Drivetime Diaries

Feeling TERRIBLE this morning, I barely made it to school, and did not feel any better until I spent some time hugging the trash can in my office. But now...I'm better? 🤷🏼‍♂️ What's your memory of you or someone else throwing up at school? Send me a message on IG, X or Spotify voice message! IG: @drivetimediary @mrcbaker4math X: chuckcbaker

Little (?) known fact - I played the clarinet for 4 years from 4th to 7th grade, and I played it well, darn it. I wasn't always PROUD of being a clarinet player. I was always jealous of the trumpters, but I got pretty good at it and I learned a ton about music through the process. Let me know what you think! IG: @drivetimediary @mrcbaker4math X: chuckcbaker

If you're waiting for people to pay you back and.make it up to you in relationships, you'll never be content. If you think the dishes you just washed are going to make a dent in the relationship math in your marriage, you're playing the wrong game! Let me know what you think! IG: @drivetimediary @mrcbaker4math X: chuckcbaker

This episode is partly a special request from my AP Stats class for an episode where I start rapping...you won't find that here, but I had already recorded myself singing to rehearse songs I was singing at church this past week, so I went ahead and published that with an especially embarrassing lead-in from a song I used to jam to in the car in college from emo band Dashboard Confessional. My...

When sports coaches are awarded Coach of the Year by their peers, it's not usually because their team had the best record, but because they did well in the midst of great adversity. They take adversity, acknowledge it, and work THROUGH it. One of the most quoted Bible verses at graduation time or when we need direction comes from the book of Jeremiah. "I know the plans I have for you... P...

In my OTHER work with students...volunteering at Christ First YTH, students often tell us they have trouble understanding what they read in the Bible. Listening to them read aloud, I usually relate that to the general lower level of reading scores on state tests (its my teacher brain...nothing personal). The topic this month at our weekly YTH meetings is about reading the Bible, so we started a pl...

I've been in need of a haircut, so here's the story of how I started cutting my own hair 20 years ago. Special guest appearance from my daughter as I pick her up from practice. Let me know what you think! IG: ⁠⁠⁠@drivetimediary⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@mrcbaker4math⁠⁠⁠ X: ⁠⁠⁠chuckcbaker⁠

A student found my Instagram last week and then announced she considered my wife "low-key a baddie" and it's got me seeing heart-eyes since. LOL Come for the Gen Z slang, stay for the wifey appreciation in this episode. Let me know what you think! IG: ⁠⁠@drivetimediary⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@mrcbaker4math⁠⁠ X: ⁠⁠chuckcbaker⁠

It's Homecoming week at my new school! I think every teacher is one on side or the other - love it it or you hate it - but is the distraction the haters bring up worth the fun, school spirit, and memory making the proponents champion? You can find ME today dancing at the pep assembly wearing my bright orange to rep the freshman class! Let me know what you think! IG: ⁠⁠⁠@drivetimediary⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@m...

I do admittedly think of the Roman Empire at least once a week as I put my daily Bible reading of Christ and the early church into context, but I think about it even more since we all started asking! That dynamic reminded me of this game my students used to play called "The Game" - the only way to win the game was to not think about "The Game," and as soon as you thought of winning, you'd already...

We had a day-long active-killer professional development day. It was a good training - informative, helpful, interactive, caring...but it also always has the educator thinking through the calculus of what to do in that situation. The biggest question is - were I to be a casualty while protecting my students, am I neglecting the special role I have as my wife's only husband and my children'...

I love using Gen Z slang to connect to my students - for some students it works, but for others it actually gets in the way, so I have to find a balance! At the end of the day, connecting with kids takes whatever it takes, and it's a great opportunity to let kids teach you about themselves. Another source of research I just found this week is a podcast called The Culture Translator by Axis whose m...

Trying something new on this episode - reacting to a segment I heard on the radio. On the drive home today, while popping around the radio dial, I heard a tease that a local talk radio station was going to discuss recent state test scores for schools in Baltimore - only 13% were proficient or above. My ears immediately perked up at the discussion of education and/or test scores, so I listened late...

How often do YOU think about the Roman Empire? What's an appropriate amount of cringe for a HS teacher/Dad? Would you rather be a bird in the sky or a dolphin in the water? What is a Kingdom Worker? Got some quality time with my daughter this weekend and she humbly agreed to make a guest appearance on the drive home from CostCo #teachers #teens #daughter #romanempire #costco #commute

Episode 20! Group work... collaboration... it's a necessary skill for kids to practice and a research backed strategy for learning, but for some learners/workers, it's exhausting! I had experience this week where I got the choice to work in a group or alone and I 100% was glad to be alone. And also...doing everything yourself is unhealthy, often less efficient, and often less effective than a team...

I think I was "that guy" today for someone - I don't usually get the middle finger salute on my drive, so that was bonus episode worthy. 😜

I almost had to do some group work at a day of professional development for new teachers today, and was going to reflect on that, but I distracted by racial inequity on state tests and our responsibility to design lesson for ALL learners to reach proficiency on grade level math so we can OPEN OPPORTUNITIES for students. #equity #education #UDL #stl #stlouis #teaching #math #algebra #achievementgap

I have so many students on the XC team, and they were asking me to make it to a race, so when the race Friday afternoon was up in my neck of STL county, I knew I couldn't miss it. Cross country meets are fun! They're like a festival - tents, people all milling about...cheering...catching up with old friends. They share a lot with track meets, but the out-in-the-woods nature of this race le...

Meet the Teacher Night (and conferences) can be a time of anxiety for parents - there's a lot at stake if your child gets a good or not so good experience! But what if...YOU were the teacher? Tonight I'm reflecting again on the power and impact of educational choice and working out an educational plan for your kid that utilizes the community resources of our public schools without feeling like it'...

I've heard this can be a polarizing question - is everyone out there just doing the best they can (parenting, studying, working, etc), or are there individuals that ARE doing the best they can and others that... don't? I think your answer to that question determines how you respond when inconvenienced by someone else. Will you extend grace, or not?

How much of your personal life should you bring to the classroom? Are we limiting our students' learning when we leave personal stories vague and private? How much personal connection do students desire? My goal is to be more open this year with students that desire that connection and to know their teacher beyond the math so that I can have integrity - wholeness - within all the spheres of my lif...

Today I'm testing out my new lapel mics and gettin' four kids to church!

When we (parents) send our kids to the local public school, we engage in a social contract that requires us to abdicate some of our rights...but how much? What does it mean that schools are a "public/community resource"? If school board offices are elected, how much should parents expect the school board to be responsive to their wants/needs/desires for their children? #education #parents #parenti...

The US News and World Report school ratings just came out and my new school was ranked 20th in the state! Obviously, I should be excited. But as I discussed in episode 11, I was struggling! Reflecting on work this past Labor Day had me thinking about attitude and the importance of showing up to make someone's day, no matter your work situation. I'm choosing a better attitude! #schools #work #educa...

Giving my first benchmark test today - my new colleagues think we're testing too much and losing instructional days, but this is much less mandated testing than I am accustomed to! How much is "just-right"?