Christian Long

"About" Page Updated: August, 2007

I am a high school English teacher and coach working at a college-prep, preK-12, independent school in Texas. I am very fortunate to be married to a passionate and talented educator in her own right; she's a middle school history teacher (and principal). Needless to say, talk around the dinner table always comes back around to loving students and schools (although big-time grading nights might show us being a bit more quiet as we hunker down to do the good work that is in our laps).

Additionally, we have one son named Beckett (not bad for an English teacher and Boston Red Sox fan, right?!), we have 2 great dogs, and we love living in the "Lonestar State" (since the summer of 2004, although we both spent most of our lives in New England and the Midwest).

Note: If any of you have come to this "About" page via the blog we use to chronicle Beckett's life, you are free to skip over the rest (as it has to do with the "think:lab" blog and my professional life).

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In addition to working in schools as a teacher and coach for over ten years (prior to my return in the fall of 07), I spent several years working with architects/planners, educational and technology leaders, policy makers, and communities to design and build schools from pre-K through the university level. This work took place throughout the United States and around the world, affording me an amazing constellation of projects along the way. Additionally, I've been fortunate to work closely with several educators who founded their own schools.

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"think:lab" began in the summer of 05 as a way to explore a wide range of research impacting the school architecture projects I was collaborating on at the time. Over time, I became more and more interested in the larger questions surrounding learning in the future (in every respect). Additionally, this lead me as an educator, school planner, and consultant to explore the emergence of digital/2.0 technologies with an eye on how schools might integrate such tools/ideas to support their long-range learning objectives and strategic development. For anyone that discovered "think:lab" during this time, these ideas were certainly reflected in posts I wrote and links I shared inside the blog itself.

As of the fall of 07, my blogging questions and writing style will undoubtedly change. The primary focus will shift away from the 'big picture' and conceptual questions about education. Instead, when I blog, I will focus on the specifics that support my role in an English department and in simply working with kids in general.

I'm excited to have the opportunity to explore literature, writing, and the wide range of work that my students and I will collaborate upon together. When appropriate -- without naming kids or the school -- I look forward to writing about some of this through "think:lab", as well as simply chronicling how excited I am at being 'back in school' again. No doubt I'll probably also continue to remark upon my amazement at being a new father as my child Beckett (and perhaps another joining him in the years ahead) grows, learns, and enters school himself.

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I also recognize that some of the blog questions and ideas I was pursuing with regards to 'school'/education in general prior to being a teacher again may not necessarily be as relevant to my current role today.

Older posts represent the questions my clients and colleagues were pursuing (with me) over the last 2 years; likewise, as a blogger, I was in a very different role as an educational stakeholder myself. Older posts will be indicative of the work I was doing but may not be as applicable to what I am doing today, nor the questions I will be asking as a blogger in the future. At the end of the day, my philosophy hasn't changed about the evolution of schools/learning in the future or the impact of emerging technologies on the lives of students and teachers. My posts/links will be changing, however, because my day-to-day work will be changing...and I'm thrilled to be able to finally be a 'teacher' who blogs rather than an 'edu-blogger' who used to teach.

"think:lab' will undoubtedly offer less and less a 'provocateur' or 'change agent' voice from this point forward. Instead, it is becoming more and more the voice of a teacher working moment-to-moment with kids and teaches in college-prep preK-12 environment with very strong sense of integrity, empathy, and family.

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Out of respect, I will not be identifying my school, my colleagues, or my students/families by name. Additionally, I will not publish anything that could be perceived as remotely critical or meant to distract my students/families and colleagues from the core work that we will do together from this point forward. While I love blogging and what it offers educators in this day and age, being a consultant and ex-educator who is asked to advocate for blogging (and emerging technologies) is one thing. Being a teacher working in a specific school is entirely different. With that said, this specific blog hardly ranks anywhere near the level of importance as the opportunity I now have to work with these remarkable students (and their families) and my new colleagues/mentors who have welcomed me onto their team so openly. Serving them is THE priority; blogging about them directly is not...and never will be.

One caveat:

Know that behind every thing I do or write is in fact a celebration of those I am lucky enough to teach and work with, even if I do not feel it is my privilege to name them or claim the right to 'tell their story'.

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I confidently acknowledge that I have much to learn as an educator (with nearly 30-35 years of teaching left in me, minimum). Any questions asked by me in the blog reflect my own learning process and a deep desire to become a master teacher slowly over time. They do not reflect a statement about my school, my programs, my colleagues, or my students/families, nor do my opinions reflect theirs in formal or informal ways. Finally, I do not profess to be 'right' or an 'expert' by virtue of what I write in this blog, but I do embrace the fact that I am curious beyond apology.

I'm looking forward to the blog becoming focused on specific curriculum questions with the expressed desire to help my students best explore the material over the year, to fall completely or partially in love with the subject, and to become passionate writers and thinkers over the course of their lifetime. Finally, I am looking forward to this blog becoming a way to network with talented/'master' English/writing instructors who will be my mentors and colleagues over time (several of which I've been quietly keeping my eye on for quite some time knowing I would be an English teacher sooner than later once again).

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Looking back on the last 2 years, I am humbled by the opportunities and colleagues that this blog has afforded me. The highlights are too long a list to type out now, but they include discovering 2 of my closest personal/professional friends along the way, running a company I was deeply passionate about as I became a school planner, being invited to participate in some remarkable projects around the world, and coming to understand what is possible in this day and age in terms of collaboration and publishing thanks to tools just like this.

More importantly, "think:lab" has afforded on-going and rapid-fire learning experiences for me as a person and professional, experiences that went far beyond anything I could have imagined when I published my first post/entry. Far beyond even the remarkable graduate school experiences I had, blogging has simply been rocket fuel in my "life long learner" tank...and it has re-wired my own thinking as a professional and educator for what is possible in this new media/digital landscape.

That being said, I am happy to see others take over the 'big picture' blogging mantle so that I can concentrate on reading/analyzing "Lord of the Flies" and "Othello" with my kids, knocking the ball around at soccer practice and running laps with the track team, chaperoning dances, volunteering with kids in the community, and just enjoying the simple act of driving into the school's parking lot each morning knowing that infinite possibilities lie ahead for my students (and me in relation).

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With that said, I appreciate you taking time to visit "think:lab"...and look forward to learning from all of you from 'inside' the classroom this time around.

Cheers,
Christian
christianlong2000 [at] yahoo [dot] co [dot] uk

P.S. I will be continually updating the look of and links/resources found on this blog. If something you'd like to read seems to be missing or is no longer easily found, please let me know. A little spring cleaning and re-organization has been long, long, long over-due (2 years and counting)...and the transition into the classroom seems to be one of those ideal "why not now?" moments.