There is a list of things that I do every year, just before school begins, to get everyone and everything prepared for the school year. Some of the tasks are practical and some of the tasks are psychological, but they are all important. A simplified version of my list looks like this: 1. Help a […]
When I’m not playing mom taxi this summer, I’m tackling the house, one room at a time. Every room is getting the three pile treatment before being carefully organized. An old toy in a new location gets fresh attention. Lost socks are found in completely inexplicable locations. That ‘weird’ smell is finally identified as a […]
Halloween costumes are not allowed at our elementary school. Instead, the Friday before Halloween was “wear orange” day, which is pretty much every single Friday’s uniform for people of all ages in all of Knox County. On Halloween, the fourth graders were given the assignment to dress like an idiom. I thought this was a […]
After Zoo Camp times two, Jedi Camp, Apple Camp, Boy Scout Camp and an unsupervised beach vacation for the girl teens, summer break has ended. The backpacks have been scrubbed clean of exploded deodorants and pencil shavings and filled with all of the requested school supplies. Flip-flops have become weekend shoes and new sneakers are […]
Takei Merchandiseikoni
Please do not pass legislation mandating school calendars. Leave that decision in the capable hands of local school boards. You already know how low ACT scores, graduation rates and subject area benchmarks are for Tennessee’s children. You have seen the reports from Tennessee universities that most incoming freshmen need remedial coursework before they can begin […]
When you first sit down at the elementary school cafeteria table filled with girls, there is an interview. “How old are you?”* “How many kids do you have?” “How many pets are at your house?” There are a dozen additional questions, but the common theme of the answers is that they are numbers. I asked […]
A few weeks ago, I helped small groups of students review a math skill while their teacher spent time teaching a new skill to a few students at a time. The teacher did the important work that varied from easy to difficult, depending on the student. My task was a bingo type game that should […]
I went to eat lunch in the elementary cafeteria and the 8-year-olds told me where to sit. “There’s always an empty seat next to the end, cause that girl doesn’t sit beside the rest of us.” The horde of girls chattered away with a predictability that made me wonder if they have the same conversations […]
When you have more than one child, you learn quickly that school projects repeat year after year. Some of the projects are more fun than others. Edible cell models can’t be made without giggles. Sometimes, the project is brilliantly easy to replicate. Leaf collections and cell organelle detectors can be assembled in an hour or […]