Something I noticed while looking at my calendar: There’s always a day or a week or a month devoted to books or literacy or something language-artsy. Sure, on March 14 (3.14) we had Pi Day. That was a tough one to explain to a lot of people, but it was mathematics-related nonetheless. It may be…
classroom
When the Curtain Falls
Over at Diane’s Be the Difference blog (that other blog from The Mailbox), Diane recently asked readers what the first thing was that they did each morning upon arriving at school. For me, it was always a check of my mailbox followed by the trudge up three flights of stairs, then into my classroom. I…
End-of-Grade Downtime
It’s the end of my family’s first school year in North Carolina. My oldest son starts his EOG (End-of-Grade) testing tomorrow. He has yet to show any signs of stress about it like he did when he took his first MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) tests back in Massachusetts. In fact, when we left Massachusetts…
Field Trip Season—Share Your Story and Win!
I was given my first heads-up about our big seventh grade field trip a few days after I started teaching. You may remember those days. You were about to prove that you were the Greatest Teacher Ever. Your classroom looked like the Greatest Classroom Ever. Your plan book would soon win a Pulitzer for Most…
Lesson Planning in Spring Fever Season
We’ve had a few days here in North Carolina that were warm enough for my sons to run around outside in shorts and T-shirts. So I imagine that these longer daylight hours are having a similar effect on kids all across the country, even in your own classroom. Spring fever is about to outduel the flu…