des moines – The Paragraph Stacker

Grads: Remember the parable of the iced tea

To the class of 2023, Be kind. That’s the only advice I have. Everything else is clutter. I graduated from high school 30 years ago, college 26 years ago, and graduate school last year. I think I am done graduating from schools, at least formally. But life surprises you. For example, I went to theContinue reading “Grads: Remember the parable of the iced tea”

An open letter to my former teacher: ‘I’m sorry I was such a jerk’

Dear Mrs. Liechty: I’m in the final weeks of my first year as a teacher. You taught me in fourth and seventh grade in Winterset. You lit the spark in me to be a writer, which is what I was for 27 years. You encouraged me, along with Chris Madison, my first journalism teacher, toContinue reading “An open letter to my former teacher: ‘I’m sorry I was such a jerk’”

Iowa Lawmakers seek to make schools safe for gun owners, school libraries free from unpopular ideas, and remove things from school curriculums that were never there

In the words of the late Jimmy Cannon, nobody asked me, but … … the Iowa Legislature has been awfully worried about what books kids are checking out in school libraries. Take it from a teacher, we would do almost anything to get students to take their eyes of their devices and stick them onContinue reading “Iowa Lawmakers seek to make schools safe for gun owners, school libraries free from unpopular ideas, and remove things from school curriculums that were never there”