Myths and facts surrounding Common Core State Standards are as varied as the standards themselves. If you are like my colleagues and myself, you have listened to your administrators and simply thought that CCSS was just another initiative that would soon be replaced with the “next new thing”. But time has proven that this isn’t so. Once I realized that CCSS was not going away, I began researching and attending meetings, ...
Black Friday is traditionally a day of savings. Many of the teacher sites are throwing Black Friday events. I would like to urge you visit your favorite site and take advantage of the savings- some up to 50% off! If you can purchase a book of lessons to make your "school-planning life" easier, than do it! Some books offer enough lessons for an entire unit. Priceless! And just a little insider information about savings............ In ...
I'll keep this short and sweet since I know we are all in the whirlwind of activity. These suggestions are in no particular order. They are just some common sense suggestions that I have found helpful -when I do them! #1. Be reasonable in your expectations of yourself. Don't say "yes" when you should be saying "no". There is nothing dishonorable about telling someone no. It is far better to realize ...
How can one little word cause so much controversy? I don't understand the offense. I don't understand why is it taboo to call Christmas break- Christmas break. I don't understand why such a big deal is made by retailers about wishing customers a Merry Christmas. No one gets upset when someone wishes them a Happy Thanksgiving. And I've yet to see a mother tell her children to NOT wish her a Happy Mother's ...
It is that time of year. Time for bustling and rushing here and there. You had a great idea for a research paper. So creative. Covering so many goals. Now, you have to have it graded before the end of the quarter. Every. Last. Paragraph. And. Paper. What were you thinking?! You've been braving the unseasonably cold temps and watching children run and scream while the North Winds howled around you. You have caught ...
When the weather gets like this.... cold, windy, snow skies... I head to the kitchen. I love to bake and this is the perfect day for it. Unfortunately, I also love to eat what I bake! Today, was the day for cookies and such. I was kneading a batch of scones and thinking how like dough we are. We change shape and form often in our lives. We are often molded by events and circumstances. Trials ...
I promise not to do this often, but I am so excited about my latest 'book' that I felt the need to 'share' on my blog! For the last few weeks, I have been using every spare minute to put my multiplication book together. This week, I decided to put everything else on hold until I was finished. An Interactive Notebook for Teaching Multiplication was finally published at 9 pm! This book is a compilation of pieces ...
I admit that I am fascinated with fall. This has to be one of the prettiest falls that we've had in years. I am relishing the vibrant colors and the daily changes. The landscape seems like a quilt that is constantly changing under the Master's needle. Throw in the full moon and a herd of deer and you have a photographer's dream. My husband and I went out for a drive so we could enjoy the ...
This Tuesday, Nov. 4th, is election day for Missourians. Many important issues will be on the ballot. The statistics on voter turn-out are often shocking. What surprises me even more is the number of Christians that are registered to vote, but do not. Maybe this shouldn't surprise me, but it does. My Christian upbringing included lessons on responsibility. I learned at an early age ...
