It is the night before the first day of school. You are a prepared teacher. You have great lessons ready for your students. Everything is printed and ready to go. Yet, you still feel worried. What if this math lesson
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A Rainbow Inside the Cloud
During a small group outing to Burton Barr Library, one of my students directed me to “Look up at that, Mrs. Wheelington!” I did, and I saw something I never saw before…a rainbow inside a cloud. I posted a picture
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Teacher Self-Care: Seek harmony as you seek well-being
In Tony Hillerman’s (and since his death, his daughter Anne’s) detective fiction, the Legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee solve crimes, mostly murder, on the Navajo Reservation. Chee follows the Navajo Way, and in many books reflects on
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Do you Open or Close Doors?
As a principal, each year I try to choose a theme or focus to guide our work through the year. Last year we focused on our why and made connections through teaching and learning. This year, as I thought about
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Happy Classroom Community
Having my daughter in fifth-grade last year changed the way I look at my classroom. Her school day started in my partner teacher’s homeroom for math and science and her afternoons were spent in my room for Reading, Writing, and
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#FirstDays with MORE Kids
Some teachers say that class size is everything. What if I told you that my #FirstDays with extra students have been totally AWESOME?!? Don’t stop reading. I’m not crazy. I’ll tell you why extra typical peers in my developmental preschool
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Too Close to the Sun
As I explained in my first blog post on this site, I’m not a normal teacher; I’m a cool teacher. And I felt extra cool on day one of my second year. This is a flashback to a year ago;
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Crying over Spilled Milk
Day one was near-perfect. I was able to leave both my boys (8 weeks and 2 and a half) at home with my inlaws for the first time without tears. I was on time (a true shocker for those who
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#FirstDays Beyond the Four-Hour Block
We were asked to introduce ourselves in our blogs this week, and that feels funny, since this is the sixth (or seventh?) year I have had the opportunity to contribute to Stories from School Arizona. This will be my 25th
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