In two more weeks it will be Spring Break. After that, April, May and June will probably just fly by. It seems that every week gets busier than the previous one. And, busier because there are school events (almost always worth the time) that seem to interrupt our classroom routines. Which makes me think that… Read more

Tennis. That is my sport. That is, if I had a sport, tennis would be it. I have never been athletic. I always have to plan when and for how long I will be going to the gym. I don’t like lifting weights. I’d rather join a class, but that still means getting my exercise… Read more

I think I’m finally getting into a routine with my daily slices. I usually slice at night. I am never one day ahead, although it would be great if I were. And, I am on mountain time, which means I have to post my slices no later than 10:00 pm my time. That feels like… Read more

Today we started reading the picture book Dust Bowl by David Booth. We didn’t get very far, but we’ll continue tomorrow. I haven’t been all that great about my #classroombookaday commitment even though my students have tried to keep me honest. Some days I haven’t read a book and other days we’ve been reading the same… Read more

I’ve been under the weather for the last three weeks or so. I’ve had a bad cold, which hasn’t helped. But I think I’ve had the winter blues. The endless snow. The cloudy days. That feeling that it’s only February and it’s a long tunnel ahead. Just feeling down about several projects that seemed to… Read more

This has been a tough winter. Looking for a house. Settling in to a new city, new country, new schools. Apparently, this has been a harsh winter in Calgary. But, honestly, it hasn’t felt that bad. Have we adapted so well this time around? Maybe I was expecting worse? Either way, it’s March 3rd and… Read more

Almost missed slicing today – the first day of the March challenge! So, this is going to be a short slice. Looking forward to a month of slicing. Not looking forward to more snow, although it’s definitely too late for that: it’s snowing now! At least tomorrow is Friday; the snow is supposed to fall… Read more

Thank you to the Two Writing Teachers for sponsoring the Slice of Life Challenge every Tuesday. Winter settles in. The snow is everywhere. More snow is on the way. Indoor recess is more frequent as the temperature dips below -20 degrees Celsius. Students rush in from lunch to find an independent reading spot. The room… Read more

Thank you to the Two Writing Teachers for sponsoring the Slice of Life Challenge every Tuesday. The workshop approach to reading and writing is as second nature to me as anything else I do as a teacher. It’s not perfect. In fact, I would never want it to be. Nevertheless, it feels familiar despite the… Read more