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!)

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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.

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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.

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If I could give you a quick glimpse inside the editors' heads here at The Mailbox® magazine offices, the one question you would see swirling around everyone's mind is "What do teachers think of THIS issue of The Mailbox?" Our editors love getting feedback from our subscribers. Your comments help us shape the magazines so that they continue to be a useful resource that you will turn to again and again for your classroom needs.

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My first graders always looked forward to learning center time. I did too! There’s something refreshing about the variety of activities and the freedom of movement. Often it was a challenge for me to find enough fun ideas on the skills I was teaching, though. It was even more challenging to find the time to come up with quick and easy activities on my own. Do you sometimes face the same challenges? What skills are you looking for in center time activities?

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Many of my students loved to visit the library. You know the type: the kids who couldn’t wait to check out the next book in the Magic Tree House series or another book by Steven Kellogg. Those were the kids who ran to meet me at the door, their faces shining as they proudly held their books up in [...]

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Dropping my students off with another teacher, for gym or music, always gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, there was the peaceful lull of a few minutes to myself—time to run to the restroom, call parents, grade some papers, and finish a few lesson plans. On the other hand, there was the frenzied rush of knowing that the clock was ticking! What should I do first—run to the restroom, call some parents—well, you get the picture.

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After I had been at The Education Center® for a few months, the first magazine that I worked on was published. I proudly displayed it on a shelf in my office. Now that shelf is populated with all of the books and magazines that I have had the privilege of editing or writing. Each one of those publications holds specific memories for me--memories of testing projects with my coworkers, researching interesting topics for learning center cards, or watching, wide-eyed, as an artist turned my simple directions into colorful, kid-pleasing characters.

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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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If I could peek into all the elementary school classrooms around the country, I’m sure I would find some sort of learning center in every one. Whether it was a traditional center set up in a particular area of the classroom, a collection of file folder centers in a file box, or a pair of [...]

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