I'M IN THE middle of the Pennsylvania countryside, not far from Lancaster. It’s July, and fields of bright green corn line the winding roads. My grandfather has finally died at the age of 96, and I’m driving to his funeral to honor him. I’m … [Read more...] about Alice Aspen March: The right kind of attention
J.K. Rowling: The Penance of Snape
Spoiler alert: If you have not yet read or viewed the Harry Potter series, I recommend that you do. I reveal numerous plot twists in this blog. I FIRST ENCOUNTERED J.K. Rowling’s writing on a trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I was chaperoning a … [Read more...] about J.K. Rowling: The Penance of Snape
Dave Schlabach: The Gift of Grit
BECOMING A BRICKLAYER wasn’t a sure thing in my family. When I reflect on my teen years, I’m surprised it ever happened. In fact, the only reason it happened is Dave Schlabach. Let me remind you of my size back then— just in case you don’t … [Read more...] about Dave Schlabach: The Gift of Grit
Walt Walker: How Not to Quit Your Job
I FIRST MET Walt Walker when I was a junior at Malone College in Canton, Ohio. I was studying to be a teacher, and the requirements for an Ohio Teaching Certificate demanded I do ten weeks of student teaching. When I checked in at the front … [Read more...] about Walt Walker: How Not to Quit Your Job
Pangor Ban: Not Only Humans Have Souls
THERE’S A FAMOUS cat I discovered from history while teaching the film The Secret of Kells to my Sophomore English class. Centuries ago, an obscure monk wrote songs to his cat, whom he named Pangur Bán. The theme song of the film is well worth a … [Read more...] about Pangor Ban: Not Only Humans Have Souls
John Henry Miller: The Art of Harmonizing Life
He was a science teacher, a man of faith, and a choir director who had a gift for creating rich, musical harmonies IT WAS A Saturday afternoon, and the new School Quartet I was helping to create was practicing in the basement of John Henry Miller’s … [Read more...] about John Henry Miller: The Art of Harmonizing Life
