2020-05-27 12:29
With the need to focus on the academic close of what’s been a year no one will ever forget in addition to a few specific projects demanding all of my attention, I will be stepping away… Read More
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Chattin' with Chapin is a blog that focuses on both fiction and nonfiction writing and the writing process. It also features commentary from author Andrew Chapin as well as guest bloggers regarding current events and prevalent social issues.
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2020-05-26 06:56
I recall this shot, which is the beginning of our trek. Photo courtesy of Jim RappIf this self-isolation has granted us as humans anything, it’s time. Time to remember, time to reflect… Read More
2020-05-22 06:22
The Quarantine Weeks 7 & 8 Consumption Recap continues my push to stay sane chronicling our food and entertainment consumption habits as we embark on Week 9 of self-isolation.
What&rs&hell…Read More
2020-05-19 15:00
I’ve certainly been humbled by this pandemic and gained a new respect for anyone who works from home on the regular, engages in video conferences for multiple hours, has to jump from… Read More
2020-05-13 22:36
Nearly eight weeks since I’ve seen my students in the classroom.
Nearly eight weeks since I’ve had a social interaction with someone.
Nearly eight weeks and who knows w… Read More
2020-05-11 10:31
Quarantine Mondays be like a bathrobe, a shave that should’ve happened last week, a little Kramer and a whole lot of balding.
Happy Monday – hope you make it better looking th… Read More
2020-04-26 19:14
Quarantine Week 5 & 6 Consumption Recap combines two weeks for two reasons: 1. There really were no particular highlights for any consumption – besides maybe red wine – but s… Read More
2020-04-17 06:33
So, as I wrote in last week’s “I’m Going Hungry,” I had a brief moment where I couldn’t get groceries. Freaked out, I struggled to focus on anything but secur… Read More
2020-04-14 12:52
Each week, I intend to post what we’re consuming – food and media – for a couple reasons:
To chronicle our actionsTo provide ideas for othersTo take our attention from t… Read More
2020-04-13 12:17
We’re keeping it together. I think.
This week was LONG. And I say that while acknowledging I only worked three days. It’s strange.
The workday flies, who know where the ti… Read More
2020-04-08 06:35
Each week, I intend to post what we’re consuming – food and media – for a couple reasons:
To chronicle our actionsTo provide ideas for othersTo take our attention from t… Read More
2020-04-06 06:47
PBS News Hour: Americans waste up to 40 percent of the food they produce.I remember when I was younger, my grandfather impressed upon me early on that I shouldn’t waste food. You wer… Read More
2020-04-01 13:41
Back in the day before shaming kids was frowned upon – that is, during my first year or two as a teacher – I used to ask kids who weren’t paying attention to teach the less… Read More
2020-03-30 10:59
Each week, I intend to post what we’re consuming – food and media – for a couple reasons:
To chronicle our actionsTo provide ideas for othersTo take our attention from t… Read More
2020-03-25 02:23
Each week, I intend to post what we’re consuming – food and media – for a couple reasons:
To chronicle our actionsTo provide ideas for othersTo take our attention from t… Read More
2020-03-24 10:30
City Fresh by me in Long Island City last weekSelf-isolationSocial distancingHand-washing for two rounds of “Happy Birthday”Grocery stores’ shelves straight out of 1980s Ru… Read More
2020-03-06 12:04
LONG week, but so many positive developments. And it’s Friday, so even if it’s a bad one, who cares? It’s Friday!!!
