Category Archives: Uncategorized

Someone asked me recently about which classroom projects both foster and challenge community. Challenging the notion of community is just as important as supporting it for kids to learn why it matters. As I thought about it, I realized that … Continue reading →

We joke in my classroom that anyone is welcome to come join our group therapy sessions at any time. Feeling sad?   Need to vent? Want some support? Come join our morning meeting!   Part of our daily routine includes a … Continue reading →

This past spring when we finally escaped the deep freeze of our long winter, my class had much welcome time exploring outside. This unstructured time was such a welcome and refreshing change from the cramped, stale classroom. A particularly resourceful, … Continue reading →

This year in my class, we had a lot of death going on. More than one grandparent passed away, a beloved family dog died, several of our own classroom fish perished, and while studying Jamaica and reggae music, the subject … Continue reading →

I was watching a group of 3 girls playing the other day. They had a smoothly operating system going – a little assembly line of sorts, measuring and weighing different containers of materials.  Another child came over to join them … Continue reading →

4 and 5 year olds believe there is a bad guy out there, and they are going to get him. Every year it’s the same play scenario with some slight variations.  Sometimes it’s the police out to get a burglar.  … Continue reading →

When I was thinking about writing this blog entry, I struggled with the title.   I kept wanting to say something like:  “Squelching the Alpha Male” or “Taming the Alpha Male” but it sounded so negative and counter to what I … Continue reading →

One of the best and worst things about teaching is the schedule; early mornings with an insanely intense pace during the academic year, but complemented with vacations every couple of months and a summer that makes even those in the … Continue reading →

Due to some unprecedented circumstances this year, my classroom has been understaffed, which has meant a lot of juggling around of our schedule, greater expectations of the kids’ independence, and the constant, looming threat of teacher burnout. In many ways, … Continue reading →

I read an article in the New York Times recently called “Learning from Failure” about America’s infatuation with success stories and the inherent danger that comes from this kind of thinking.  It talks specifically about how some organizations feel pressure … Continue reading →