Mike Ward

It was great to participate at the Michigan Council for Social Studies annual conference last weekend.  Holland, Michigan was a beautiful...

50 hits this week and many thoughts have been racing through my mind.  I am exactly where I want to be in this adventure called life. ...

Did you ever ask yourself what keeps a teacher fresh over the years? Do you notice some colleagues that still rock it out 20 or 30 years...

I was thinking this week how fast a classroom teacher can make necessary and meaningful change.  There is no consuming process that...

I was lucky to be part of a group of educators/leaders that heard a debut training by Paul Corona. Paul is currently a professor at...

Make it meaningful!

I am becoming more and more convinced that our acts of giving (big or small) can make an incredible difference. Just read a little...

if you are always on the take, one day you will find that you have made a big mistake! Albert Einstein said, "A calm and modest life...

I was putting together my thoughts for a presentation I am giving this week.  It is about leadership and leading with a smile rather than...

Well, for most of us on a traditional calendar, we are at the half way point of the school year. As the new semester begins, we were...

So, I am thinking a lot about M.L. King Day. In our District, we get the day off and it allows me to reflect upon the legacy of a true...

It just dawned on me moments ago!  I just thought of a unique teacher superpower that I never really thought much about.  How many people...

I hope you had some fun catching up with family and friends over the holidays.  To start the new year on the right note, let me share a...

Twas the week before Christmas (vacation) and all through the school, every student was stirring because it's a rule.... All the teachers...

Observation:  Did you ever notice how one key student can bring up something negative and then that attitude attracts others like a...

I remember the first and last day I had lunch in the lounge at my first teaching job. These veteran teachers were so much older, angry,...

After receiving some interesting feedback regarding the “Porcupine  Effect” from my post last week, I thought it would be interesting to...

In casual conversation with a colleague in social studies, I coined a phase that has become known as the "porcupine effect"! Both of us...

Did you ever have one of those moments when something that has been confusing becomes crystal clear? While driving home from work last...