Status Update

What I've Been Up To Lately - Winter 2025

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

Over halfway through year number twenty-two as an educator!
- Two classes of 6th grade math on the schedule this year, and year two of working with Building A Thinking Classroom in Mathematics. As last year's kids did, the new squad is showing really good results as I stay committed to it.

One class of 7th grade science on the schedule, too. The only other year I taught 7th grade was the year after the Covid shutdown, and it was such an unrewarding experience that I vowed never to do so again. But this year, teaching one section of 7th grade science opened the door for one of my colleagues to start a new initiative at the school, so I went with it. The new initiative is going great, and I absolutely love the group of kids I ended up with. It has been the great surprise of my school year.

In January, we held the second annual funeral for the multiplication symbol. Man, has it become a fun tradition as the kids get their first experience with algebra. We dress in black, share eulogies, fake cry, the whole thing. Quite the outlet for who, like my teacher persona, love a little drama.

I'm part of an experimental six-teacher team at my school. I love change and trying new things professionally, and this has been another good one. I love my teammates and I think we're doing some really excellent work under this new structure.
The Teach Like A Champion Fellowship program I've been working with for 2023 and 2024 wrapped up in January. What an incredible experience! The fall was spent working on my capstone project for them, which was a series of blog posts on how their techniques are important not just in traditionally-structured classrooms, but in new, innovative classroom structures like Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics, too.

I've been an avid runner since I was 9 or 10, but it looks like that has come to an end.
- I've spent a lot of time learning about other avenues to fitness and learning the finer details of them, which has been fun.
- Doing a lot more biking as running has had to be drastically reduced. I created a cool route that traverses the entire north side of Atlanta. It's a lot of fun and has some great sights and views

I also got a new mountain bike! I'll be a better rider long-term for it, but right now, lots to learn.

Still go to a lot of plays. My favorite of the fine arts! Several duds this season, unfortunately, but I really enjoyed Sweat, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812.

I continue to be eternally grateful for the big network of wonderful, supportive, somehow drama-free friends and family that I'm lucky to have and to spend a ton of time with.

Got to spend 4 days in New York City for the wrap-up of the Teach Like A Champion Fellowship. Had a great time, as always in NYC. Didn't take many pictures, but did get this one from Madison Square Garden, where I took in a Knicks game.

Also managed a quick, 2-day mountain bike trip to Northwest Georgia with a friend and his son that included an epic, hour-and-a-half chess showdown in the yurt we stayed in.

I've been on a great run reading classic literature for two or three years. That run came to an end with The Brothers Karamazov. Spent most of the winter on it, and didn't think much of it. Oh well.
Nothing else notable on the book front. The lighter stuff I read while reading The Brothers Karamazov didn't really shine, either.
I'm a big Kendrick Lamar fanboy, and I have loved his new album GNX.
Also in the music realm, discovered Jonathan Batiste on a podcast interview he did. Listening to a lot of him right now. Got tickets to see him live in April!