First and Last Day

First Day

Last Day

One hundred and ninety days...

Shut Down, Unplug and Disconnect

I returned to my new school today for day one (out of 10!) of pre-planning, and I had to remind myself of something...

Chalk Talk - Creative Things to do While Actively Monitoring

Ever wonder what it's like for a teacher during testing when he or she has to "actively monitor" students?


Today, we finally made it through another round of testing this year. At least for now.

Yesterday I wrote about a flaw of mine that students usually discover during testing season. Today, I want to share with you a post I wrote years ago about what I discovered about my students during testing, one day, while actively monitoring for over an hour!

You can read about it here.

Happy Friday. We made it!

After the Last Day of School

After the last day of school, when all the kids are gone, teachers have post-planning which pretty much means we have a big ole party and celebrate the fact that we don't have to see another kid for two months. Just. Kidding!!!

The Last Day of School

For the past several years, I have done this one special thing for my students. It happens on the last day of school, it's memorable, extraordinary, and it makes them cry every time...

A Handwritten Note for Every Student

This school year, I'm writing a thoughtful note to each and every one of my students...

A Special Thing We Do

There's this special thing we do in my classroom. I gave my students the idea to do it one day, and it sort of took off, and now we (they!) do it all the time...

It's Not Personal

Sometimes I wish I could capture and bottle the feelings I have during the first few months of school. I'm super happy, patient and optimistic about the school year. That's how I'm feeling these days. I'm able to deal with negative behaviors quickly, some small things I may even choose to ignore, and I focus on the positives and keep things moving. But inevitably, during the course of the year, when kids and teachers get a bit weary, emotions can get the best of us...

Day One. Without Kids.

Gwinnett county teachers returned to school today, bright and early, after having two glorious months off from work.  A week before kids come back, teachers come together to plan...or rather...attend meeting after meeting.  Don't believe me? Here's exactly how this first day went...

Why I'll Never Forget How She Made Me Feel

There's this famous quote from Maya Angelou that reads, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

I certainly don't remember everything about her, what she said or did, but I will never forget how Ms. Costa made me feel...