Eugene was born in 1931 to immigrants. His mother arrived through Ellis Island from Poland in 1918 at 18 years old. His father arrived earlier in 1912 from Russia (although also Polish), trained as a pharmacist. He never applied his trade in his new country. Speaking...
You are someplace new, looking for an office in a 3-story building. You walk in and find there is no directory or any kind of information to help you find what you are looking for. Your only choice is to now walk the halls of every floor until you find where you need...
Two Years ago I was presented with a new opportunity or challenge, to maybe change lives and create something from nothing. I had never been a teacher at any level and I now accepted the position of adjunct instructor at a college level. There was a small base for the...
How do I teach (lead) and inspire the leadership potential and academic engagement in my students? How do I create an environment where my students can share their past and their stories? How can I help them reflect on those experiences, putting them on paper? ...
“The job’s yours if you…well, if want it. Do you want it?” James Keane asked. Keane was the head of Northwestern Michigan College’s Communications department. “Yes!” I said, not pausing to consider his odd tone as I accepted my first teaching job in higher ed....
This is year 7 of the Writing Challenge! And in honor of the "Be What's Possible" campaign, we would love for you to "Write What's Possible!" Each year the writing challenge has grown and this year we would love to have a record-setting number of people...
It always starts on day one of classes when my first activity is for them to line up by birthday, irrespective of year. My objective is just to get them moving, interact some with each other, and to suggest that my courses are not very conventional. The process is...
Tonight I will walk through areas of downtown Traverse City with my colleagues Lisa Blackford and Brandon Everest and we’ll be accompanied by about one hundred of our students from 5 different classes, their friends and family, and members of the community. We’ll be...
I would like to share with you a poem titled “Horizon.” It is from a book of poems by Rudy Francisco titled: Helium. I came across the book during a Read Harder challenge. I hope I haven’t already driven past my greatest moments. I hope there is something beautiful on...