The lasting lessons of ‘alternative’ school

ROCKWALL,TX. (August 19, 2014) Pappaw taught me how to change oil. Often I rode my go-cart in his “back 40” between the peach trees and the potato patch and then he’d wave me in, “Give it a break, Scotty, and let’s change that oil.” He loosened the plug to drain it and made me touch […]

The chicken and the egg

ROCKWALL,TX. (July 16, 2014) Compared to her older brothers, my daughter is unique: they are athletes; she’s an artist, barely noticing a ball. They are rough, a little wild (Huck Finns and Tom Sawyers around here); she is quiet, shy, and reserved (Becky Thatcher). We’ve had her involved in art classes, but she needed something […]

Who needs roses when you have iceball?

(February 11, 2014) I bragged the day I was scheduled to work with Angie McGinnis. I dialed my best friend and rubbed it right in his face. We worked concessions at a local ball field, which meant busy weekends as cowbell-ringing parents and uniformed tots packed the diamonds playing all-day tournaments. Brad and I typically […]

Delusions and the Ball Diamond

(Rockwall) July 30, 2013 –  A friend texted a few weeks ago: “Interested in co-ed softball? We’re putting together a team.” He was crazy; a decade had passed since my last men’s league game and 41 is a far cry from my spry 30’s. The wake-up-sore-how-the-heck-did-I-hurt-that- feeling greets me each morning so I half-heartedly chuckled […]

Fishaholics

July 8, 2013 – Two of my boys and some friends started a summer contest: the most fish caught by August 12, and the winner receives a new fishing rod along with the Twitter handle, “@TheAngler.” The one rule is they must all be fishing together for the catches to count. No one owns a […]

Summer vacation for the man in debt

June 27, 2013 – Christy busted in my classroom too excited for schoolwork. Paris would be her summer destination. “Paris,Texas?” I asked. “Paris, France, Coach,” she giggled – although to me, Paris, Texas, sounded pretty good. The class erupted in vacation plans: Brittany was visiting her family’s beach house in Galveston while Charlie would deep-sea […]

Teacher summer reflections

(Rockwall) June 23, 2013 – My students clamored for summer break, having whined and begged for free days once Christmas ended (an exercise in futility… I give no free days, ever). After a year of higher standards, grueling tests and lackluster results, this class cleaned out their locker, turned in lingering assignments, and became freshman—another […]