Op-eds and Other Writing

Public school is the place to teach the contention of democracy, not censor it (Virginia Mercury October 12, 2023)

In the Education Debate, Where are the Teachers? (Richmond Times Dispatch November 9, 2022)

Some Politicians Count on Teachers Staying Silent. We Can’t Afford To. (Education Week October 3, 2022)

Ep. 7 – Should Classroom Discussions of Current Events and Controversial Topics be Restricted? (Courageous Conversations in Our Classrooms podcast October 2022)

Breaking: Americans Trust Teachers. Can Local Dialog Keep It Strong?, 4 Public Education (August 10, 2022)

What will be legal to teach in Virginia?, The Washington Post (February 28, 2022)

You can teach online without being ruled by technology, Virginia Education Association (October 7, 2020)

Support Chronic Wasting Disease Research, The Northern Virginia Daily (December 18, 2019)

No Guns in the Classroom: Gun Safety is an American Issue, The Connection Newspapers (March 6, 2018)

Shifting Perspectives to Heal America, Braver Angels (February 19, 2018)

Thank you for visiting my blog and reading what I have written. Let me share a bit about me so that you have a sense of my background, training and at least one reason for writing. I grew up in Alexandria, VA and graduated with a BA in Political Science from Washington College in Chestertown, MD in 1989. In 1992, I earned a JD from Washington and Lee University School of Law and practiced domestic and international transactional law and business immigration law for 12 years. From 1992 to 1996, I worked on matters related to the former Soviet Republic of Belarus, living there for eight months and meeting my wife. In 2005, I switched careers to achieve a life goal and became a teacher. I started my teaching career at Hayfield Secondary School teaching all levels of American history, from AP to special-ed team-taught, and currently teach AP US Government, AP US History and philosophy at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, VA.

I am writing this blog for the same reason that I teach, I am deeply curious about how we as people realize our best selves. I believe that the American focus on freedom and opportunity has created an environment for human growth and success that is rich and supple, but complex and fragile. I love teaching and have witnessed my students succeed each year since I started. I know that their success is a product of their effort, but I want to share what I and my colleagues have been doing to support our students by cultivating in them habits of mind to become confident, independent thinkers.