Short on cash and short on time, yet you’d love to gift a fellow teacher or two with a Secret Santa surprise. Well, here’s a thoughtful idea that’s free and just a few clicks away! Visit themailbox.com and search our extensive collection of free offerings by holiday or season, grade level, and/or subject matter. Choose…
Drumroll, please. Okay, that was a little weak. Let’s do a second one. Much better!! Today is the unveiling of a Dream Team of Picture Books. During the last two weeks Kim and I have been drafting books for the team. Because there are soooooo many wonderful picture books available, we needed to narrow the…
In our office we have a mix of sports fans. Some are extreme, some are so-so, and others are totally oblivious. Those who love sports talk enthusiastically about wins, losses, points, conversions, punt returns, etc. Those of us who fall into the so-so and oblivious groups nod politely, try our best to look engaged, and…
I write and edit for The Mailbox®–thus it’s been awhile since I’ve been in the classroom teaching little ones. Despite this, I still have “teacher dreams.” You know what I’m talking about. They’re the dreams/nightmares in which: The students are arriving, and I have nothing planned. It’s the middle of the school day, and I’ve…
I don’t have any children, and I work full time for The Mailbox. So I don’t see children in the classroom on a day-to-day basis. This results in me not having a clue what is currently “cool” in toy land. What are children playing with these days? I didn’t know. So I decided to look…
I recently had a birthday. I just turned 43. You see what I did there? I put my age right out in the open. I figure age doesn’t really matter, plus it’s a lot better than the alternative, if you know what I’m saying. I celebrated with a “staycation.” It was the best and most…
You are a strong person. How do I know this? Because you are either currently teaching, have taught before, are in the middle of your teacher education courses, or are planning on becoming a teacher. So you are a strong person AND a superhero! Superhero teachers spend tons of time flying place to place getting…
I recently saw this video of a grandmother riding a roller coaster for the first time. (If it doesn’t brighten your day, then nothing will, and you might as well go back to bed.) That got me thinking of all the firsts you experience with your students—the first time a child understands one-to-one correspondence, the…
It’s April Fools’ Day, so on this wacky day, I salute teachers who have a fabulous, if slightly crazy, sense of humor. Mr. Lowrey, my fifth-grade teacher, is a perfect example of the quote to the left. Now that man was funny! I don’t necessarily remember exactly what he said or did to make me…
January is National Oatmeal Month! Who knew oatmeal had it’s own month!? I love oatmeal, but I was late in appreciating this adored breakfast food. For a long time, it was just too mushy for me. Even now, I tend to make it thicker than most people. (I like to convince myself that it’s actually…