Summer break is almost here! Whether your long-awaited summer vacation has already started or you’re getting ready to put your feet up, we feel your excitement. With all the lessons and challenges from the last school are fading away, we’re sure it must be a huge...
I hate paper. While I’m generally a pretty organized person, paper is the beast I’m forever trying to tame: I can never find the piece that I want, I run out of it at the most inopportune times, and the piles of it that need filing never seem to get any smaller. It’s...
We’re about to wrap up the 2020-21 school year. If this was ever a year to celebrate crossing the finish line — this is it! Congratulations, educator — it’s just about time for you to enjoy a very well-deserved vacation. Whether you do your yearlong planning before...
Heading into summer is an essential time to support kids’ reading and writing projects. Continuing with literacy outside the school year helps kids develop further independence, opens up new possibilities for them as readers and writers, and continues to build joy...
You’ve got no choice, babe But to move on, and you know There ain’t no time to waste You’re just too blind, to see But in the end, ya know it’s gonna be May! (You know, as the meme suggests.) Okay, okay, it’s already the second week of May....
It’s teacher appreciation week! I can’t think of anyone in the world (well, other than health care workers) that truly deserves more praise and acknowledgment in 2021. During a “regular teaching year,” you’re already asked to do more work and put in more hours. You...
When I was an elementary classroom teacher, it was common practice to do Mother’s and Father’s Day projects. I can’t say that I gave it a whole lot of thought. It was what my entire team did year after year, and we usually came up with some cute craft or poem that the...
When I taught first and second grades, shared reading was a regular part of our day. Each day for about 10 to 15 minutes, I’d take out the big book or the chart of the poem we were reading that week and lead kids in a choral reading of the text, stopping along the way...
Aaah, April — a month when we see signs of spring renewal — spring break offers time for rest and relaxation — and then testing season begins. This year like everything else, state testing will be different. At the very least, it will be shorter than other years, and...
Self-care is more important now than ever before. How can we take care of others if we’re not taking care of ourselves? You know the saying, “Put your oxygen mask on first before you help someone else?” It’s true — you can’t show up for others when you’re not taking...
Spring break is finally in sight! With winter break a distant memory and perhaps you’re dealing with the stress of moving back into the classroom, I’m sure it must be a huge relief to see a vacation on the horizon. Hopefully, you’ll find some time to relax, restore,...
I’m a grammar nerd. I listen to the Grammar Girl podcast just for fun. I’m delighted by TED talks about grammar — keep reading for some of my favorites. I even use the words affect and effect properly most of the time. So, I’m always taken aback when...
