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Teachers Write Summer Camp – Post #1
Below is my writing plan for this summer and the next school year – the first assignment of sorts for the Teachers Write Summer Camp started by Kate Messner. I am making this plan public so that my friends and acquaintances can hold me accountable/responsible for following through. So, every so often ask me how I’m doing with… Read more
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The Rights of a Teacher (a partial list) and other thorny issues
Teachers have always worked in collaborative groups. Sometimes the makeup of these groups is self-selected and at other times it is not. Disclaimer #1: I always learn something when I work with other teachers. Disclaimer #2: I don’t always need to work with other teachers. I have the right to time and space to reflect on… Read more
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Chatty Class
I have a chatty class this year. The few subs I’ve had almost always leave me a comment saying just that. This is especially troublesome in the mornings as it can set the tone for the rest of the day, and chatty and loud does not bode well for a productive day of… Read more
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Accountability vs. Responsibility
Disclaimer: The tentative conclusions found herein are not what I initially intended, hence tentative. As I wrote, my ruminations took me in an unexpected direction. I hope readers will add sense to what may be nonsense, after all. Whatever happened to the word “responsibility”, a respectable and honorable word… Read more
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Book Review: Awakened by Angela Watson
Schools tend to be spaces of conflict that arise between adults, between children, and between adults and children. Although this is not necessarily a bad thing, everyday situations can quickly escalate if we don’t know how to respond to them in a productive manner. Problems about who has power and what they want to over-power,… Read more
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Just another kid on the playground…
A couple of days ago, I listened to a spiritual leader talk about how we “terrorize” our minds by building up a case against people we don’t like or don’t see eye to eye with. She said, “It’s not them but it’s our thoughts about them that terrorize us.” It could… Read more
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If I were in charge…
Schools are funny places. They are regulated by bells, and separated by subject areas. Cubicles of varying sizes house 24 children and at least one adult, sometimes more of each. If you’re lucky there is a narrow window in each cubicle to let in some sunlight; we don’t want children to be distracted… Read more
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I first heard about Lessons from the Geese in the mid-90’s. The person who first shared this with me turned out to have a completely different agenda in mind and is no longer someone with whom I am in contact. However, a spiritual leader I hold in high regard recently reminded me that this inspiring… Read more
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Student Led Conferences
This Thursday and Friday we had student led conferences at my school. This is the culmination of over a week of preparation and anticipation as we approach spring break. Typically, the children gather their work in each of the core curriculum areas, and art, to share with their parents. The children write reflections as to… Read more
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Writing Tips from a Parent
Recently, the mom of one of my students talked to our class about her work as a writer of YA books. She prepared a PowerPoint presentation using Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt as her mentor text. The following list includes some of the tips she gave the children. (1) First, it’s important to write about… Read more
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Elisa Waingort 