Category Archives: Uncategorized

So THIS would be why I didn’t have kids come down to my room today: Even though the water itself was gone within a couple of hours, I was not sure whether or not I would make it back into my classroom to TEACH. I’m still not sure. So, I tried to grab whatever IContinue reading “A Long, Long, Day”

Actually, if you had asked me at about 7:30 this morning, I couldn’t have told you. I was tired. Crabby. Feeling overworked, overweight, over-scheduled, and under-appreciated. In need of that last hug from my boys, hoping that extra squeeze could set me on the right path for the day. Close, but not quite. On toContinue reading “Why I Got Up Today”

So…how do I exactly know that I’m working with gifted kids? Well, let’s start with the kindergarten and first-grade students I’m working with, shall we? (For the uninitiated, that puts them at ages 6 and 7.) I gave them the following premise: “If you could spend all day studying about anything you wanted, what wouldContinue reading “Exhibit A”

Here I am, grading the latest round of tests. This time, it’s geometry. Last time, it was decimal multiplication and division, and I don’t know who wanted to cry more – the kids or me. Those of you who read of my dream know I told myself that I’d put together a checklist (buzz-speakophiles willContinue reading “New Way of Business, Part 2”

Maybe it was the barbecue talking. Maybe I just had a lot on my brain. But I woke up last night at 12:30 after the most puzzling nightmare. It was at school. There I was, in the teachers’ lounge, and there were a couple of moms sitting down at the table. Of course I knewContinue reading “A New Way of Doing Business?”

…so get this. There was a story on the news today about a Florida school where kids run the place. No teachers, no curriculum – just a center of discovery. But that’s not the point here.   The point is that they asked Meline Kevorkian, who’s written several books about education, for a quote aboutContinue reading “Why I Seldom Watch the News”

…is also the one that I never got asked before I had kids. For that matter, I never got it before my kids started school. But here goes: “You’re a parent. What would you do if you were me?” Granted, I’ve been able to call on being a parent in so many ways as aContinue reading “The Question I Just Can’t Answer…”

Ok, people. I confess! I confess! I am the one who went on the morning announcements this month – twice! – to encourage children to write a poem a day for National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo, not to be confused with November’s NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month). And I think I’ve started something good!Continue reading “Putting My Money where my Mouth Is”

“I’m a terrible reader. I mean horrible. Really, I’m glad my kids can read and they don’t need my help on homework because I can’t read for the life of me. And it’s a good thing that I don’t need to do it really well, because I’d be totally stuck. I don’t know what itContinue reading “Freely Admitting It”

For those of you contemplating one-to-one computing programs in your district, you might want to follow this story. Allegedly, a Pennsylvania school district equipped students with laptops. It was discovered that the district was remotely activating their webcams to monitor behavior. Yikes. http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/02/18/24789.htm