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Elisa Waingort

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A Teacher Musing Out Loud

  • Books, Books, and More Books

    I’ve been absent from my blog for the past week, but for a good reason: I’ve been doing writing for my doctoral research. So much so, that my brain feels like it’s on overload. I don’t think I could extend any more brain power at the moment and, yet, I write some more.    It… Read more

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  • New Habits in the Making

    Today is the second day of a ten-day break. I don’t go back to school until Feb. 10th, so I’ve had time to read and write a lot. This always leads me to reflect about teaching and life in general. I start to think about what I can improve, both on a personal and a… Read more

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  • Changing Habits

    I haven’t written anything in three days and for a good reason: I was with my students on the grade 5 Outward Bound trip in Mindo, Ecuador.Although Mindo is only 2 1/2 hours from Quito, it has a completely different climate than the capital city. Mindo is in the cloud forest and has a subtropical… Read more

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  • Temptations

    What temptations would you be better off removing from your life? This was a recent question from the Thought Questions website. It is a great one for me because temptations sometimes stand in the way of realizing some of my goals.Although getting rid of some temptations (candy and gum come to mind) would make my… Read more

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  • Rule Follower

    In most aspects of my life I am a rule follower and this is particularly true in school. I was a good student, a “goody two shoes”; I never got in trouble. I always did my homework and turned projects in on time. My parents always went to parent-teacher conferences even in high school. I was rarely… Read more

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  • Changes, Changes, Changes

    The first day back to school after a break is always hard. This is especially true if the vacation was a long one. First of all, not all of the kids come back at the same time and those that are present are either sleepy or just very quiet. And, even though I want to… Read more

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  • Professional Reading

    I did a lot of professional reading and thinking during the winter vacation. And, although I started writing this post before school started and am only publishing it now, it details some of my thoughts on this professional reading. This is a good exercise for me now that we’re about to enter our third week… Read more

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  • Saying Goodbye

    I can’t get used to saying goodbye to my daughters even though we’ve been doing it for the past 10 years. You’d think it gets easier, but it doesn’t. It still feels like the first time. Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come… Read more

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  • New Year Adventures

    I spent several days with my family in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. I live in Quito with my husband and 11-year-old son. My two oldest daughters live and work in the U.S. Christmas is one of the few times we see each other during the year though we always look for ways to get… Read more

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  • Try it Yourself First!

    As teachers of writing, we know that using precise words in our writing allows our readers to visualize and understand what they’re reading. Therefore, we advise our students to select precise words when they’re writing. We take this aspect of our instruction seriously. We also know that avid readers develop an extensive vocabulary which they… Read more

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