I do not know how it happened, but somehow the Christmas Season has arrived! There are many that hold that the season has not started until after Thanksgiving. Yet, there is enough evidence in the stores, on streaming providers, and
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Practice What We Preach
True confession: blogging makes me nervous. It is the vulnerability of putting my thoughts into words and then putting those words on the internet for people to read and judge that worries me the most. It makes me so nervous
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Putting Our Whines in Perspective
Hang around a group of teachers and it won’t belong before you hear one say something like, “Only a teacher is expected to grade 135 papers on their days off.” There’s always some truth to the complaint, but whenever I
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School Buses and Sea Horse Chariots
It is the 30th (gulp) anniversary of The Little Mermaid this week. I want to describe a scene to you that copyright law precludes me from simply displaying. In Ursula’s lair, there are dozens, nay, hundreds of creatures that with
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Saving Seeds
The weather was gorgeous over the long holiday weekend, mid-80’s, and clear with a light breeze. I finished painting our chicken enclosure, disentangled armfuls of the overgrown bermuda grass from the asparagus patch, and peered at the hopeful sprouts of
Read MoreFind the Power of Discourse
I cannot believe that we are into our 2nd quarter & it is now November. It seems like yesterday I was planning professional development to welcome back staff. Now we are moving into the winter where there is cooler
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Surviving the Second Quarter Slump
Is it just me, or is the second quarter the most difficult quarter of the year? Students pushing boundaries, a never-ending to-do list, the pressure of reaching all of your students so they learn and grow, collaborate with your team,
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Raising Student Voice through Inclusion
P-A-R-T-Y! Party! Party! Party! Where is the party? The party’s over here! Does this chant ring a bell? It does for me. It’s a popular chant at every Student Council event. The kids chant it back and forth across the
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How I Connect With Families
How often have you lost precious planning time because you were busy communicating with parents? How about getting so caught up in lesson planing that you completely forget to get back to parents? Too many teachers face this problem daily, and I
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