I always look forward to fall; don't you? It's the relaxing time right before the busy holiday season kicks in. The weather is cooler but not too cool. The excitement of a new school year is still in the air. And, of course, Halloween is on its way! When I was a child, I spent the whole month of October planning my costume for the big day. I would change my mind three times a week until it was finally time to get dressed. What fun!

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Happy October! This is officially my favorite month of the year. I love the fall colors! I love the cooler weather! I love Halloween! Here at The Education Center, we have quite the Halloween celebration, including a costume contest, cubicle trick-or-treating, and a pumpkin decorating contest.

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It’s hard to believe that an entire month of the summer season has come and gone. Each year I make a mental list of the projects I hope to accomplish during summer. This year’s list includes painting the living room, purging both the attic and my closet, giving my car a thorough cleaning, and tackling the tool shed once and for all. I’m quite certain there were additional items on the list, but that’s an important benefit of a mental list for summer—it’s flexible!

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My birthday is coming up soon! I have to say, having a summer birthday never really bothered me. I had friends who felt a bit cheated about not being able to celebrate their birthdays at school, but I guess I didn't notice it. I always had a good time having a birthday party with my grandparents or with other relatives we were visiting during the summer. My little sister's birthday was in the summer too, three weeks before mine, so I guess that helped me love a summer birthday.

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Some of my favorite days with students were spent in the summer school classroom. In our situation, the atmosphere was a bit more laid-back. The children and I could get to know each other and, best all, we could take advantage of fun summer themes! I’ve gathered some of my favorite theme-related activities from current issues of The Mailbox® magazine to share with you. Enjoy!

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I love Spring! The blue sky, the warmth of the sun, and the newness of the season simply boosts my spirits. For me, Spring has always been a feel-good time of year. As a teacher, I had favorite things that I looked forward to in Spring; and no, spring vacation was not one them. (Ok, that was a lie. I just wanted to see how carefully you were reading!)

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With the last name of Murphy, I’m accustomed to thinking of St. Patrick’s Day as if it’s a national holiday. I grew up believing that it’s not enough to wear a wee bit of green on the 17th—it’s best to dress in green from head to toe. But this year as I celebrate, I feel [...]

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In my experience, if you want students to really get excited about a subject or skill, use food whenever possible (being sensitive to any allergies of course). Even frozen peas and toothpicks got my kids way into building angles and 3-D shapes.

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It's hard to believe that it's February already and Valentine's Day is just around the corner! Some people I know think this is simply a greeting card holiday, but I think it's a nice opportunity for students to share with others how much they care. My second graders were always eager to make and distribute valentines, so each year I found ways to carve out time for students to do just that.

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Ah, the unexpected day off! These are the days that students live for. As a teacher I secretly loved snow days too. Even though it surely meant reworking the weekly lesson plans and returning to over-excited students, I enjoyed having that one treasured day to do whatever I wanted.

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