Tag Archives: Growing Up

When Students See Teachers in the Wild

Posted on June 27, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

As a kid, I believed a lot of ridiculous things — gum stayed in your stomach for seven years, Pop Rocks and Coke could make you explode, and TV commercials told the truth. But one strange assumption stuck with me longer than most: teachers didn’t seem like regular people with regular lives. Continue reading →

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Best Advice: You Play Like You Practice

Posted on June 23, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

The habits we build when we’re young do not usually disappear when life gets more serious. School is preparation for life, and the way we practice now often becomes the way we perform later. Continue reading →

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What I Wish I Could Tell My 20-Year-Old Self

Posted on June 16, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

If I could talk to my 20-year-old self, I might start with a stock tip. But the real advice would be simpler: stop letting the wrong people make your life smaller. Continue reading →

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The Childhood Books That Made Me a Reader

Posted on May 31, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

I’m not sure I can name the first book I ever finished. But I remember the books that made me a reader: Judy Bolton, the Hardy Boys, The Ghost of Dibble Hollow and, eventually, A Wrinkle in Time. Continue reading →

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What I Learned by Running

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Some regrets are not about one moment, but about the lesson that moment taught you. One hallway in eighth grade left me learning something I later had to spend years unlearning. Continue reading →

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Some Lessons High School Taught Me (A Few of Them the Hard Way)

Posted on April 11, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

High school taught me a lot, and not all of it came from the front of a classroom. Some lessons were obvious only after the fact. For example: if you struggle with Algebra, signing up for Math Analysis is less … Continue reading →

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Five-Year-Old Me Had No Career Plan Whatsoever

Posted on March 28, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Some children grow up announcing they want to be astronauts, doctors, or firefighters. At five years old, I had no such vision. My first serious ideas about the future didn’t show up until much later — and when they did, they came with names like Bob Costas and Pulitzer Prize dreams. Continue reading →

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My Middle Name: The Case of the Missing Brick

Posted on March 8, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

My middle name is Blaine. My dad wanted Brick. One of those names sounds intimidating. The other sounds like the kid who might accidentally eat paste. Continue reading →

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Ignore the Peanut Gallery

Posted on February 23, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

I spent too many teenage years worrying about what other people would think. If I could give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be simple: ignore the peanut gallery and choose courage over conformity. Continue reading →

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My First Computer Was Basically a Boat Anchor

Posted on February 1, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Before hard drives fit in our pockets and computers updated themselves overnight, my first experience with “home computing” involved cassette tapes, a television screen, and optimism that wildly outpaced performance. Continue reading →

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