A lot’s been brewing over the last couple of quiet months. With the demands of winter — assessments, benchmarks, report cards, observations, interventions — came stress and distraction from the teaching joys I felt in fall. With these demands also … Continue reading Why We’re Not Celebrating the 100th Day of School…or Following Other Pre-deterimined Plans
Writing workshop used to be a “no talking” time in my classroom. As soon as the classical music started, so did my reminders of “silent work.” Conferences and small groups were interrupted by my need to shhhhh. As voices spread across … Continue reading Before You Silence, Listen
Here’s an experiment for you, as a parent or teacher: Put 4 pieces of masking tape on your arms. Spend an entire day with a pen in your hand and make a tally mark for every type of sentence you … Continue reading The Language of Command
It’s been a month since school started. A month since a school-free dream, worry-free Sunday, since my mind has been at rest. It’s also been a month since I’ve written, the one essential aspect of my life I have yet … Continue reading It’s all about the numbers
I was a reluctant writer — —Something I have never considered myself before. In fact, I’ve always felt writing was a strength of mine. When it came to this type of writing, writing for the world (as I call it below), I … Continue reading I Am a Writer
I’m thrilled to see so many teachers trying soft starts or planning to try them. There have been questions floating around that I am hoping to answer in this post. Know that last year was my first year trying … Continue reading More on Soft Starts
Today was a crappy day. As educators, no matter what is going on in our personal lives, or with our health, we have to muster up everything we’ve got to give to our kids. Realistically, we are all … Continue reading Please Stop the Morning Work