Anyway, the ELA state test is coming up and my studen… Read More
2020-02-24 12:21
I just kicked off a unit titled Striving for Success that begins with students responding to quotes about success and failure; one of the following was an option for them:
The real test… Read More
2020-01-14 11:49
Getting back into the flow after break – I know, I’m a teacher, I get a lot of time off, I’m not complaining about it, don’t hate me – we’re in the year 2… Read More
2019-12-24 13:39
Christmas was so many things growing up:
The time you counted down the days for the minute you got back from summer vacationThe time you didn’t understand why your family had to ma… Read More
2019-12-16 12:05
‘A Charlie Brown Christmas via Biography
Thanksgiving and Christmas might as well be combined into one holiday. That’s at least how it feels sometimes. It’s like the mom… Read More
2019-12-09 05:20
SAFOOMA Golf Tournament, 2011 – Excuse my inability to remove the box around Joseph Pijanowski’s head, to whom credit for this particular picture is attributed.When I look at thi… Read More
2019-12-01 13:53
My family lost someone very special to us the day before Thanksgiving this year.
It was unexpected even though 82 years is a hell of a life to live out entirely on your own terms. Still… Read More
2019-11-25 11:55
While I still haven’t published a YA book, I certainly can read them. If ever in need of something new to read for your own kids or students, be sure to check out “What’s A… Read More
2019-11-19 11:59
My students laughed one day when I told them that giving them a spelling test on three letter words that most of them would get a 100 on would not help them in any way become better students… Read More
2019-08-15 06:05
My students found it hard to believe that they actually teach me.
Why?
Well, the irony shouldn’t be lost on you. The expectation is that the teacher teaches and the students lear… Read More
2019-08-15 05:35
I love chatting, telling stories – really, connecting with people – which might explain why writing is a natural progression of that for me. Writing is cathartic, and I can expre… Read More
2019-07-29 07:07
I wrote this piece earlier in the year as a position poem sample for my students. The assignment called for students to pick an issue that mattered to them and draft a free-verse piece that… Read More
2019-07-23 05:10
I stood in front of my students at the beginning of the school year. We were about to start our first unit built around Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. The unit was going to requir… Read More
2019-07-15 05:17
Below is the PowerPoint I showed my students on their final day of 8th grade ELA:
Find your motivation for yourself.
Realize that there are others in this world besides you and m… Read More
2019-07-08 06:32
This year was the longest shortest year of my life. Sounds paradoxical, but it’s true. In my nearly 10 years as an educator, I haven’t worked this hard at grading student work, d… Read More
2019-07-02 16:55
After what has been a LONG year with more late nights than I’ve had in a while as an educator, I’m back!
Over the past year, I was challenged to think about the needs of ever… Read More
2019-02-12 12:54
While I have not been reading as often as I would like, I am ANXIOUSLY awaiting the arrival of Angie Thomas’s new novel ‘On the Come Up‘.
In the meantime, if you need a… Read More
2019-02-05 12:30
When someone asked me about my writing the other night, I gave an honest answer: I’m not.
Not now at least.
Why?
Well, as I mentioned in “On Hiatus Till December,”… Read More
2018-12-20 06:28
As we prepare for our first Christmas in our new home, I thought it appropriate to set it up with a Throwback Thursday. Originally posted on December 29, 2017, The Last Christmas in Manhatta… Read More
2018-09-13 23:30
Regretfully, I am taking a hiatus from blogging and writing until December.
Why?
Well, I’ve started a new job that is a huge adjustment – and not in a bad way. When you have gro… Read More
2018-08-23 06:31
Originally posted on October 16, 2017, “Free to Wear Sunscreen” is Andrew Brown’s last night in Italy where he must confront a past he’s avoided for too long, a past… Read More
2018-08-16 06:14
Originally posted on August 23, 2017, in “A Reintroduction: Chapter 1” protagonist Andrew Brown begins to tell the story of his trip to Italy with his closest pals. The real… Read More
2018-08-13 06:54
ICYMI: ‘For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood’, originally posted on August 3, examines author Dr. Christopher Emdin’s use of “white folks” in the title and tex… Read More
2018-08-10 06:03
It’s not a fantasy. The wife and I are seeing our annual Billy Joel concert this weekend in a tradition that started when our close friends gave us tickets for our wedding.
As… Read More
2018-08-09 06:09
Originally posted on October 23, 2017, “The Excuse of All Excuses” bemoans the lack of accountability from students and their parents nowadays.
