Having my daughter in fifth-grade last year changed the way I look at my classroom. Her school day started in my partner teacher’s homeroom for math and science and her afternoons were spent in my room for Reading, Writing, and
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Sawabona: I See You
Tribes in South Africa traditionally greet each other with “Sawabona,” which means “I see you.” The response is “Sikhona,” which translates to “I’m here.” As I watch my students finish up this busy school year, I’m making sure they feel
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Dealing with Student Death
It is something that is becoming all too common in schools across Arizona, the need for schools to support students and staff as they grieve for classmates, friends, and students that pass. In my first ten years of teaching, this
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All We Need is Love…
In these turbulent times, I was really inspired by the Az K-12 Homeroom article entitled, “Spreading Kindness in the Classroom.” Now, more than ever, teaching our young people civility inside and outside of the classroom is paramount. Throughout my many
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Redirecting Applause
No one will ever describe me as humble. Ever. Like Lady Gaga, I live for “the applause, applause, applause. I live for the applause-plause, live for the applause-plause!” With that said, I one time misspelled “ego” in my school’s spelling
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Having ESP: Why I am Red for Techs
When we were kids we used to joke about having ESP, extra-sensory perception. We thought it would be a blast to be psychic, read people’s minds and look into the future. Now, as a junior high teacher, I am often
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A Different Kind of Readiness
My students, like so many across the nation, want to do something. They are on their Instagram and Facebook feeds, during the aftermath of the post-Douglas HS shooting. They see young people that look and sound just like them giving speeches, planning walkouts,
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Mindfulness and the Type A Student
I am the mother to a Type A student, a very Type A student. You all know the kind; she cried at every 89%, attended every school function then studied all night, and took every Honors, AP, Dual Enrollment class
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The Technology of Relationships
Scientists have recently discovered yet another way to make digital experiences seem more real. Now, by manipulating tiny dust particles with a laser light, film producers will be able to create seemingly impossible scenes that are more realistic than ever. Given our educational
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Steve Andre, Rest In Peace
Godspeed Steve Andre. You are missed. Steve Andre joined the Safford K8 family as a social studies student teacher in the late 80s. He then taught for several years at Maxwell Middle School before returning to Safford where he took over our
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