I’m usually a firm believer in the “too much rest is rust” saying by Sir Walter Scott. However, upon completing the school year in May, my body needed a little time to rust, I mean, rest. Summer days driftin’ away
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The Emotional Toll of the Last Day
Yesterday was the last day of school. There was a pizza party, yearbook signing, and lots of adorably dramatic pre-teen tears mingling with shouts of joy. In theory, I should have woken up today with a feeling of freedom and
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Teacher Appreciation Weak
Ah, teacher appreciation week. I look forward to the handmade cards and homemade goodies, and if I’m really lucky, school supplies or a Starbucks gift card. But here’s what I really want for Teacher Appreciation Week. Stop undermining the teaching
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The Magic of the National Board Process: The Gift That Keeps on Giving
My friends tease me about my stash of office supplies that I constantly carry, sticky notes raining in my wake as I walk and highlighters filling every pocket. My house looks like Mission Control as binders bristling with sticky flags
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True Teacher Confession #2: Sometimes I Judge Too Quickly
I am not in the habit of asking that students not be placed in my classroom. In fact, I usually troll the 4th grade teachers at the end of the year and ask for students with siblings that were in
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Where I Live
Like Oscar Wilde, I learned in elementary school that it was only in the theater that I lived. I was one of the kids who found a home in the sharp contrast of the blinding stage lights and the inky
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Right to Recess
In a scene from my favorite TV show, My Crazy Ex Girlfriend, a clueless shopper holds up a plastic wiffle ball and bat set and asks the clerk if a 10 year old would like it. She responds with, “You
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We Shall Not Cease From Exploration: A Plea for Geography Education
Did you know it’s Geography Awareness Week (November 13-19)? Did I just lose your interest because when you hear “geography” you picture a dusty, outdated atlas on your classroom shelf? This is my plea for geography instruction in today’s schools.
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Henry Ford and Ed Policy
“I’d like to observe your 90-minute reading block if that works for you,” says my principal as we are setting a date for my formal observation. “Well, we’ll be using literacy skills to close read and annotate a piece of
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Trade Secrets
My husband is a professional chef. And yes, I fully understand that I am the luckiest woman in the world. He was working in the restaurant kitchen when he was asked to come out and speak with a chef who
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