Was I destined to end up working for The Mailbox? That’s hard to say. Destiny is a difficult subject. Are teachers destined to always have to create their own supplemental materials? If I lingered around my blog for a few minutes, I bet I’d be able to make out many grumblings. With the emergence of…
The Mailbox
Teachers Expect the Unexpected
That’s right, my first major assignment of the day today was killing a rather sizable spider stalking a coworker. Let’s not debate whether the spider could have been captured and released into the wild. I believe this big creepy-crawly had been born in captivity, as it were, a lifelong resident of the nooks and crannies…
What Would a Teacher Do?
Sometimes I can go on a tear and have something that I want to write about here at the Exchange just about every single day. Then we have a stretch like this recent one, where I go missing for a week and a half. What’s brought me back is another number. The number is 15,800,000,000….
You Can’t Get No Satisfaction?
So the big news last week was not that I had somehow convinced myself to volunteer to be assistant coach on one of my sons’ little league teams. As unexpected as that was—and, believe me, it was about as expected as the announcement that The Mailbox has hired an Elvis impersonator to edit the magazine—the…
Where Never Is Heard a Discouraging Word
Not only is the school year already a long one, filled with ups and downs, but this year you got to linger a day longer in February. At times, it can feel like the year is rocketing past you at an alarming rate and it’ll be a challenge to bring all the fun, creative lessons…
The Unknown Future of Hand-Generated Communication
My invitation must have gotten lost in the mail. Monday, January 23, 2012, was the date and Washington, DC, was the place where I was supposed to be. Clearly. Yet my invitation to the conference Handwriting in the 21st Century? An Educational Summit never arrived. Clearly an oversight I do not expect to see happen…
The Sky Is Not Falling Currently
The sky fell last week. Or didn’t you notice? Or maybe you realized exactly why the sky fell and you reacted appropriately—with either a “You go, democracy!” or a “Well, it’s time to find a work-around.” The sky to which I am referring is not the actual sky, that blue blanket across our heads that…
When New Students Move In
It’s been a weird few weeks and an odd couple of days in my life at The Mailbox. Don’t worry, your trusted Upper Grades Exchange blog author is in good health in general and good standing at work (last I checked). We’ve been moving offices within our space, and many of us have faced interesting…
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…
Calling All Creative Technophiles!
I have seen teachers dumbstruck by the marvel that is the interactive whiteboard. A demonstrator flips the switch, lights dim, and The Beatles’ “Got to Get You Into My Life” seems to play quietly in the background. Manipulating terms, circling important ideas, playing multimedia, allowing students to play the role of educator, getting instant feedback…