Oh my students never cease to amaze me.  Calvin did something today that has to rank as one of the sweetest gestures I’ve ever seen. Well today, Calvin hadn’t even walked into the classroom, and he handed me a book.  It was Whistle for Willie. Now we’ve read many Ezra Jack Keats books and I’ve [...]

Love really is all you need.  I know, I know, it’s much easier said than done. Trust me, I know.  This year, I have one little guy, William that has really challenged me.  I have tried every trick in the book: preferential seating, behavior charts, positive feedback, and, well, I ‘ve thought about duct tape, [...]

Two random items from my day.  I thought about writing two posts, but decided to give you a two-fer. For Christmas, Santa brought me this cool little bracelet called an UP.  You wear it twenty-four hours a day and it tracks how much you move and sleep.  While I do exercise, today wasn’t a day [...]

Oh what a day!  When I got in my car this morning, as I waited a few minutes for my car to warm up (really, how long are you supposed to wait?  I never get past two minutes), I took a sip from my tea (I start the week with tea and am stopping for [...]

As many of you know – my poor site has come under attack lately by something called ‘malware’.  I had no idea what this was and I’m still not entirely sure, but it meant my site wasn’t ‘safe’ or ‘clean’ and you could possibly get an infection from it… well not you, but your computer. [...]

Each morning, my entire school eats breakfast together.  Each classroom sits together and dines.  It’s something my principal spearheaded last year (before my arrival) to curb absenteeism.  After just one year of offering free breakfast to every child, it worked.  Not only were absences significantly down, but visits to the nurse were too. Kids ...

Yesterday, in the dewy haze of late morning, I took my sprouts outside to do some illustrating.  We’re studying trees and have been talking a lot about roots, trunks, branches, and leaves.  With a few days of study under our belts, I thought it would be a good time to do some sketching of real [...]

Yesterday, a reader posted the following on my facebook page: This is my first year to teach kinder (I am also a male, and proud to be a male kindergarten teacher). I am at school 10-12 hours a day. On the 10 hour days, I work a couple of more hours at home. On the [...]

One of the things I love most about teaching kindergarten is the spontaneous nature of five-year-olds… and, well, me.  My brain works at a speed so fast, sometimes thoughts pass me by without ever truly garnering the attention they deserve.  Every once in awhile, one pops out of my mouth – and is a good [...]

Well, two full days with my new sprouts and I’m more certain than ever I was born to teach kindergarten.  Maybe that sounds silly, but it’s just how I feel.  These kids come in, so eager and excited about school and look to me for every cue.  Me.  Who the heck am I to take [...]