Growth mindset is something I’ve talked about for years. I’ve encouraged students to take risks, stay curious, and see uncertainty as part of learning. I believe deeply in those ideas. And yet, somewhere along the way, I realized something uncomfortable: I wasn’t fully living them myself anymore. Not because I stopped caring, but because it’s surprisingly easy, even as an educator, to drift into familiarity. To teach concepts without being immersed in the conditions that actu

Preparing food for the road has become an unexpected classroom. Every choice — ingredients, preservation methods, portions, storage — turns into a lesson in systems, sustainability, and adaptability. This video shows what I’m currently dehydrating and preparing for the trip, but more importantly, it shows how learning happens when real constraints are involved. Nothing here is final. It’s all part of an ongoing experiment in building practical, livable systems.

Learning doesn’t happen only in classrooms. It happens in conversations, in unfamiliar places, in moments of uncertainty—when you’re listening more than talking and paying attention to what actually works in the real world. These Field Notes are a record of that process. As I travel, meet people, talk with educators, parents, students, builders, artists, and business owners, I’m documenting what I’m learning along the way. Not as finished answers—but as observations, question