For some of you, the school year has come to an end.  But for many of you, it’s crunch time. You have just a few weeks, maybe just a few days, to prepare report cards, organize cumulative folders, complete documents for the district office—the list goes on and on! I don’t mean to cause you panic, but how will you get it all done? Will you take some of it home or will you set up camp in your classroom and complete a paperwork mini-marathon? Do you normally work from this location, or is this a one-time deal? For me, some tasks had to be done at school, of course, but I usually preferred the comforts of home to complete my work. (Well, that is until I got frustrated by the mess and wished I were one of the teachers who kept her work at school.) What about you—school or home? Teachers, I love reading your responses, so please share.

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If you could walk through the halls of The Education Center®, you would see a lot of exciting things happening. In one hallway, you might find editors squealing over the fresh and fun projects they have found in their daily mail (projects submitted by teachers like you!). In the kitchen, you may find an editorial assistant testing a recipe for an upcoming issue of The Mailbox® magazine. (You may also see a line of eager taste-testers!) In my office, you’ll find me thinking of topics for new blog posts. (What would you like to talk about? Leave me a comment and let me know!) But one of my favorite places in the building is the artists’ hallway. It is so much fun to walk down the hall and see all the incredible art that is being created! It really amazes me. If you’ve ever wished you could peek over the shoulder of one of our talented artists as he or she creates one of our engaging illustrations, then this post is for you!

The first thing an artist does is review the page. Here, Greg Rieves looks over a page of the June/July 2009, grades 2-3 Teacher’s Helper® magazine.	Next, Greg plans his ideas for art that will be on the page.
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A page that starts out like this…	ends up like this!
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When the magazine arrives from the printers, it looks like this.	We know you’ll enjoy using the page with your students as much as we’ve enjoyed planning and designing it!

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I’m looking at the calendar and thinking about how hectic the last few weeks of May were when I was teaching. I remember testing, grading, fitting in lessons I was determined to teach, planning parties, and wondering if I would ever have time to clean my house again! But to be honest, my strongest memories are of pride and affection for my students and in the journey we had taken together. The end of the year was a powerful time for taking stock—thinking back to those shy youngsters who had walked into the classroom in the fall, and watching the gangly, confident kids who were prancing around the room now. (Yes, I remember that discipline can be a challenge during May too!) But I wondered. Would the girls and boys who’d blossomed that year keep right on growing and achieving? Would the children who were right on the edge of blossoming hit their strides that summer or the next year? I wondered. Are you feeling mixed emotions like these? I’d love to hear your stories—your stories of success and your stories of hope.

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There is a certain student I will always remember—let’s call him Robert. He touched my life in a way that no other student ever had. Before Robert ever entered my room, I heard all about him from his kindergarten teacher. Robert had behavioral problems and had a very rough home life. According to the kindergarten teacher, I was in for a very rough year. As it turned out, Robert ended up being one of my favorite students. Now don’t get me wrong: there were plenty of days that he drove me up the wall! But there were even more days when I was truly thankful that I had had the opportunity to work with him. I’ve never seen a child so eager to learn and so excited to come to school each day.

How about you? Do you have a “Robert” in your classroom this year—a student who has touched your life in a very special way? I’d love to hear about him or her! (Of course, please be respectful and change the child’s name.)

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Last night, I had the chance to go to a kindergarten musical. I had the most fun watching those boys and girls! They were singing their hearts out like only kindergartners can. There was one little girl who was so serious about her singing that she stood high on her toes each time the music rose. She was precious.

Of course, there were a couple of spinners and a young man who had a hard time keeping his shirt down. It’s hard to know how a group of five- and six-year-olds will react when you put them in front of an audience. But, overall, the kids did what the teachers had asked them to do and the concert was adorable.

Watching them perform song after song, some with hand motions, some with solos and speaking parts, I was completely impressed by the amount of work that must have gone into this 25-minute production. I kept thinking about those three teachers and all of the planning, practices, and props…wow! But when I looked around the auditorium at those beaming parents, I know those teachers felt like it was worth every minute. I have never seen so many cameras and video cameras in one place!

I know you were proud after your last concert or play experience too! I’d love to hear all about it. Did anything funny or unexpected happen, or did things run like clockwork? How many concerts or plays do you do for parents each year? Let’s talk about it!

