Am I old?

I've got to document what happened in my class the other day. One of my students asked if I was the same age as Mr. Jenkins. After finding out his age I informed that student I was older than Mr. Jenkins. Immediately, this began a guessing game to my actual age (28). And what was the most common answer?.........Between 35-40! Talk about a bruise to the ego. It must be true that teaching makes you grow old quick.

Playing for Pizza

I recently read Playing for Pizza by John Grisham. The story is about an NFL quarterback, who wakes up from a concussion to discover he single handedly lost a game that prevented his Cleveland Browns from going to the Super Bowl. When no NFL team is willing to sign Rick Dockery, his agent finds a place for him—in Italy. Rick reluctantly goes to Italy, but quickly embraces his teammates and their culture. He ends up enjoying Italian food, gaining acceptance from his teammates, tries the opera (which he cannot understand a word of), and ultimately meets a young American girl studying abroad. This is certainly not one of Grisham's best novels—not even his best football novel. But it is a quick, quirky, and easy read. There are plenty of parts that are absolutely hilarious. If you enjoy football and John Grisham, this is probably a book you will enjoy.

My 1st Semester

I'm three weeks away from completing my first semester teaching and getting a whole new batch of 7th graders come January. It went by faster than I thought! I've learned so much in this short period of time. I can't help but look back and laugh at the anxiety of my first few weeks. No doubt I'll be better prepared for this next semester.
These last four months have been both tiring and fun. I don't think I have ever been so exhausted, but I must say it was worth it. I finally feel comfortable with how smoothly things are going in my class. It took me awhile, but I can't stress enough the importance of good classroom management. There is no doubt in my mind that students learn better in a structured environment and after much trial and error I think I've found a system that works for me.
I'm thankful for so many things right now. Overall, my first group of students were outstanding. I only hope the next group is as good! No doubt teaching and coaching are very difficult on a family. I'm extremely grateful to my loving and supportive wife, a two year old who's full of life, and a healthy newborn baby!

My Kiddos

I took these pictures a few weeks ago when my students were hard at work. This is my 8th block class and is easily my largest class, but also my most enjoyable!


This young man is one of my favorites! He is SPED and has an IEP, but he has done outstanding in my class. He usually stays on task and has worked very hard--he's always one of the first to finish a lesson.




The first two girls in the top picture and the girl in the bottom picture are three of my GT students. Obviously they are advanced and I have had to work hard to keep them from getting bored. They are all excellent students and a pleasure to have in class!



This young lady is one of the sweetest girls in the 7th grade. She always wears a smile on her face and calls me Mister Coach Clark.


The girl in this picture is very quiet and well behaved. I was amazed to learn that she is in our advanced girls choir. I had to give the boy in the picture detention recently, but other than that he has been one of my favorites as well.