2019 - Porter Has Class

Hey, Watch That Attitude!: Teaching with Attitude

Post published:March 7, 2019
Post category:Blog

Teaching is not all about test scores. A student is not a score. I was fortunate enough to be in a faculty meeting today that was not focused on test scores. It was about relationships and culture. How do we build a better culture in our school? Attitude Adjustment One of the things I thought about after the meeting was attitude. What should our attitude be as we come to work each day? As we see students walking down the hallway? In our classrooms? To answer this question I have to give a little background. Story Background This is my…

What Few Teachers Will Say

Post published:March 3, 2019
Post category:Blog

For those that have followed my blog since the beginning you may have noticed some trends. One of them being my priority on building relationships with students. I firmly believe it is The Most Important Thing in Education. What few teachers will say, though, is that its two-sided. I hope I make an impact on my students; however, my students have effects on me. My Reminder This morning, I was reminded of this fact. One of my former students walked to the stage of a very large church to sing. She did not quiver. She did not show fear. She…

The Most Important Thing in Education

Post published:February 26, 2019
Post category:Blog

I was moved to write this blog after an experience with one of my 8th grade students today. Yesterday, for whatever reason, Little Susie decided to look at my classroom library. She said that she wanted to start reading again. After she looked for a bit, I grabbed a book and told her that I bet she would like it. She looked at it and asked what it was about. She read the back of the book and decided to check it out. The next day, the first moment I saw her in the hallway, she said, “How did you…

The Secret Lives of Teachers: Part 2

Post published:February 24, 2019
Post category:Blog

The “Secret Lives of Teachers” - the taboo subject that no one is supposed to talk about, right? Let’s face it, we all have private lives. Sometimes our private lives can have a great effect on our professional and social lives. As I revealed in a previous blog, “The Secret Lives of Teachers,” my secret life is that my wife and I have been unable to conceive children. Furthermore, I explained that we decided to begin a journey into IVF (in vitro fertilization). If you’d like to know more about the beginning stages of that journey, I encourage you to…