Theory Into Practice

Some things are good in theory but pale when put into practice. I’m thinking, of course, about a family pack of high-powered water guns as a Father’s Day gift. Or the platypus. Or teaching a class of seventh graders the word masticate.

To Code or Not to Code

When I was quite young, I often got to play on the Selectrics in my father’s company’s offices. I loved to type before I loved to write. I thought about this when I read recently that computer science is the highest-paid college degree; that computer programming jobs are growing at two times the national average; but that we’re producing so few computer science graduates.

It Was Black and White and Read All Over

Newspapers… On television and in the movies, they’re something dad reads every morning over breakfast while the family buzzes around him, or on the subway to work as he is jostled and pickpocketed… Does your school produce a student-run newspaper?

How to Celebrate in Style?

How would you like to see a photo of all The Mailbox editors wearing aluminum foil hats? I’ll make it happen before the end of the school year. But you have to do me a favor. I need lots of ideas for how a teaching staff can wrap up its school year in style.

Making the Most of These Days

Creating lessons for the last few weeks of school that [continue] to engage students bent on celebrating the joys of summer [is] no easy task. A teacher really has to bring his or her A-game.

Enjoying Children’s Book Week

Yesterday morning (May 13), the sun rose on silent wings, spreading its golden blanket across a land renewed. Renewed by what? Renewed by the fact that Children’s Book Week had descended upon us in the night.

Life, the Universe, and School Supplies

For me, the answer is always 42, unless the question is “How many times per month do you buy school supplies with your own money?” In that case, my answer would have had to be…

Are the Cupboards Bare? Teacher Appreciation Week Giveaway

By early May, with the end of the school year on the horizon and Field Day looming, a supply cabinet filled mostly with air and dust bunnies always stared back at me. The tissue reserves had been decimated by March, if not earlier. Notebook paper? Fugeddaboutit! Cleaning products? Sure, there were a few items left, including an emaciated roll of paper towels and a half bottle of Goo Gone.

Take the Tech Outside

It’s that time of year. Take your students outside for fresh air and supercharged STEM learning! Courtesy of the STEMblog, here are “5 Ways to Take Technology Outdoors.”

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Sleep and I are good friends. In fact, I’ve known sleep about as long as I can remember. I’m so fond of sleep, we bond every night over a pillow and pleasant dreams. Maybe that’s why I keep coming back to the topic. I think a healthy relationship with sleep is a huge key to students’ success in the classroom. Research has proven that delta sleep—the deep, slow-wave, rejuvenating sleep—is essential for proper growth as well as physical and intellectual development.