From the Canyon Rim to the Calculus Bench Embracing the Novice Shoes |Episode 81

This past week, I returned home from my Fuller Center Canyon Cycling Adventure, where I cycled about 700 miles and stopped to help those who are home-challenged. That was one part emotional, one part physical, and one part spiritual. I came home to my beautiful wife and had a couple of days to reorient, and then off we went on a cross-country drive to visit our grown daughters in Wisconsin for the Fourth of July.

While in Wisconsin, I reflected on the founding of our country and the sacrifices that were made for the freedoms I have. I remember my friend David Carter, who was killed in Afghanistan, and remember that the freedoms I have were not free. Many paid the ultimate price for the freedoms I enjoy.

This week served as a transition week. From analog reset and vacation mode back to full-on school mode.

This week I jump into “leaner mode.” I will be attending an AP Physics C summer institute in Chicago, where I will learn the AP Physics content. I am nervous about teaching the class because the last time I took calculus was 42 years ago.

I encourage you to listen/watch my reflections from Wisconsin.

And as you jump back into “school-mode,” consider taking the MasteryFlip Certification course where you will learn how to teach in the age of AI. Some of the reflections from those who have taken the course are very powerful, and the certification is helping many teachers. If you want to take the MasteryFlip Certification as a team, you can get it at 50% when you buy four or more licenses.

Key Moments & Timestamps

• (00:00:45) — The Wisconsin Landing: Transitioning from the cross-country trail to a July 4th family gathering.

• (00:02:15) — Unpacking Episode 80: Highlighting the deep physical and personal friction from the canyon rim.

• (00:04:10) — The Novice Perspective: Why veteran teachers need to periodically experience the fear of failing a concept.

• (00:06:38) — Banning My Own Easy Button: Rejecting automated shortcuts during my master-level physics prep.

• (00:08:52) — Reclaiming the Bench: How manual erasures and raw pencil tracking build long-term conceptual mastery.

• (00:11:15) — Summer Strategy: Utilizing the vacation buffer to restructure your standards and scale human oral checks.