Damien Riley, author, teacher and dad, keeps an eye on popculture, the news, and humor all around us. His blog, Dynamite Lesson Plan, tackles the topic of education with a perspective from someone on the inside - an elementary school teacher.
Who am I and why am I here?
Hi there again. I’m a big reader [...]

Today my youngest son turns 7 years old!
It is amazing (not to mention a little scary as well) that my son is already celebrating his seventh birthday, as it seems like just yesterday that he was a tiny little baby being held in our arms.
Over the years, he has given me plenty of opportunities to [...]

Being a parent isn’t always easy - as any parent will readily tell those without children. One situation that is often the cause of much parenting heartache is child discipline.
With the many different methods of disciplining your child, it can certainly be confusing as to what is the “best” method for your children. [...]

If you have more than one child, chances are pretty good that you’ve heard one of the following statements (usually in a whiny voice) from one or more of your children:
“You always get to pick the game, it’s my turn!”
“You always get to pick the TV show, I don’t want to watch this.”
“You always get [...]

Talking about death is difficult for many adults - talking about death with your kids can be especially difficult. Unfortunately, many of us only talk about death and dying when our lives have been touched by a loss of a loved one.
That is what has prompted me to write this post today - as [...]

Since moving into our home in 2000, we have been hosting an annual 4th of July BBQ party and this year will be no different - well it might be a little different.
While we will still be hosting the party and it will be the same good time with plenty of food and drinks; there [...]