Beginnings...

Why a blog?

I wanted to start up a teacher blog again as a way to get some thoughts out of my head. Often I am guilty of trying to juggle too many mental plates, and I thought that a written journal may help in cleaning out the clutter upstairs.

In addition to that, so much goes on during a day that sometimes the little lessons learned can be lost in the shuffle. A school day can be the most peaceful or chaotic thing you have experienced, and since I believe that the beauty of life is in the details, I am hoping this project will help me see and remember the wonder around me.

That's nice, but who are you?

I am certified in Social Studies 6th-12th grade and in six different subjects. I am starting my 8th year teaching and am currently employed at the middle school level in a school district that is transitioning from a suburban to an urban environment. I recently received my National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification and am looking forward to applying everything I learned about myself and my teaching through that process.

Are you some kind of workaholic? What else do you do?

I am married and have a son. My wife Emily and I met in college and have been married since 2001. We adopted our son, David, from Guatemala in 2008 and have been loving the ups and downs of being a parent ever since. Oh... don't want to forget the dogs, three Mini Schnauzers: Gunther, Graham, and Eoghan.

As for my free time, I LOVE soccer. I was a mediocre player at best and had a short stint as a referee in high school, but lucky for me it takes no skill to watch. I follow a few teams from around the globe, but Liverpool FC is the team I support above them all. College football is another joy of mine (Hook'em Horns!!!), but most other sports just garner causal interest. I also enjoy reading, movies, video games, podcasts, shooting sports, and cooking.

Well... that is the why and the who. We can worry about the rest as the year progresses.

-Mr. F