In theory, I agree with the idea of “school choice.” If parents have strong feelings about their child attending a certain school, I think school choice makes sense. But for the rest of our community, I think the school choice
Read MoreThe Emotional Toll of the Last Day
Yesterday was the last day of school. There was a pizza party, yearbook signing, and lots of adorably dramatic pre-teen tears mingling with shouts of joy. In theory, I should have woken up today with a feeling of freedom and
Read MoreUntil the Last Day
Every year, there is a point in which I think, “I have done everything I can for my students. I don’t know what else to do?!” This usually occurs during the weeks after our standardized test. I teach third grade
Read MoreTeacher Appreciation Weak
Ah, teacher appreciation week. I look forward to the handmade cards and homemade goodies, and if I’m really lucky, school supplies or a Starbucks gift card. But here’s what I really want for Teacher Appreciation Week. Stop undermining the teaching
Read MoreTwo-minute(ish) Challenge
We have all seen the challenges posted on social media or overheard a colleague who is on a 30-day challenge. Maybe they are changing what they eat for 30 days or doing the 30-day push-up challenge. Either way you know
Read MoreThis is Our World
This past fall our district passed an override adding 50 new teaching positions and upgrading technology. This was a great victory for our community and schools. It showed a partnership, commitment and trust had been built and a promise moving
Read MoreIt’s Cursive! It’s Cursive!
A bombshell study published this week by a team of meta-researchers who reviewed the data on everything by everybody ever studied in education, suggests that the answer to field’s woes is much more simplistic than ever imagined. The culprit? Cursive.
Read More60 Days In
No, this is not the reality show 60 Days In, a tv series that follows seven individuals as they volunteer to go undercover spending 60 days as inmates in the Clark County Jail. Their goal is to obtain evidence of questionable or
Read MoreTrue Teacher Confession #2: Sometimes I Judge Too Quickly
I am not in the habit of asking that students not be placed in my classroom. In fact, I usually troll the 4th grade teachers at the end of the year and ask for students with siblings that were in
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