Setting the pace
As I sit to write this beautiful Saturday evening, I can’t help but think back over the course of the past month. How is it that the first month of school has already vanished? We’ve already completed several assignments, we’re about to begin our first novel, start MEAP-ing and fall weather is finally rolling in. […]
The Homework Honeymoon has ended
I’ve been purposely avoiding this post, but I feel that the time has come. Having worked through a pretty intense first unit, I was structuring this next two-week timeframe with a few more light-hearted activities that accomplished the same tasks. Seventh grade students are working on writing comics to illustrate the importance of text and […]
Week 3
I can hardly believe we’re already wrapping up the third week of school! Some days, the newness of the school year still lingers in the air. Other days, it seems that students are as comfortable as they were by the end of last year. Either way, it feels good to be getting into the groove […]
First Five Day Week
Hopefully I have at least a couple devoted readers, and to you I sincerely apologize for my late post today. After a 14.5 hour day yesterday, complete with a car-deer accident, and 2 (yes 2) trips back home between the end of the school day and the start of the open house, I spent most […]
Wednesday already?
As I told my students, my goal is to post every Friday with a “newsletter” type update abou the happenings in our classroom. I also mentioned that if I felt inspired to post again throughout the week, I would certainly take a moment to do so. Inspiration struck today. In my previous entries, I have […]
Enthusiastic Eighth Graders
By the time you reach the top level of any school or workplace, there’s a level of comfort and in some cases a sense of entitlement that begins to penetrate your thinking. In the four days we’ve been in session, we’ve had several rousing discussions about the changes being made around this building. And while […]
Splendid Seventh Graders
After the first week of school I can say without a moment’s hesitation that things went swimmingly. I have been thoroughly impressed by the level of responsibility and accountability the students have demonstrated this week. We’ve spent a great deal of class time talking about this year’s motto, “Building a Culture of Respect” and what […]
Fabulous Firsts
After countless hours spent planning and preparing my classroom, I find that there’s nothing quite like a classroom full of students. It will take me some time to adjust to my morning conference hour, being on my feet all day and talking a lot more than I’m used to, but for now, being in the […]
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