Today is the first Friday in the month of March, and this means (drumroll, please) it’s giveaway time here at The Mailbox Blog! This month, I have a pot of gold waiting for the winner—seriously! To enter this month’s giveaway, simply share your opinion about the statement below before midnight EDT Friday, March 14. Teacher…
Teachers and Teaching
Guess What Day It Is
Can you guess what day it is? Uh, uh? Can you? Can you? I admit, I’ve played my goofy camel card (think GEICO commercial) here at the office on more than one Wednesday. I love that camel! Today, I’m delivering news I’m hoping will make you happier than a camel on Hump Day! Part 1:…
Functional Dysfunction: Teacher Teams
We humans are difficult creatures. As a lifelong human and curmudgeon, there should be little surprise in me saying that. Still, despite my cynicism, I enjoy people. People are my favorite humans, and I have come to face the brutal fact that life requires being around other people. As a teacher, you face the same…
It’s a Hat Day!
I suspect that the gravitational pull around my bed is stronger on Mondays, because when my alarm went off this morning, I physically couldn’t get out of the bed. I couldn’t do it. It was fluffy and comfy and the rain was pitter-pattering on the window. Plus I had been woken up twice last night…
Pigs!
Tomorrow, March 1st, is National Pig Day. Are you a lover of pigs? I know two people who collect piggy doodads of all sorts. And if I’m being perfectly honest, there was a time I wished for my own teeny-tiny pink pig with a curlicue tail. Today, when I think of pigs, I think of…
Recharging Dead Batteries
The world is a strange place indeed. One person’s morning pick-me-up is made of hot water filtered through finely ground, roasted (i.e. burnt) beans. Another person prefers hot water filtered through dried leaves. Still others crack open a can of carbon dioxide–infused water and corn syrup for their morning pick-me-up. I always smile when I…
Good Teachers Doing Good Stuff!
I get the CNN headlines via email every morning, and I skim them quickly. Very quickly. Sometimes I’ll open one or two and read the stories. Why only one or two? Because as my eyes glide down the headlines, this is what I see: death, shooting, hatred, unrest, pain, fire, dying, chaos, murder, Justin Bieber….
“Seuss” the Week!
Forty-four books for children. Forty-four fun-to-read, fun-to-hear, and fun-to-look-at books for kids. Thank you, Dr. Seuss! When I discovered the author had written forty-four books, I began to wonder how many of the books I’ve read; so I went in search of a book list. That’s when things got interesting. What I learned is that…
Bingo Daubers and Binder Clips
Bingo daubers and binder clips: two nifty inventions with two distinct purposes. Bingo daubers are for marking bingo cards, and those pinchy binder clips are for holding together papers—right? Well, perhaps we can agree that these are the intended uses for the inventions! If you snooped around my home, you’d find a binder clip in…
Flatulent Footwear and the Parts of the Brain
Story time. A few of my coworkers know I’ve spent a better part of the last two years searching for just the right new pair of shoes for work. While I was about to say that I am usually not picky about footwear, the editorial fact checker sitting at the back of my brain slapped…