Have you ever wondered what goes on in the minds of your students? What are they thinking as they sit in class? As you greet them? When they walk out of the door and onto the next grade
Read MorePumpkin and Spice
Pumpkin and Spice “Squeak, squeak, squeak”.…is the greeting I hear every morning when I open the door to my third grade classroom. I walk over to the opposite end of the room and greet the class guinea pigs,
Read MoreLasting Impressions
Ossie Davis once said, “Any form of art is a form of power; it has impact, it can affect change. It can not only move us, it makes us move.” When I was a fourth grader walking into
Read MoreThe Struggle is Real
When my students returned from winter break last month, our 3rd grade team promptly began a 5 week unit on fractions. These students were
Read MoreKnock, Knock
“Hi Ms. Brinkman, do you remember me?”- is a sentence I am beginning to hear more and more as I advance in my teaching career. Having been at the same school for my entire career, (17) the benefit is having
Read MoreYou can do it!
Last week I made an announcement to my class: “Soon we start district testing. You know what that means; desks in rows, dividers on your desks and updating our goals!”. Despite a few groans, I heard many cheers when the
Read MoreLet me tell you bout’ my best friend
During math period one morning, my third graders were working on solving a division problem with repeated subtraction. After spending time discussing the strategy and how to work through a problem, I let them know they would have a chance
Read MoreThe Breakfast Club
What does your breakfast routine consist of? I asked my educator friends and heard the following: “I never eat breakfast” “I make a run for Dunkin; the employees know me by name and have my order memorized!”
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Be A Bucket Filler
I was walking to my classroom during my prep period one morning when I was passing a kindergarten class. They were walking in a squiggly line, their teacher instructing them at the back. Beads of sweat were present on all
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