Welcome Back, 2015!

As the author of this curriculum and the textbook, I want to welcome you. There are over 100,000 students from 2,000 high schools and middle schools using this material this year. Some students are in a home-room, some are in an elective class and some are taking this to receive English credit. A few students are as young as 6th grade and some are …

Free Haircuts…For Reading A Book

The first Tuesday of the month at the Spark Salon in Dubuque, Iowa is set aside for free hair cuts. The only catch is that the customer must read a book to the barber, which in most cases is Courtney Holmes. Holmes said, “This is one small way that we can start something – to reach out to parents and …

Participation Trophies – “Special” or “Harmful”

HBO Real Sports aired a story recently about participation trophies for youth programs, i.e. regardless of winning or losing, everyone gets a trophy. The piece examines the long-term implications of participation trophies, essentially asking is this a good idea for the next generation and our culture. Pro: It’s just a trophy or a ribbon. It makes the kid feel good …

Recent Examples of Inspiration: Perseverance, Persistence and Generosity

Need a little inspiration? At the ripe age of 92-years, and 65 days, Harriette Thompson became the oldest woman to ever run a marathon. She finished in a time of 7 hours, 24 minutes and 36 seconds. This time is more than 2 hours faster than the previous eldest woman to run a marathon. In Harriette’s free time, she is …

Remember the Memorial in Memorial Day

My family and I are about to go to Chicago and then Springfield, IL (to visit President Lincoln’s hometown).  This long weekend affords us the opportunity to get away.  I hope you are able to relax, have fun, eat good food and be with family and friends. I just want to remind you what Memorial Day is all about.  This …

Tom Brady is Guilty: So What?

For those of you non-sports fans, Tom Brady, quarterback of the Superbowl Champion New England Patriots, was accused of leading a conspiracy to deflate footballs to unacceptable levels prior to the AFC Championship Game. For the sake of this blog, I am going to agree with the 242 report (yes I read it) provided by independent council that fully investigated …

What Does It Mean to be a Christian?

Joe’s Perspective: A recent story has been making its way around Facebook. I found at interesting and thought it was blog-worthy. So, whether you are a Christian or if you call yourself a person of character, I hope this story causes you to reflect on the person you are and the person you want to be. The Story: Recently, a …

Floyd Mayweather is No Role Model!

Did you see the big fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao Saturday night? The cheap seats sold for $1,600 and ring-side seats were going for $100,000.  Bars and restaurants had to pay $10,000 to broadcast the fight and you and me could watch the fight at home for the small sum of $99. Millions of people around the world …

Common Core: Not in the Best Interest of Kids

If you are a student, you have undoubtedly heard the term, “Common Core.”  Common Core started as a simple-enough idea in the 1990’s.  The thought was that if a child took geometry, it should look the same in South Carolina, California, Idaho and Kansas. Parents should have confidence that their child is learning just as much in this town as …

Religion & Sexism – President Carter Takes A Stand #Compassion

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, has spent a majority of this post-presidency addressing world-wide civil rights. Most recently, he has written a book called, “A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence and Power. He believes that, “The existing abuse of females is the worst, and most pervasive, and unadressed human rights violation on earth.” His position …