Today I was reminded of the importance of taking a step back to observe students. Yetta Goodman calls it kid watching. Others may call it listening in. Whatever you call it make sure to take a few minutes every day to observe and record your observations while students are working and interacting with each other.… Read more

After my last blog entry, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what’s working and what’s not working in my class and, by extension, what needs to change. Part of the (my) problem is that everything always feels rushed; this particular group of children needs more time to explore and ease into learning. Instead,… Read more

Have you ever had one of those days where everything seems to go wrong and nothing you do seems to work? No matter how hard you try you feel like you’re just bumbling along? What do you do when you feel like the worst teacher that walked the planet? How do you take back a… Read more

What the iphone Can Teach Us About Teaching What do you think? Read more

I am planning a series of monthly sessions for my students’ parents on reading. More specifically I plan to discuss the approach to teaching reading (Reading Workshop) that I use in my classroom as well as how I assess children (observations, one-to-one conferences, conversations, etc) in order to determine what to teach and what configurations… Read more

It’s 4:33 am. I’ve been up for about one hour; I can’t sleep. Yesterday I couldn’t sleep either. So, instead of lying in bed trying to count sheep I decided to do some work. We have three teacher days to get ready before the children arrive. Are there other professionals that have three days to… Read more

In less than two weeks I’ll be starting another school year in a new well-lit classroom with a new group of students. I’m excited. I’m nervous. I’m ready. I’m ready to focus on my students and maintain that focus throughout the year. I am ready to stay calm and not just during the easy times.… Read more

My second child is going off to college this month. When my oldest left, four years ago, I couldn’t drop her off because I was starting a new job. This time around I am going but I can’t help her move in because I start to work three days earlier this year. Just the time… Read more

Recently I was invited to blog on Schoolwide Blog. http://www.schoolwideblog.com So far, I’ve posted three blogs on parent involvement in their children’s learning. I’ve enjoyed the process of writing and the responses I’ve received to my entries. I am limited to approximately 250 words and, needless to say, this has been a challenge. It’s not… Read more

I’ve always considered myself a good teacher of writing and I love to write. My students leave my classroom at the end of each year loving to write, as well. Nevertheless, I haven’t always seen myself as a writer. I do write a lot but most of it has been for my own consumption. I… Read more