Teaching & Schools

A Stern Intimidating Teacher

Unbonded

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I can still picture the toughest teachers I ever had—not the ones who challenged us academically, but the cold, drill-sergeant types whose classrooms felt like battlegrounds. My wife tells of one who yelled time from the girls’ bathroom, warning of doom for the tardy. These teachers might have pushed for excellence, but what did they truly feel for their students? When there’s no bond, the job feels hollow. Without a connection, the classroom becomes mere routine — and teaching loses its purpose.

covid fatigued teachers

Teaching Through the Pandemic 2

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By the second year of pandemic teaching, exhaustion had settled in like a fog. Lessons felt heavier, students more distant, and the energy I once carried into the classroom drained away. I kept moving—grading, planning, adjusting—but often wondered if I had the strength to finish the year. What carried me wasn’t technology or training, but people: colleagues, family, and the quiet resilience we found together. Survival gave way to something deeper. We learned that even in uncertainty, strength grows step by step, and sometimes just finishing the journey is itself a victory.

class by webcam

Teaching Through the Pandemic 1

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When schools closed and classrooms went online, I thought technology would carry us through. Laptops, webcams, and digital platforms promised connection, maybe even innovation. Instead, I stared at blank screens and muted microphones, unsure if anyone was really on the other side. Teaching became a strange mix of isolation and improvisation—part lesson plan, part troubleshooting call. I learned quickly that technology can support learning, but it cannot replace presence. The real work of teaching has never been about the tools in our hands, but the people on the other end.

wild ride

Teaching: A Most Unusual Rollercoaster

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A school year really does feel like a rollercoaster. You strap in, ready or not, and the chain pulls you up that first hill—names to learn, lessons to plan, routines to set. Then come the drops and turns: surprise assemblies, lessons gone sideways, and the kid who asks to go to the bathroom right after the bell. There are slow climbs too, like grading piles that never shrink. But every ride has its high points—student breakthroughs, laughter, small wins. And just when the ride stops, you find yourself back in line, ready to go again.