Scene: Indiana Dunes State Park. I’m hiking with my husband. It’s a cool, crisp early autumn day, the wind is at our backs, and we have the place to ourselves. The only sounds in my ears are the crashing of waves, the crush of hiking boots on sand, and the echo of my thoughts. It’sContinue reading “Teacher Life, Exhibit P”
Tag Archives: classroom
So Much for a Soft Landing
I meant to take it easy on my kiddos today. I really did. They’re just coming back from break, and I was fully prepared for a slow start to ease them back into big ideas, big thinking. It all started when I realized we needed to finish up our conversation about Dr. Seuss’s allegory YertleContinue reading “So Much for a Soft Landing”
On Gathering Moss
Elementary teachers have a solid reputation as pack rats. And for good reason. The sheer amount of STUFF it takes to teach elementary school is mind-boggling. Here’s the tip of the iceberg:-books for reading-curricular materials-office supplies-student supplies-teacher files-games, puzzles, activities, art supplies, writing supplies, room decor… …and that’s only for one grade level. Those ofContinue reading “On Gathering Moss”
Steering My Craft: Short Sentences, Revisited
This blog post is part of an effort to refine my own work as a writer, and to strengthen my practice as a writing teacher. For each exercise, I’ll provide the directions, my effort, and a short reflection. The Assignment: I’ll get real here. I wasn’t a huge fan of how things turned out for my shortContinue reading “Steering My Craft: Short Sentences, Revisited”
Steering My Craft: Long Sentences
This blog post is part of an effort to refine my own work as a writer, and to strengthen my practice as a writing teacher. For each exercise, I’ll provide the directions, my effort, and a short reflection. The Assignment: Craft a passage (up to 350 words) within a single sentence. Punctuation and complex clauses are welcome! SheContinue reading “Steering My Craft: Long Sentences”
Steering My Craft: Short Sentences
This blog post is part of an effort to refine my own work as a writer, and to strengthen my practice as a writing teacher. For each exercise, I’ll provide the directions, my effort, and a short reflection. The Assignment: Craft a paragraph using short sentences (maximum 7 words each). No sentence fragments are allowed! FIRST ATTEMPTAmong itContinue reading “Steering My Craft: Short Sentences”
Steering My Craft: Am I Saramago
This blog post is part of an effort to refine my own work as a writer, and to strengthen my practice as a writing teacher. For each exercise, I’ll provide the directions, my effort, and a short reflection. The Assignment: Craft a passage using NO punctuation. Gulp. Here was my go: He tied his shoes yes allContinue reading “Steering My Craft: Am I Saramago”
Troubleshooting: Questions Edition
It started out easy enough. My second graders were sharing the questions they had written with one another, and to promote supportive listening I had the kids nominate strong questions for a light-hearted “awards” ceremony. Our “Questies” consisted of 3 categories:*Questions we’re most curious to find the answer to*Big questions, that nobody really has theContinue reading “Troubleshooting: Questions Edition”
This I Believe
At the very heart of things, I am a classroom teacher. My vision for schools is firmly rooted in my core beliefs about education. I believe in public schooling as a cornerstone of American society. I believe that teaching is the greatest job in the world, and that children are the best co-workers in theContinue reading “This I Believe”
Soapbox: The Way I see Things 