As a teacher, it's my goal to lead my students to water. I can't make them drink, but I can bring them there. And on our journey to the water, it's my job ...

The Grade Nine Physics (Electricity) Unit is going to be based on a book/movie called The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. It is a true story of a boy who’s vill...

On November 20th, I posted a video on my Instagram account (@TheStoppelsShow) that was a brief introduction to this blog post. I've been busy, so I didn't g...

Seriously. Why does it always have to be about academics? School is obviously a place where students come to learn, but why does it always have to be about...

I don't want to say I made a mistake, but I may have made a mistake. I'm writing this post because one day, someone who is just starting out on an experienti...

Last week, I was at a meeting for the Professional Learning Team (PLT) which I am a part of at school. There were actually two PLTs at this meeting, last ye...

I'm glad we're having this conversation! I found the article below interesting regarding the success of Project Based Learning. While I admit to not having...

From 2012 to 2018 I taught in a Community Living Class (also known as a Developmental Disabilities Program) at Hillcrest High School (in Ottawa). It changed...

Recently I read a blog post by Grant Lichtman with the same title as this blog. His came first BUT I thought this is a really important topic and I wanted t...

Dear Students, As you enter my classroom and begin a new school year, I wanted to offer some thoughts. You're about to go embark on yet another scholastic an...

I just watched an inspiring TED talk by Margaret Heffernan about the skills we are going to need in an unpredictable world. I couldn't help but think about ...

It still surprises me that I have to remind people that teachers still have to work on PD days. The students stay home, and usually it's a day before a long...

Derek Lopez @standupourkids, did it again. He asked an important question on Twitter that I need more than 240 characters to answer. He asks: What do you t...

One of my goals for this summer was to expand my professional network and in doing so I came across Derek Lopez from @standupourkids on Twitter and I love th...

At the end of the school year, we got together at the school for an end of year brunch which is an annual tradition and is provided by our admin team. It's ...

I'm reading a book right now called The Power of Agency. I heard Paul Napper on the Art of Manliness podcast talking about this book and it made me want to ...

Yesterday was the last day of classes and so today is the start of exams. I still have some final things to mark because I've procrastinated, but I'm taking...

I had a conversation the other day with a student who was thinking of getting a summer job. Right off the bat I want to say that I think it's a great idea! ...

There's two things I love about being outdoors: 1) You'll never get bored 2) It reduces stress 1) You'll never get bored: There's always something to do, som...

In my last post I wrote about what I thought it was going to take to be an effective educator in the 21st century. In this post I want to talk about what it...