Every member of our family at The Mailbox strives to make an increasingly significant difference in the quality of learning of children. However, on occasion, select family members can be persuaded to pose for the camera with only a minimal amount of prodding from a mischievous editor.

In celebration of National Literacy Month, we share our love of reading!

Have a great weekend!

Diane

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What’s that? Do we have to write in complete sentences? Is this going to be on the test? Where is [classmate] going? Do any of these questions sound familiar? I’m pretty sure they do!

Most teachers get asked a thousand questions a day. Okay, I’m exaggerating. But honestly, I remember days when all I wished for was an instant replay button—especially on days when special events were in the works.

Let’s have some fun with kid-asked questions! Which questions do you hear over and over again? How do you encourage thoughtful questions and discourage the kinds of questions that can drive a teacher batty?

Smiles,
Diane

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LOL means laugh out loud, right? Not today, folks! Today LOL stands for Love of Literacy! That’s because, here at The Mailbox, we’re celebrating the final week of National Literacy Month 2011. So what does this mean for you? Well, it depends.

If you’d like a chance to earn some buying power at The Mailbox, zip on over to “September Is National Literacy Month” and tell us about a favorite literacy center. We’d love to hear from you! Please share before October 1.

If you’d like to enter a drawing for a free literacy book from The Mailbox, leave a comment on this post before October 1 and describe how you promote a love of literacy in your classroom.

And, if you’re curious about the literacy habits of The Mailbox family, check the Blog later this week. Pictures will be posted!

In love with literacy,
Diane

Congratulations to Kaila! She’s the winner of a free book from The Mailbox!

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My pooch, Lexie, has been chasing the same squirrel for over a month. She barks, she pounces, she lunges, she darts, and she dashes. All the while, about 30 feet out of reach, a sassy little squirrel skillfully scampers back and forth between two utility poles. Clearly my canine has no intentions of giving up the chase.

I’m all about setting the bar high. My experiences have taught me that, when you expect the best, better is always within reach. How do you keep your students motivated to do their best schoolwork?

Smiles,
Diane

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Okay, I know you’ve only been in school a month or so—maybe not even that long. But I just have to ask.

What is your favorite teacher gadget at this point in the school year?

Eager to hear!
Diane

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Every teacher knows that teacher workdays are seven days a week, right? So have you ever wondered why a day when students don’t attend school is called a Teacher Workday? It simply befuddles me. I think the term “Professional Development Day” is grand; however, it seems unlikely that this name applies to every No-School-for-Students Day. Now there’s a name that works. “Teachers-Only Day” seems to work too!

Well, I’ve sort of gotten off track. Imagine that? What I’m interested in knowing is what kinds of Teachers-Only Days are on your school calendar for this year? Please do tell!

Happily,
Diane

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When I hear the phrase “trip, trap,” images from The Three Billy Goats Gruff—a wooden bridge, a snappish troll, a lush green pasture, and a goat family of three—pop into my head. This week, I was reminded how a simple change of setting and a few different characters can put a new spin on a familiar story.

Imagine this: a parking lot, a shiny black Mercedes Benz, a sweet dwarf goat named Gus, a handsome young man, a fluffy dog bed, and a friendly editor from The Mailbox (that would be me ). Got ya wonderin’, don’t I?

I could tell you the story; however, it might be more fun to let you and your students write the story yourselves. After all, it is National Literacy Month! I will tell you this: Gus looked adorable sitting in that shiny black Mercedes!

Have a wonderful weekend!
Diane

PS Thanks to Lisa West for allowing us to use her wonderful photo of this Nigerian Dwarf goat.

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Will your school have a
family literacy event
this school year?

If so, please tell us about it!

Lovin’ literacy!
Diane

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As a third-grade teacher, I knew very little about fine-motor skills. For example, it never occurred to me to provide fine-motor exercises for children who clearly struggled to make their writing legible. I just thought they needed more writing practice or needed to write slower. Today I understand that these kiddos most likely would have benefited from a variety of age-appropriate fine-motor tasks, such as putting together puzzles, sculpting clay, and so on. Ugh! I feel so bad!

If you think your early (or established) writers could benefit from a fine-motor tune-up, check out the suggestions below. And for those of you who reinforce fine-motor skills on a daily basis, please describe your fine-motor favorites for us.

Always learning!

Diane

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Have you ever tracked your reading escapades on a map or globe? I decided to do this, like five seconds ago, to check out where I’ve been since August! I traveled by train from New York to Wisconsin to Louisiana and then back to Wisconsin. I spent an exciting summer on an island in Maine. And I’m currently hanging out in California with a doozy of a detective (who, by the way, I’m certain is extremely handsome). Ah, the life of a reader!

Because I know y’all celebrate reading and writing way beyond National Literacy Month, I’m counting on you having some favorite literacy center ideas. So in celebration of literacy, each literacy center idea—such as alphabet, phonics, word work, reading response, and writing ideas—posted on this blog this month will be considered for publication in an upcoming book or magazine from The Mailbox. And you know what this means! Each of your original ideas accepted for publication earns you a $20 gift certificate. I’m not saying you can share only one idea. Heck, no! You can share two, three, four, or more favorite ideas and have a chance to earn $40, $60, $80 or more in gift certificates toward The Mailbox publications. Cha-ching! Let’s get this celebration started!

Show me the ideas!

Diane

PS Ideas must be posted on this blog before November 1, 2011.

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