Education

  • My Unlikely Journey to the Classroom

    ByAllen Reding

    The Accident That Changed Everything About three months after I graduated from high school in 1978, I suffered a very serious accident in the home where I grew up. My brother had dashed into the garage, pushing the kitchen door open as far as it would go. That door, with its heavy spring closer, was primed to slam—unless I stopped it first. Instinctively, I reached out. Instead of my palm finding the wooden frame, it hit the pane of glass in the center of the door. I’d done that hundreds of times before, but this time my hand shattered the … Read more

  • Unbonded

    ByAllen Reding

    I remember the teachers who acted more like prison guards than guides—brash, strict, and distant. I never felt a connection with them; trying would have been like grabbing a live wire. And after a long career in teaching, I know how quickly the work turns to drudgery when the relationship is missing. Do you remember the toughest teachers you ever had? I do not mean the ones that held you to high standards in your field of study. Tough graders make accomplished writers, mathematicians, and economists. The Classroom Drill Instructors The tough ones I remember tended to be generally disagreeable … Read more

  • One Teacher’s Journey

    ByAllen Reding

    Tomorrow begins my 24th year of teaching, yet I still remember the first hour of my first day—hands shaking, voice thin, wondering what I was doing there. Since then, the classroom has been both a crucible and a gift: seasons of exhaustion, unexpected laughter, heartbreak, and joy. I’ve taught lessons in economics and literature, but life always had lessons waiting for me too. Students grow, but so do teachers—shaped by storms, successes, and the steady rhythm of showing up. This journey has never been perfect, but it has always been worth it.