I’ve always said &ndas&hell…Read More
2018-08-07 06:47
ICYMI: On My Education Read Kick , originally posted on July 31st, offers some quick insights on Dr. Carol S. Dweck’s Mindset.
Check out the post.
The book is a lifesaver.
&l&hell…Read More
2018-08-03 06:49
I must admit that when I received For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood…and the Rest of Ya’ll Too from my new job as the required teacher read for the summer, my feeli… Read More
2018-08-02 06:02
Originally posted on December 22, 2017, “The Paint of Growing Up” acknowledges how hard it is to be a kid, especially when faced with a tragedy most adults never have to confront… Read More
2018-08-01 19:47
Getting to see Shakespeare in the Park seems to be a goal every summer, and every summer passes without it happening.
Until now.
Very excited to see the well-received rendition of Twelf… Read More
2018-07-31 15:58
I’ve been working on becoming a better educator this summer, and part of that process is reading books with that specific goal in mind.
I’ve mentioned Dr. Christopher Emdin&rsquo&hell…Read More
2018-07-26 06:04
Originally posted on March 19, 2018, “It Doesn’t Cost Anything To Be Kind” states something so simple in reaction to RJ Palacio’s ‘Wonder’, which I taught… Read More
2018-07-20 06:00
ICYMI: Summertime , originally posted on July 10, catches readers up on my busy summer of new – new apartment, new area, new job, new life. And while I haven’t been writing… Read More
2018-07-19 06:54
Originally posted on January 29, 2018, “The Crux of Education” laments how many schools/school systems – whether private or public – want their students to be i… Read More
2018-07-18 22:00
I just finished reading Dr. Christopher Emdin’s ‘For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood…and the Rest of Ya’ll Too.”
Full disclosure: As much of a culturally-awa… Read More
2018-07-12 06:40
Originally posted on March 7, 2018, “We’re Getting Old” reveals my coming to terms with an unavoidable reality:
I’m a lot of things – an educator, a profes… Read More
2018-07-10 06:28
“Summertime, and the livin’s easy.” Whether Ella Fitzgerald or Sublime is singing it, the words could not be truer this summer.
Since my wife and I moved June 14th, the su… Read More
2018-07-02 06:30
Originally posted on June 24, 2018, “A Past and Present Farewell” is my goodbye message to my current and former students and their families.
While I look forward to this new opp… Read More
2018-06-29 06:38
Originally posted on June 8, 2018, “Words for My Seniors” is the uncut advice I offered the Class of 2018. An abridged version was featured in the back of Thornton-Donovan Schoo… Read More
2018-06-22 18:14
T-D’s Graduation with a great kid – Photo courtesy of Judith Lipton
As I leave Thornton-Donovan School and start the next phase of my life, I just wanted to say thank you to Mr… Read More
2018-06-18 06:46
ICYMI: Be Humbled, originally posted on May 30, 2018, is my way of taking a step back from all the nonsense of moving and work and people who do not matter and blah, blah, blah to appreciate… Read More
2018-06-14 06:34
Throwback Thursday: The Last Boy Scout, originally posted on August 7, 2017, reflects fondly on my time in Boy Scouts. This piece also serves as the perfect segue into Father’s Day wee… Read More
2018-06-12 06:39
ICYMI: Get to Reading, originally posted on May 11, 2018, calls ALL to do just that: GET TO READING.
Why?
Because that’s what the big boys and girls do.
There’s that.
And, also… Read More
2018-06-08 06:59
When Thornton-Donovan School’s librarian and yearbook moderator asked me to write this year’s Words for My Seniors, I initially thought it was a burden. However, the more I thoug… Read More
2018-06-06 06:53
I lauded Sheryl Sandberg for her speech at the Tsinghua School of Economics & Management commencement in Beijing on June 27, 2015 in “The Graduation Speech You Wish… Read More
2018-06-03 06:41
ICYMI: My Philosophy of Education Simplified is my most recent explanation for why I do what I do.
