Be A Funky Teacher
Teach with energy. Lead with heart. Stay in the work.
Be A Funky Teacher is my home for honest conversations, practical ideas, and encouragement for educators who want to make a difference without losing themselves in the process.
Don’t Make a Student’s Culture Your Classroom Activity
Today’s Thought
Students can share parts of their lives when they choose, but no young person should be assigned the job of representing an entire culture, community, language, or tradition. Teachers are responsible for finding credible resources and building accurate learning themselves.
Today’s Challenge
Review one cultural learning activity and ask whether any student is being expected to serve as the class representative for a whole group of people.
Take It With You
Learn about people without turning a student into the lesson.
Teaching can be hard. It can still be meaningful.
I have spent more than two decades in education, and I still believe great teaching is built on relationships, reflection, creativity, and the courage to keep growing. This site is where I share what I am learning along the way.
Classroom Practice
Practical ideas for engagement, relationships, student voice, and creating learning experiences students remember.
Teacher Well-Being
Honest conversations about burnout, moral injury, pressure, resilience, and what it takes to stay healthy enough to keep doing meaningful work.
Leadership & Growth
Reflections on school culture, professional growth, leadership, and the small decisions that shape the way we serve students and one another.
The Be A Funky Teacher Podcast
Stories, ideas, encouragement, and real conversations for educators who care deeply about the work and want to keep growing without pretending teaching is easy.
What does “funky” mean here? It means bringing your real personality, creativity, relationships, and purpose into the work. It is not about putting on a show. It is about being the kind of educator who is willing to be yourself, keep learning, treat people right, and make the work matter.
Speaking & professional learning
I work with educators around classroom culture, engagement, teacher well-being, leadership, and the realities of staying in the profession.