My ESL newcomer has talked to me a lot in Spanish. He has repeated a lot of English. It was a GREAT moment this week when he shared his first independent communication in English- as he left my classroom, heading … Continue reading
I am trying to be quick- even though I am not usually a quick writer! I am on a lunch break from our first day back to school professional development. I am happy because I am with my “tribe.” Our … Continue reading
I’ve been waiting, hoping, wondering when it would show up. As the days of summer break dwindled “like sand in the hourglass,” my thoughts began to turn to the new school year. But I was feeling the ending of summer … Continue reading
I suppose most of us teachers at least think we know the answer, know what our students are reading. But consider what Matt de la Pena said in his Newbery speech. He said he didn’t consider himself a reader, “but … Continue reading
This year our annual school talent show took on a new format. It was still as cute as ever. The theme was Talent Through the Decades. Most of the acts were whole classes doing songs from the Hit Parade of … Continue reading
With only four days of our school year left, the goodbyes have begun. Last night we celebrated with our retirees. Of the four, only one is a traditional retiree. She is a legendary teacher at our school. She is usually … Continue reading
Over the past couple of weeks, I have been working with fifth graders as they craft “Where I’m From” poems. Our mentor is George Ella Lyon, a poet laureate of Kentucky and author of many books for children. Friday afternoon … Continue reading
