Last week I touched upon my anxiety at the beginning of the school year about never having the right amount of the necessary supplies for my classroom—specifically: tissues, which seem to disappear in January faster than raindrops in the Mojave in August. But have you ever found yourself buying a jacket for a student to…
field trip
Thanks at Thanksgiving
From myself and the rest of the editors and employees here at The Mailbox, thanks for… –Cleaning up some sick kid’s vomit when you came to school sick yourself –Staying at school until 9:30 PM for that last parent-teacher conference –Getting to school before 6:00 AM to prepare for a day of overseeing bubble-filling –Being…
Seven Faces Lighting Up in the Dark
Perhaps this is the most wonderful thing about teaching: seeing the wonder and amazement on a child’s face as she learns something new. It’s the eyes brightening and a brow rising as a young girl makes the connection between something she has read in a book and now experienced in another lesson, in a hands-on…
Help! I’m Chaperoning a Field Trip.
I’m going on a field trip this week. It’ll be the first one I’ve ever witnessed from the chaperone’s perspective. I’ve done it as a teacher—with all the joys of carrying permission slips, contact information, EpiPens, inhalers, extra pencils, snacks, and a position of ultimate authority just a smidge shy of the bus driver’s (who…
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…