From time to time, I’ve written about Ms. C. – the amazing Ray of Sunshine (Ed Tech) who peppers herself into my room from time to time, but I’ve never really given her the starring role in a post she deserves. When I first met Ms. C. last summer on the first day of school, [...]

This is our last week before Spring Break… it’s never easy when vacation looms, but this week is extra hard for me… two of my favorite ladies are going to be heading out for maternity leave. I know, I know, bringing babies into the world is serious business, but I don’t mind saying I’m being [...]

A few years ago, when I taught second grade, I discovered an amazing piece of software called Stationery Studio by Fablevision.  This writing software allows teachers to create customized writing paper by modifying the layout, lines, and design.  You can even type text to begin a prompt and it allows you to use a traceable font [...]

Today during Writing Workshop, I worked with Sophia.  She came in a struggling learner and has made slow progress.  We’ve worried about her and have had her parents working with her on some of the concepts she’s had trouble with – with limited success. As I helped her with her writing, I got quite a shock. [...]

Yesterday, as happens most days, there was a missed pickup of a student who needed to go for special services.  We were out at Reading Buddies and missed  his pickup by minutes… so I walked him down while Mrs. D. read a story to the rest of the group.  I also informed her I needed [...]

I have a confession… I am prone to going overboard.  I know, shocking. Anyway, here goes… in my entire teaching career, I’ve never been able to have a real party with my class… you know with cookies, cupcakes, and cake. Year after year, I’ve had at least one (if not many) sprouts with food allergies. [...]

Last Thursday, I had to leave class for a few hours for a meeting.  While I was gone, they made some super cute scarecrowsusing different colored shapes.  Each child cut out their shapes and then put the scarecrow together. Finally, they added some real hay to finish the scarecrows off. At the end of the [...]

Two days of rain.  Two days of inside recess.  One of those days with no special.  I’m convinced Mother Nature is a cruel, evil, spiteful lady… Of course, with no recess and no place to take the class, by the end of the day Friday, things were looking grim.  To be clear, in our class [...]

As I reflect on this last challenging week, I can’t help but feel hesitantly triumphant.  Life is about overcoming challenges and this year, my class is, well, difficult to say the least.  As teachers, we are constantly reassessing our craft, changing and molding to meet the needs of our sprouts, but sometimes, you feel like the toolbox [...]

Today, as we walked outside for recess, Lorenzo, our line leader, whispered, “Mrs. ______ can I tell you something?”  Yes, he still calls me ‘Mrs.’ and it hasn’t gotten to me yet. Now, we’re supposed to be silent in the hallways.  It’s not an easy feat for kindergartners.  Dare I say, it can be impossible, [...]