It’s not easy being a planet. For one thing, unless you’re Earth, it’s pretty lonely out there in the solar system. Sure, Mars is getting all the attention these days with some incredibly impressive visitors. But as red-hot as Mercury is, there’s not much going on. Saturn’s got rings, but no medals or awards. And…
Ideas
Book Addiction
I stayed up too late last night, and I have only myself to blame. Or maybe, instead of blaming myself, I should blame a book. I had to read a book for my book club that meets this Friday. You see, I have been reading the books in the series A Game of Thrones, and…
Hearts and Giveaways!
Knock, knock. Who’s there? Sherwood. Sherwood who? Sherwood like to be your valentine! Best wishes for a rosy and chocolate-covered day! Diane P.S. There’s still time to enter this month’s First Friday Giveaway! You just might win a FREE book from The Mailbox and some colorful markers, too!
Terrible Teeth!
I have terrible teeth. I admit it. But it’s not my fault. I am a dental health enthusiast. If they gave awards for flossing and brushing and mouthwash-swishing, I would be giving a lengthy acceptance speech while clutching my golden tooth statuette. I inherited lousy teeth from my parents. So I go on with my…
Whoooo’s Ready for Valentine’s Day?
Yipes! It just dawned on me that a Valentine’s Day party in today’s classrooms might not include candy. Say it isn’t so! I agree that developing healthful eating habits at a young age is the way to go. However, if I’m being completely honest, I don’t think I can do Valentine’s Day without a piece…
Small Victories and Delicious Canned Luncheon Meat
We do a fair amount of rationalizing in our day-to-day lives. You know, I may have forgotten to stop at the grocery store on my way home, but when else were we going to eat that Spam? It’s a great way to turn small triumphs into large victories. We may have lost to that team…
Are You Blinding Them with Science?
Life’s a funny thing. When we asked our Facebook followers when they knew they wanted to be teachers, an astonishing number responded that they knew quite early, when they were young children. When I was a young child, I wanted to be a firefighter, mainly because of my love for dalmatians. I’ve wanted to be…
Jimmy Dislikes Eggs
While you learn something new every day, you may not learn something new every day that changes your life. For example, you don’t learn addition every day. You don’t learn the first law of physics every day. You don’t learn Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs every day. Some days you learn something simple, like Jimmy dislikes…
An Oscar to Your Students?
It’s that time of year when veteran teachers everywhere keep their eyes glued to their televisions and entertainment magazines. Why? To scan for the names of former students when the Oscar nominees are announced. Or am I the only one who does that? To be honest, I didn’t employ nearly as much dramatic play or…
Shivering in a Winter Wonderland
I don’t ever remember the school bus being a particularly warm place in the dead of a New England winter. Sure, it was better than walking, but I think we were warmed mostly by our own youthful sense of excitement about going to school or going home. Later, of course, it just wasn’t cool to…