I got beat in chess by a student… again… and I’m officially out of the chess tournament organized by Mr. Santos. There was nowhere to hide in the library when I heard “checkmate,” and the worst thing about it was I didn’t see the move coming. One minute I’m moving my bishop to set up […]

Dads spend an average of about twenty-six minutes per day one-on-one with their kids when the kids are younger than twelve, but that number drops to less than nine minutes per day during the teenage years. The average amount of time that a mom spends with her kids when they’re young is about thirty-one minutes […]

High performance isn’t, ultimately, about running faster, throwing harder, or leaping farther. It’s about something much simpler: getting better at getting better.” -James Surowiecki The New Yorker November 10, 2014 Athletes are always looking for an edge— more time in the weight room, improved diets, obsessive film study, and even virtual reality— and the greatest athletes […]

On Wednesday, Coach Patrick Smith and his wife Cary shared their personal story at Pleasant Valley’s Wednesday night ReCharge. They shared about following God’s will through adoption and then learning to accept God’s will when they learned their youngest son was blind. They described the road they traveled, the new things they’ve learned along the […]

A few days ago, my oldest son asked me, “Dad, did you always want to be a teacher and a principal?” Without hesitation, I said, “Yes!” “Even when you were my age?” “Definitely! I’ve always wanted to be a teacher.” He asked me why and I gave him a few reasons: I get to work […]

At our Secondary Campus Open House last night, we had four parents speak and offer their perspectives of CAC— and it was a powerful reminder for me about our school and what our role is. All four parents who shared came back to one idea: relationships. They all valued the way we focus on building relationships with […]

This past Sunday, Dr. Mark Batterson shared a great message with his congregation at the National Community Church in Washington, D.C., about the importance of making pre-decisions. In his message, Dr. Batterson explained the phenomenon of “decision fatigue” and the impact it has on each of us daily. Because decision making is a mental exercise, it’s easy […]

I know I got some things right this semester, and on some things, I know I was way, way off (see: communication of yesterday’s MS testing schedule and checkout procedures for a quick example). My goal next semester is to get more things right and fewer things wrong. Isn’t that the definition of learning? Tim […]

Each year as we wrap up semesters and school years, it’s not uncommon for me to question if we’re on the right track. I guess it’s the idea that, as the saying goes, it’s difficult to see the painting when you’re in the frame. On most days, we follow our “normal” bell schedule, having a […]

Due to the matinee performance of Peter and the Starcatcher on Friday, we had to make a few changes by having our high school chapel in the atrium. It would have been much easier to move it to the gym. Pull the bleachers out, hook up the soundboard, and presto— we’re ready. Having it in the atrium […]