or Thomas Joseph Wilson's Blog
I have attempted to get through this essay without mentioning the reason why I am writing it. I won’t have to. You’ll know. A Rediscovery of a Book Before the pandemic, I lent my copy of The New Analog by Damon Krukowski to a friend. A couple weeks ago, he gave it back. Though it’s been five…
What can teachers really accomplish with the class sizes of today? Efficiency-Minded It took me a long time to finish my last piece of writing (“On Teacher Exhaustion”). It was difficult to really communicate what kind of exhaustion is hitting ELA teachers in 2025 without seeming like I’m outright kvetching or lamenting nebulous “good ‘ole…
How do teachers let go of a new and consequential thing we can’t control? The Profession Most teachers get the opportunity to teach their own generation at the beginning of their careers. I remember it being an exciting moment, as if I had come back to save my fellow Millennials from the obliviousness of Gen…
I have been doing a lot of listening to Huey Lewis and the News lately. It’s not just that they are a great band or because I’ve always loved “The Power of Love” and “If This Is It.” And it’s not because the songs of Huey Lewis and the News and my own human body…
I remember it was elementary school when someone first brought up the idea–with a kind of knowing air that fascinated me, like the first time you realize the world is really up for debate–that what I see through my eyes might not be the same exact thing someone else sees. To be more specific, my…
1 I was on my way out of the house to workout when I got a text message from our neighbor: our large backyard oak had shed a thick branch that spanned the intersecting lines of four properties. In the backyard, a pile of small leaves showed where my neighbor had done some cleanup, but…
While visiting family in Sevierville, Tennessee, my wife and son stopped by the McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture in Knoxville, a quaint if rather small museum with a very interesting human evolution exhibit. As someone who procrastinates with productivity tools, most likely due to family genetics (my father is an industrial engineer) and…
Look. I get it. Times are tough. In America, the strife is hot. But it won’t seem that way if you are holding a baby. That’s right. I’ve been four months into new parenting and those “I’m a dad” realizations have been stalking me. Most of these realizations are cliché and obvious things that if…
1. Twenty-five feet above the ground, I changed my grip and reached for the next hold, straining at the oddness of my body’s position before my feet slipped off the small chips of molded plastic screwed into the climbing wall for the second time in a row. The auto-belay slowly lowered me to the ground….
Panic in Our Pockets When Jonathan Haidt came out with The Anxious Generation, I was already well on my way to worrying about my own smartphone usage. As a teacher, I’m at the forefront of being a good role model: at least 150 eyes judge my behavior every week. What I’ve done with my phone…