Do you believe that asking students to write stories about any topic they choose can turn students on to writing? According to author Bruce Coville, that’s how he discovered his love of writing. For him it happened in sixth grade. By the time he was 17, he had decided he was going to be a…
You’ll agree that smiling is contagious, right? I mean, didn’t you smile when you saw this photo? I sure did. I discovered lots of smiling photos on a fellow teacher’s Pinterest board. She maintains a board of smiles: smiling kids, smiling adults, and even smiling animals. I love this idea and intend to create my…
Mark your calendars! This Thursday, March 16, is Absolutely Incredible Kid Day (AIKD). On this day, adults and teens are encouraged to write, post, tweet, and tag (#AIKD) notes of encouragement and inspiration to the kiddos in their lives. As a teacher, you may think “Good grief, I do this every day.” And maybe you…
When I learned that today was International Women’s Day, I was sort of caught off guard. I didn’t know us gals had an international day of celebration! As you can tell, I didn’t choose to celebrate by not showing up to work. That idea just didn’t float my boat. I’m all about gender equality. Always…
I believe I’ve discovered a New Year’s resolution I can stick with. It won’t make me sweat or experience uncontrollable cravings. If I space it out for a day or two—or a week—it’s alright. And as an added bonus, this resolution can help me power through those days when Murphy’s Law drives me alarmingly close…
How would you like to receive this adorable basket filled to the brim with holiday pencils? I thought you would! Pencils are always a hot classroom item. Holiday pencils are super hot. And this basket can be used through the winter for all kinds of things! How can you enter for a chance to win?…
Please join me in congratulating Linda C., the winner of this month’s First Friday Giveaway. Linda has won the ginormous scarecrow bag and all the goodies inside. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to drive a brand-new car (or a used car for that matter) inside the bag. However, I feel certain Linda will be pleased with…
This morning, a local news personality spilled the beans—summer vacation for students and teachers is more than halfway over. Whaaaat? Say it isn’t so! One of the great things about teaching, in my opinion, is the fresh start of a brand-new school. I like that “clean slate” feeling. I also totally love getting to know…
“You are soooo smart!” As quickly as the words left my lips, I muttered to myself, “I’m not supposed to say that.” Now granted, I was talking to my pooch who had just brought her KONG toy to me for our workday ritual (a dab of peanut butter before I leave for work). However, pup…
I’m surprised every time I hear middle school teachers rave about teaching middle school. Honestly, I get shivers just thinking about the possibility of landing a teaching job in a middle school. I’m not sure which terrifies me more—the subject matter or the kiddos! What I think is super-duper is that teachers most often love…