Parental Trust

From the desk of Carol C… Years ago when I was still a young teacher and TB tests were required before you could teach every year, I paid my doctor a visit.  Routine except this time my blood pressure was up.  When my doctor commented on it and asked why it might be higher than…

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Self-Doubt – An Enemy of Learning

From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . I recently read an article discussing how the brain gives priority to our emotions and I have seen first-hand how children’s emotions affect their perception of school.  Emotion affects a child’s self-confidence and self-confidence affects whether a child learns to read, write, and problem solve.  Learning…

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Learning Outside of School

 From the desk of Carol C… Learning opportunities outside of “the schoolhouse” arise all of the time. Some may seem obvious while others are more subtle. Once you begin to see these teachable moments, you can easily take advantage of them. Be a Chef- Involving children in helping to make something good to eat is…

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No Doodling!

From the desk of Gina… When my daughter, Madison, was beginning the 5th grade she was doing the usual grind of work sheets, testing and homework.  One day a spelling test came home for my review and she had “doodled” on it. As I reviewed the paper I see the teacher assistant had written at…

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Promoting Independence

From the desk of Leigh Ann… “To find yourself, think for yourself.” ~  Socrates   This week I have thought a great deal about how to make our kindergartners more self-reliant learners.  As a teacher I want to facilitate learning, model appropriate behaviors, and guide students in developing strategies that help them become competent readers,…

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A Parent's Guide to Asking Questions

From the desk of Leigh Ann… Life is an unanswered question, but let’s still believe in the dignity and importance of the question.~ Tennessee Williams Questions, questions, questions!  Skillful readers ask themselves questions as they read to build understanding.  Often children read and save the questions for the end. To better understand a text readers…

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4 Things Parents Can Do Related to Common Core State Standards

 From the desk of Alice…  Over the holidays I had several conversations with parents who had questions about the Common Core State Standards and it came up so much in casual conversations that I thought it would be worth hitting some highlights as we move into second semester.  When I heard Stephanie Harvey talk about…

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3 Lies You Are Told About Highschool

From the desk of Katie… I am finishing my first quarter of highschool in Winston-Salem, NC.  Before I came to highschool, I was told lots of things about what highschool would be like.  People made me kind of nervous with the things they said and the way they described it.  Now that I am in…

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Who "Carries Shelter" in Your Classroom?

From the desk of Keela… If you were to visit a classroom today, more than likely, you would find desks arranged in groups where students are encouraged to work and think together. Collaboration has become a central focus in most classrooms.  It’s so highly thought of, teachers are evaluated on how successful they are implementing…

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A Boy and the Library

From the desk of Alice… Let me introduce you to Miller: He is 6. He is a boy. His favorite time of day at school is on the playground because he is “fast”. He likes to be right.  All the time. He has a sharp sense of humor and understands sarcasm. He enjoys math because…

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