Here’s my take on teaching formal science lessons in the elementary grades: When push comes to shove, it’s the science lesson (or the social studies lesson) that gets moved to the next day and then the next day, and before you know it...

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I support the U.S. Mint wholeheartedly. I love coins! In fact, if anyone connected with the U.S. Mint is reading this blog, I’m behind you all the way and I’ll take any free coins you’d like to unload...

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Do you know that each year we update our early childhood and elementary plan books? I’m working on that today.

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Recently I took my golden retriever, Max, to a new kennel while I was out of town. It advertised all the luxuries of home—soft bedding, TVs tuned to animal shows, playtime, and special treats for snacktime. Although it cost more than I wanted to spend, I decided Max deserved a little extra TLC since I was going to be enjoying a vacation. When I picked him up, the kennel staff presented me with a report card for Max.

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Now that it’s December, you’re probably closing in on the halfway mark of your school year. Can you believe it? I remember the buzz in the classroom at this time of year---my students were so excited about the upcoming holidays! But I also remember feeling crunched for time. It was at this point in the school year that my wish for more teaching time would first surface.

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I’m hunched over a grid, sweat furrows my brow, and my brain aches with the agony of indecision. What could possibly be causing this intense stress and concentration? Why, I’m trying to decide what themes to put in next year’s issues of The Mailbox® magazine preschool edition! I’m only making the process sound stressful to garner your sympathy. I actually enjoy it very much.

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Boo! I'm back with great seasonal ideas from the current grades 2-3 and intermediate editions of The Mailbox® magazine! Enjoy! Ready to Order To prepare this seasonal center, write each sentence of a step-by-step description on a different sentence strip...

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During a recent conversation with my brother, he mentioned that he was in charge of getting my third-grade niece, Carly, to school by 9:00 the next day. Since I’m settled at my desk by 7:30 most days, 9:00 seemed like a late start to me. But then, thinking about my teaching days, my start times definitely varied.

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I love it when Hollywood takes a great kids' book and makes it into a movie. Now don't get me wrong; they don't always make the movie the way I would like. But they usually get kids interested in the book. Anything that gets a child interested in reading is all right with me.

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I’ve been planning for the next school year. And, well, the spreadsheet format I’m using is a little tricky. So I’ve been learning some new processes, and I’m here to report—it has not been easy.

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