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People often compare teaching to a juggling act. Do you think it’s a fitting description? I do. There are so many skills to fit into each day, and of course, there’s paperwork, classroom management, specials, recess, lunch, and all sorts of things that come up unexpectedly. In short, the school day is packed! It’s no surprise that it’s a challenge for teachers to fit everything into each day. I hear from many primary teachers that science sometimes gets squeezed out of their schedule. Some say the only way they can fit it in is by integrating it with literacy or math. On the other hand, there are teachers who work at magnet schools where science is emphasized.

How about you? Do you feel the science squeeze? What does science look like in your classroom? I’d love to hear if there are any science-related challenges we can help you with.

And all you first-grade teachers who integrate science and literacy, download this bee page and penguin page from the grade 1 edition of The Mailbox® magazine. They help you get more for your time by pairing science with comprehension. Just what you need to make your juggling act a bit easier!

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Now that the weather is warming up, my thoughts begin to turn toward vacation. Just the word vacation fills me with joy, excitement, and a desire for office products. Why office products, you ask? Continue to read and I’ll enlighten you! I like to take vacations with my best friend Jules, a classmate from my grade school days and a chronic planner just like myself. (That’s us in the photo drinking bubble tea in California.)

By “planner,” I mean that I recently purchased an accordion file and tabs so I can divide the sections by sightseeing options, restaurant possibilities, and local maps.

Jules and I like to be prepared for every eventuality. Nothing—short of losing the accordion file—will disrupt our vacation goals. This works for us and we have an excellent time! Do you have vacation plans for the summer? Where are you going? Are you a fan of the well-thought-out vacation or do you fly by the seat of your pants? As you read through everyone’s vacation plans and desires, no doubt we’ll all feel reenergized and ready to take on the remainder of the school year!

All the best!
Kim Murphy

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Are you ready to smile? I hope so! You see, along with it being Teacher Appreciation Week (hooray, hooray!), it’s also National Pet Week (May 3–9). How cool is that? I have a hunch that many teachers have pets. Is my hunch based on scientific evidence? Heck no! My hunch is based on what I know to be true about teachers. They are compassionate. They are patient. And they are nurturers.

Here at The Mailbox®, our pets are a popular topic of conversation. It’s no secret that we love our pets and love to talk about them. So when I invited my colleagues (many of whom are former teachers) to share photos of their family pets for this blog, the response was “pet-acular”! Enjoy the photos—they are sure to make you smile! And just “fur” fun, talk to us about your pets. We’re all ears!

My cat Theo	My dog Lexie
Krystle Jones and Carleigh	Mark Rainey’s cats Charcoal and Chester
Marsha Heim’s dog Ginger	Tazmen Hansen’s cat Leopard
Debra Liverman’s dog Baxter	Sharon Tresino’s dog Max
Lori Henry’s dogs Molly and Peyton	Tina Peterson’s dog Rhyno
Jen Bragg’s dog Rocky	Becky Andrews and Tiger
Hope Spencer and Lily	Sarah Foreman’s dog Ludo

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I love teachers! Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with so many who were really incredible. Let me tell you about a few of those special folks.

• Ms. Head was my first mentor and helped me survive—and thrive—during that all-important first year.

• Ms. Dunn taught me that the children always come first, and she introduced me to The Mailbox® magazine!

• Ms. Anderson taught me to be efficient and to make the most of each moment.

• Mr. Rotherham taught me to enjoy every minute with the children.

• Ms. Thomas taught me the meaning of team teaching and the beauty of planning together.

• Ms. Hanson helped me make my way in a new place and showed me shortcuts that helped me be my best for my students.

All of these teachers, and so many more, touched my life and made me the teacher that I am. I’m so grateful to them.

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Day, I want to give you the opportunity to tell us about one of the teachers who has touched your life. Just leave a comment telling us about this special person. And, to make this a real celebration, I’ll draw two random comments and we’ll send a copy of your choice of one book from the For Every Learner® series or one book from the Find the Match! series to the teacher who wrote the comment and the teacher who is honored in the comment! So, leave a comment by May 23 telling us about one special teacher, and I’ll email the winning teachers on May 24. Happy Teacher Appreciation Day!

The editors at The Education Center® salute you for all you do for our children. Thank you today and every day!

Congratulations to Becky Mogee of Louden, NH and M. Behnfeldt, Prince George’s County Public Schools, Greenbelt Middle Schools, Greenbelt, MD. They are the winners of a free book from The Mailbox books.

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