Posts Tagged ‘learning’
Crawling Comes First!
From the desk of Kris… The Common Core Standards have set the bar pretty high for Kindergarten. We know that at the beginning of the year, many Kindergartners cannot read. While that may be true, it does not mean that they can’t understand text or are unable to answer questions about text. As teachers, we…
Read MoreUsing Conferencing as an Instructional Strategy
From the desk of Hope… When I was teaching, I felt like I never knew enough about my students. I took every opportunity to learn more about them as individuals and as learners. It seemed pretty simple to me — the more we knew about each other, the easier it was going to be to…
Read MoreTeacher "Must Have" Books
From the desk of Carol C… Everywhere you look on the web you can find lists of books children must read or books that bookclubs must read or books that you shouldn’t die without reading or…the list goes on. What I don’t find as much is a list of books that educators must read. I…
Read MoreIs there such a thing as Bad Praise?
From the desk of Carol C…. Have you ever caught yourself telling your child or a student “You’re so smart”? I know I have. Many times I say it almost absentmindedly. “I finished the puzzle.” “You’re so smart.” “I finished my homework.” “You’re so smart.” “I didn’t hit my brother when he stole my Legos.”…
Read MoreLiteracy Lessons from the List
From the desk of Christie… I am fortunate to have a little one that is bursting with eagerness to learn to read. Although like his mother, he is not so eager when it comes to cleaning. We have found that lists work beautifully for this chore. For a while I have welcomed his help in…
Read MoreBelieve
From the desk of Kris… Teachers, as you get to know this year’s class I would like you to think about the power of believing in your students. We all say “I believe every child is a learner.” Do we really mean it or is it something we say because it is the ‘right thing…
Read MoreWhat's in a Number?
From the desk of Melissa… 1% What does that 1% mean? In my case, it’s… -not the fat in my milk -not my cashback rewards on my credit card -not the effort I put into my work -not the number of days over 100 degrees this summer Unfortunately, it’s the percentile for my son’s weight! …
Read MoreCuriosity- Are We Teaching it out of our Children?
From the desk of Cindy… I have had a big life-changing event happen in the last year. My family has grown by one more! Sarah Elizabeth (age 3) entered our lives last fall and as of June she has officially become our daughter. Let me tell you that this has been a HUGE learning curve…
Read MoreLessons Learned from Sandcastles
I have had the pleasure of vacationing over the last few weeks with my family. We have logged many hours on the sand, watching waves, and learning from each other. This morning, as I was building sandcastles with all 3 kids, I was reflecting on the lessons learned while on vacation and how they translate…
Read MorePreventing Summer Learning Loss
The summer break is on the horizon! This is great news for folks who are ready to slow down and have a more leisurely pace over the next few months. At the same time we are trying to relax and recharge, we want to make sure our children don’t become a victim of summer learning…
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