Mastodawn

Greg Sampson Apr 22, 2025

So read, people, read, read, read. Make space in the school day for reading and encourage it at home. But for God's sake and your own, don't make it a chore. Put those reading logs through the shredder. Like learning for the sake of learning, read for the sheer pleasure of it. There is much more to be gained from the process. #Reading #Education #Literature #PopeFrancis
https://grumpyoldteacher.com/2025/04/22/il-papa-e-morto/

Il Papa è Morto

Rest in glory. Francis brought a distinct pastoral outlook to his papacy. A simple man, he lived in a small apartment in the guesthouse. He sought to make the church accessible to all with a focus …

Grumpy Old Teacher

Greg Sampson Apr 17, 2025

This series began with its first post February 4. Updates quickly followed: #1 on February 6; #2 on February 9. Now we are ready for Update #3, the deputizing of college campus police to enforce immigration law. #Immigration #HigherEducation #Students
https://grumpyoldteacher.com/2025/04/17/cold-as-ice-update-3-the-posse/

Cold As Ice: Update #3, The Posse

Grumpy Old Teacher

Greg Sampson Apr 12, 2025

Think about your professional development. You are your own expert. Keep learning; keep striving to be a better teacher, whether it is gaining new content knowledge or perfecting your craft as a teacher. #Education #Teaching
https://grumpyoldteacher.com/2025/04/12/on-tyranny-lessons-for-educators-11/

On Tyranny: Lessons for Educators 11

Reflections on the short yet deep book of Timothy Snyder. Investigate. Figure out things for yourself. Spend more time with long articles. Subsidize investigative journalism by subscribing to print…

Grumpy Old Teacher

Greg Sampson Apr 10, 2025

Knowledge is gained from a search for truth. While educators cannot hand off a philosophical truth to students, they guide them on their way as they help them to learn about and understand the world they are living in. #Education #Teachers
https://grumpyoldteacher.com/2025/04/10/on-tyranny-lessons-for-educators-10/

On Tyranny: Lessons for Educators 10

Reflections on the short yet deep book of Timothy Snyder. Believe in truth. To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis up…

Grumpy Old Teacher

Greg Sampson Apr 10, 2025

Read books in their entirety. Let students read a full book; require it. Immerse them in the text, the story, and their imagination. #Education #ScienceOfReading #Teaching #Parents #Children
https://grumpyoldteacher.com/2025/04/09/on-tyranny-lessons-for-educators-9/

On Tyranny: Lessons for Educators 9

Reflections on the short yet deep book of Timothy Snyder. Be kind to our language. Avoid pronouncing the phrases everyone does. Think up your own way of speaking, even if only to convey that thing …

Grumpy Old Teacher

Greg Sampson Apr 3, 2025

When somebody has to say something, stand out. Be that person. You may not have an appreciative administrator, but do it anyway. Set the example, break the spell, and see those who will follow.
https://grumpyoldteacher.com/2025/04/03/on-tyranny-lessons-for-educators-8/

On Tyranny: Lessons for Educators 8

Reflections on the short yet deep book of Timothy Snyder. Stand out. Someone has to. It’s easy to follow along. It can feel strange to do or say something different. But without that unease, …

Grumpy Old Teacher

Greg Sampson Apr 1, 2025

For any teacher in one of those states who now carries, ponder the words of Timothy Snyder. Why are you armed? When would you draw your weapon? Under what circumstances would you fire your weapon and at whom?

Could you ever find yourself doing "irregular things?" Are you ready to say no?
https://grumpyoldteacher.com/2025/04/01/on-tyranny-lessons-for-educators-7/

On Tyranny: Lessons for Educators 7

Reflections on the short yet deep book of Timothy Snyder. Be reflective if you must be armed. If you carry a weapon in public service, may God bless you and keep you. But know that evils of the pas…

Grumpy Old Teacher

Greg Sampson Apr 1, 2025

Be wary of astroturfed community groups. When the people with a political agenda who have always claimed to be against public schools start wearing the same t-shirts and showing up at school board meetings marching in lockstep, the end is nigh. When they take seats on the school board and hire like-minded superintendents, the end has come.
https://grumpyoldteacher.com/2025/03/31/on-tyranny-lessons-for-educators-6/

On Tyranny: Lessons for Educators 6

Reflections on the short yet deep book of Timothy Snyder. Be wary of paramilitaries. When the men with the guns who have always claimed to be against the system start wearing uniforms and marching …

Grumpy Old Teacher

Greg Sampson Mar 30, 2025

Among the ethical obligations are not to restrain the freedom to learn even that experienced through independent action, to ensure equal opportunity for all, allow access to varying points of view, and not to suppress or distort subject matter so as not to impede a student's progress in learning. https://grumpyoldteacher.com/2025/03/30/on-tyranny-lessons-for-educators-5/

On Tyranny: Lessons for Educators 5

Reflections on the short yet deep book of Timothy Snyder. Remember professional ethics. When political leaders set a negative example, professional commitments to just practice become more importan…

Grumpy Old Teacher

Greg Sampson Mar 29, 2025

The symbols of hate are around you because our students are as divided as we are. Do not look away.

I'm not going to define for you symbols of hate. You know what they are. But I will share a few memories from my teaching career that show division.
https://grumpyoldteacher.com/2025/03/29/on-tyranny-lessons-for-educators-4/

On Tyranny: Lessons for Educators 4

Reflections on the short yet deep book of Timothy Snyder. Take responsibility for the face of the world. The symbols of today enable the reality of tomorrow. Notice the swastikas and other symbols …

Grumpy Old Teacher