In short, I seek to develop units of study that challenge students to confront the BIG ques… Read More
2018-05-30 14:24
Be Humbled, a little different than what Kendrick Lamar raps, is just my reminding myself how easy it is to get a little nutty. That is, especially when it feels like the world as you know i… Read More
2018-05-23 22:33
Originally posted on April 6, 2018, “Gun Violence: A Teen’s Voice is Heard” offers the perspective of Editor-in-Chief of Thornton-Donovan School’s student newspaper&n&hell…Read More
2018-05-17 06:03
Throwback Thursday: Your Deeds Are Your Monuments, originally posted on October 6, 2017, expresses how proud I am of a student who has endured and overcome more than most.
Since his bi… Read More
2018-05-14 06:04
Throwback Sunday: Mother’s Day is, originally posted on May 14, 2017, wishes all the mothers out there a happy and healthy Mother’s Day. You gave us life, you took care of us, an… Read More
2018-05-11 06:36
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you want to improve your vocabulary, expose yourself to varied syntax, and hear different voices and perspectives and tones, and fee… Read More
2018-05-07 06:01
I want to thank my grad school educational philosophy professor, Bill Evans, from way back in the day for teaching me that philosophy is not nearly as antiquated as I initially thought.
Howe… Read More
2018-05-04 15:32
Very uncharacteristic of myself, I have not been actively updating the blog.
Why?
Am I quitting blogging?
Am I folding the website?
No.
And no.
My wife and I endured a trying closing proces… Read More
2018-04-13 06:41
The Walkout That Wasn’t Really, originally published on Thornton-Donovan School’s ‘Overlook Journal’, expresses sophomore Grace Kelly Kretzmer’s disappointment… Read More
2018-04-06 06:26
Originally published on March 26 in Thornton-Donovan School’s Overlook Journal, “Gun Violence: A Teen’s Voice Is Heard” is Editor-in-Chief Quincy Campbell’… Read More
2018-04-05 06:10
Throwback Thursday: The Prologue was originally posted at “A Reintroduction: The Prologue” on August 18, 2017. I wrote the prologue of Knowing When You’re Too Young to… Read More
2018-04-03 17:11
ICYMI: The Overlook Journal Speaks, originally posted on March 28, 2018, promotes Thornton-Donovan School’s student newspaper the Overlook Journal.
Furthermore, it lauds the… Read More
2018-03-30 06:14
ICYMI: It Doesn’t Cost Anything To Be Kind, originally posted on March 19, 2018, examines how simple it is to be kind to another and how profound of an impact it can have.
I recall the… Read More
2018-03-28 13:13
I have to say that the student journalists I oversee at the Overlook Journal continue to impress me with their dedication. While we have effectively gotten students to buy in to wr… Read More
2018-03-19 06:33
It doesn’t cost anything to be kind is a motto my father modeled for me in his dealings with people throughout my life.
‘Wonder’ book cover via Barnesandnoble.com
That… Read More
2018-03-17 06:26
ICYMI: We’re Getting Old, originally posted on March 7, 2018, is my realization that I’m not 21 anymore. I simply can’t chase the sun like I used to. And I don’t want… Read More
2018-03-15 06:27
Throwback Thursday: I Do Not Like Biographies; However, originally posted on July 3, 2017, explains my fiction reading preferences. Yet, an opportunity one of my students offered me changed… Read More
2018-03-10 06:14
ICYMI: What Every Kid Wants, originally posted on February 24, 2018, demands that teachers step down from their pedestals and realize that all kids want an opportunity and a teacher willing… Read More
2018-03-08 06:18
Throwback Thursday: The Value of Companionship, originally posted on November 20, 2017, examines how my conception of friendship and its value to me has changed over the years.
