This Thursday, February 20th is National Love Your Pet Day! I have three spoiled cats (Ralph, Rufus, and Moose) who get loving every day, but I will certainly give them some extra treats this Thursday. They deserve all the love because I benefit from them so much! Did you know that having a pet can–…
Today is Speak in Complete Sentences Day. (Honestly, my teacher friends, I can’t make this stuff up.) I don’t know who came up with this holiday, but it makes it sound like the remaining 364 days can be spent grunting monosyllables. Of course to teachers, every day is Speak in Complete Sentences Day! And that’s why…
Sometimes it seems like all we hear are negative things. Between my CNN email updates and the things some people post on Facebook, it’s surprising that I smile at all. I know that children pick up on our negativity. So when I see something just chock-full of feel-good vibes, I love to share it! And…
October 20, 2012, is the National Day on Writing, sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and recognized by US Senate Resolution 565. I thought you’d like to know about it. NCTE has plenty of information about the day on their website, and getting your students to be a part is easy….
While I was getting all misty-eyed about my years at Chapman Elementary School the other day, I stumbled across another interesting piece of debris in the jumbled, cobwebbed recesses of my memory. Sentence diagrams. There were a few diagrammed sentences sticking out of the boxes where my fourth and fifth grade remembrances are kept. Those…
Writing an inspiring blog post is sometimes like trying to capture lightning in a bottle. In other words, it’s a piece of cake. Obviously. Spending a productive day in the classroom is the same thing. It’s easy to stay inspired and find creative solutions to classroom challenges whenever they arise. People think teaching is hard,…
The next great cataclysmic education reform debate is about to erupt with the power of several hundred burning suns. Or maybe not. Perhaps the next great education reform debate will fizzle out like a damp firecracker in a rainstorm. Cursive handwriting: in the standards or not? Mrs. Worthy, Mrs. Singer, and Mr. Winters all managed…