpiece.
    • Theo of Golden (Allen Levi) - Just lovely, as anyone who has read it would tell you
  • Music - I usually have a few albums I'm obsessed with that I listen to over and over.  Right now, those are:
    • ​GNX - Kendrick Lamar
    • Don't Tap the Glass - Tyler the Creator
    • Lux - Rosalia
    • Twenty-two, a million - Bon Iver
    • Blonde  - Frank Ocean
    • God Does Like Ugly - JID
    • In Rainbows ​- Radiohead
  • Movies/Series - I'm not the person to take advice on for these, but I try to catch a few of the acclaimed ones on breaks.  This semester, I really loved...
    • Sinners (movie) - If you've never heard of it, don't watch any previews or read anything about it.  Just start it
    • Weapons (movie) - I've always loved horror movies that have something to say, and this is a really good one
    • Adolescence (series) - Absolute masterpiece.  Incredible acting.