It’s a… Read More
2018-03-07 22:10
Gone are the weekday hangovers where you’re hiding behind a computer screen or pulling a Costanza and sleeping under the desk, just counting down the seconds till the acceptable time t… Read More
2018-03-06 18:42
I’m not big on quoting Popes or really even organized religion. However, reading through some Jesuit literature, I found this quote interesting:
Today, students do not listen seriously… Read More
2018-02-24 14:05
What every kid wants is not no homework.
Or busy work.
Or easy A’s.
Even a teacher who’s a friend.
No, what kids want is an opportunity to excel.
Nothing more. And nothing less… Read More
2018-02-23 06:16
Throwback Thursday: Real Talk about the Word, originally posted on June 10, 2017, examines the continued use of racial slurs – in particular, the N-word – in response to the Bill… Read More
2018-02-18 12:46
On a staycation looking for my own Vienna.
Enjoy and be safe.
The post Looking for a Little Vienna appeared first on Andrew Chapin Read More
2018-02-16 13:23
Throwback Thursday: The Make Good Son, originally posted on July 10, 2017, is a letter I wrote to a student who could have quit on his education and become a statistic.
Except he didn’… Read More
2018-02-08 06:19
Throwback Thursday: The Writing Process in Posts originally was posted on July 24, 2017 highlights the importance of editing in the the writing process. This particular post looks back on pr… Read More
2018-02-05 06:02
ICYMI: The Crux of Education, originally posted on January 29, 2018, examines the aim of education v. the results desired in relation to student participation. While most educators – I… Read More
2018-02-01 14:00
Throwback Thursday: A Mentor or Just a Nightmare was originally posted on June 26, 2017 and examines my subconscious reluctance to admit that I’m actually an adult and – dare I s… Read More
2018-01-29 06:24
Here’s the crux of education: On one hand, teachers and schools want kids who think independently and formulate their own opinions. On the other hand, teachers and schools want student… Read More
2018-01-29 06:18
ICYMI: Grades Up Intelligence Down, originally posted on January 18, 2018, bemoans the lack of urgency with fixing the grade inflation issue at my school.
The mural in the lobby of Thornton… Read More
2018-01-26 06:35
ICYMI: The Pain of Growing Up, originally posted on December 22, 2017, explains the impossible task I have as an educator, serving as a protector of all of my students.
In many ways I wish I… Read More
2018-01-18 21:24
So, we have a grade inflation issue and we’ve had it for some time. It’s mentioned once a year at a faculty meeting and most – as per their usual – raise their hands… Read More
2018-01-12 06:26
A Letter to My Lost Student, originally posted on December 17, 2017, mourns the sudden and unexpected passing of a former student.
As I mentioned to my students the day I received the sad ne… Read More
2018-01-08 12:25
ICYMI: The Last Christmas in Manhattan, originally posted on December 29, 2017, reveals all the feelings that went into moving to Manhattan three years ago and all the feelings that have eme… Read More
2018-01-04 06:18
“Throwback Thursday: The Student Who Had The Best Hair” constitutes a reintroduction to some old letters I wrote to some of my former students. When I previously posted them, I u… Read More
2017-12-29 06:04
As my wife and I were about to set up our Christmas tree and decorate for the holiday that seems to come upon us quicker and quicker each year, we had a realization. This will be our last Ch… Read More
2017-12-28 06:07
“Throwback Thursday: The Student Who Was Wise Beyond Her Years” constitutes a reintroduction to some old letters I wrote to some of my former students. When I previously posted t… Read More
2017-12-22 06:08
I mentioned in “A Letter to My Lost Student” how appropriate – really fateful – the posting of “Throwback Thursday: Letters to My First Students” was in l… Read More
2017-12-21 06:55
“Throwback Thursday: The Student I Actually Enjoyed Talking To” constitutes a reintroduction to some old letters I wrote to some of my former students. When I previously posted t… Read More
2017-12-17 06:46
I found it quite appropriate that the December 7th “Throwback Thursday: A Series of Letters to My First Students” should preface this post, another letter (we’ll ignore tha… Read More
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