The Gift of the Math Guy

Before transitioning away from life as a public school educator, I worked as the academic trainer for English and social studies in a large, urban high school in San Antonio. I partnered with English and social studies teachers on strengthening the literacy skills of their students.

The Gift of Reading: We Three Books

On the day after state testing, one of my sophomores burst into the room and announced: “Mr. G, I used rule of three on my essay.”

It was a proud moment. Rule of Three is the concept that words or phrases are inherently more appealing in groups of three. It’s a quick and dirty writing trick/tip I...

The Gift of Reading: Of Authors, Words, and Magic

For most of the past year and half, I have spent most of my waking hours querying or obsessing over querying literary agents for my young adult novel The Closest Thing to a Normal Life.

Getting Nothing for Someone

Just last week, my oldest son asked me what I wanted for Christmas. My answer? Nothing.

Native American Heritage Month: An Indigenous Cut to the Bone

In recent months I learned, along with others around the world, of the horrific stories of the mass unmarked grave sites of Indigenous, or Aboriginal, residents of Canada’s Indian residential school system. Wrenching stories of Indigenous students digging graves for classmates, children...

Native American Heritage Month: The Removed

The way authors structure their books is sometimes jaw-dropping. So impressive that by the end you hug it tight, knowing it taught you something, or touched your life in some way. The Removed by Brandon Hobson is one of those books.

Myth with a Side of Mashed Potatoes

Like most kids ushered though elementary school in the days when the Charlie Brown holiday specials aired on television once a year and if you missed them, you just had to wait until next year, I learned the myth of Thanksgiving like it was the gospel truth.

Native American Heritage Month: Identity & Storytelling

Many lessons ran through my mind while reading There There by Tommy Orange. We could talk about the parallel plot text structure; we could talk about the characterization of Native Americans; we could talk about mental health and addiction. So really, however you use this book with your students,...

Native American Heritage Month: Stereotypes Still Unbroken

Not long ago, with work piling up, to-do things needing to be done, and the fate of the free world basically depending on what I did next, I chose what any responsible adult does in these situations: I continued scrolling through TikTok for several hours more.

Mental Health Awareness: Your Brain Needs a Hug

The words are never right. The time is never perfect. And life keeps piling stress after stress onto the people we love. What do we say to someone who might be struggling with a mental illness? I usually ask if I can help in any way or send them their favorite junk food with a heart-felt note. But...