At lunch last month I heard something that made me burst out laughing with surprise. One of the second graders turned to another and jeered, "Oooh, you're feeling so moldy ( Read more... )

Incredible as it may seem - and I don't think it's quite sunk in yet - I have completed the coursework for my teaching credential. I just filled out my exit survey. All that remains is a Saturday first-aid/CPR workshop, and then I will be credentialed ( Read more... )

Today I treated the second graders like the middle school students I worked with in the spring, copying my master teacher's discipline system from that class. It actually worked pretty well. Today was no where near as overwhelmingly humiliating and discouraging as the last few days have been. There were no major "fights", (slap-fests, at this ( Read more... )

At the all-school meeting this morning, the principal tried to prepare the students emotionally for a difficult math test that's coming up this week. We're trying hard to hew to a tough pacing guide, and they're trying to establish norms that can be looked at from year to year. Given this is the first year, the pacing has been tough and the kids ( Read more... )

The class is mine. All mine! Ah -ha-ha-ha-ha! (Diabolical laughter.)

(Oh help! Hope I don't dance over a precipice ...)

Last weekend, I read a very interesting book entitled, "Hold on to your Kids, Why parents need to matter more than peers," by Gordon Neufeld. The book seeks to answer the following question ( Read more... )

Continuing in the vein of book-inspired ramblings ( Read more... )

You'd think that, at this point in my life, I would know better than to go to the library. Certainly not on a weekend when I have so blasted much to do. (whine) I really DID need that copy of the "King's Comissioners" for a math lesson coming up this friday ( Read more... )

Because I have a feeling other folks may be curious about what exactly constitutes second-grade algebra, here's a link to a description of what happened today in my classroom.http://www.livejournal.com/users/gnikniht_tuoba/3762.html?thread=6834#

One of the most difficult aspects of teaching is classroom mangement. If it's lacking or flawed, then that house of cards that is your lesson will all come a-tumbling down ( Read more... )