Tag Archives: students

The Weirdest Coincidence I’ve Ever Experienced

Posted on August 28, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

I wasn’t sure I had an answer to the weirdest coincidence I’ve ever experienced. Then I remembered two airport encounters that somehow led right back to my classroom. Continue reading →

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Teach Them How to Think: What Schools Should Really Teach

Posted on August 9, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

If I could add one thing to what schools teach, it wouldn’t be another subject. I’d spend more time teaching students how to think, question evidence, listen carefully and admit when they’re wrong. Continue reading →

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I Don’t Need Every Student to Like Me

Posted on August 6, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

I still care whether my students like me. But after ten years in the classroom, I no longer believe that being a good teacher means making every student happy. 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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Confidence, Unfortunately, Requires Evidence

Posted on June 8, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Self-confidence is not built by pretending we are fearless. It grows when we stop rehearsing disaster, take one small honest step, and give ourselves new evidence that fear does not get the final word. Continue reading →

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What Makes Me Laugh? Usually the Things Nobody Planned

Posted on March 29, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

A great sitcom, a classic comedy, sharp stand-up, and the occasional perfectly timed line from real life all have one thing in common: the best laughter usually arrives when nobody is forcing it. Continue reading →

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The Last Thing I Learned

Posted on March 7, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

WordPress asks another one of its famously broad daily questions: “What’s the last thing you learned?” The answers range from classroom revelations to a television installation and a 1970s automotive scandal. Continue reading →

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The Question I Pretend Not to Hear

Posted on March 6, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

In my classroom every request has to include one simple word: please. Without it, I pretend not to hear the question. But there’s one request students ask more than any other — and it always leads to the same series of terrible puns. Continue reading →

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Quick Thought – Thursday, February 12, 2026: His-Story is Important

Posted on February 12, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Read Exodus 1:8-22 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. Exodus 1:8 Reflect I was substituting in an English class several years ago, and I started talking to students about the poem, “O Captain! … Continue reading →

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Quiet Joy and Teal-Colored Noise

Posted on December 20, 2025 by Douglas Blaine

Fun looks different these days. Sometimes it’s quiet—coffee, music, stillness. And sometimes it’s loud—students, a stadium, and the Jaguars dismantling the Jets. Last Sunday reminded me that both kinds of joy matter, and teaching has a way of keeping me connected to each of them. Continue reading →

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