Posts Tagged ‘whole child’
Rethinking Stress
“It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” – Hans Selye Teaching is a rewarding yet demanding career – not for the faint of heart. The wearing of numerous hats, pressure from state mandates, schedules that seem to multiply, needs that continuously change, and most importantly – the genuine desire to truly…
Read MoreMirror Mirror On the Wall
“Mirror, mirror on the wall. What did I learn after all?” Reflection is a vital piece of the learning puzzle. Unless we examine what we learned and how we learned it, we don’t know what worked well and what needs to be tweaked. The end of the year is a natural time to look back…
Read MorePower of Yet
“There is a difference between not knowing and not knowing yet.” – Shelia Tobias Research is showing that the brain is like a muscle that gets stronger and works better the more it is exercised. Each time we work hard, take on a challenge, stretch, and learn something new, our brains form new connections and our…
Read MoreNo Quick Fixes
“Every spring, education-related newspaper and magazine stories raise the alarm that schools are teaching to the test. Scores of articles and editorials paint a disheartening picture of frustrated teachers forced to abandon good instructional practices for a relentless stream of worksheets based on boring, repetitive test-preparation materials.” Craig Jerald It’s hard for teachers to stay…
Read MoreTraining the Mind to Think
“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” – Albert Einstein At one time, the expectation for an effective classroom climate was one where students were expected to sit quietly, listening to the imparting of knowledge – the outpouring of facts – the monologue from the teacher. Now we…
Read MoreFine Tuning the Routine
“It is significant to realize that the most creative environments in our society are not the ever-changing ones. The artist’s studio, the researcher’s laboratory, the scholar’s library are each kept deliberately simple so as to support the complexities of the work in progress. They are deliberately kept predictable so the unpredictable can happen.” Lucy Calkins,…
Read MoreThe New 3 R's
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . The day before school started, a young father asked me for advice on how to navigate the journey as a kindergarten parent. As a seasoned (really just a nice way to say – old) kindergarten teacher, my heart filled with empathy for this young dad. I…
Read MoreSummer Love List
From the desk of Alice… The season of summer is upon us. Thank goodness. In her book, The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin reminds us “It’s about living in the moment and appreciating the smallest things. Surrounding yourself with the things that inspire you and letting go of the obsessions that want to take over your mind.…
Read MoreWell Families
From the desk of Carol C. . . Ahhh…the perfect family…all smiles and laughter This is called fantasy land, and since perfect families just don’t exist, let’s aim for having well families. This means making your family the best they can be. We know healthy students make healthy learners, so it is important to think…
Read MoreHere's to a Healthier Generation
From the desk of Leigh Ann . . . “To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” – Buddha Each day we enter our classrooms and strive to prepare our students to be responsible and capable citizens who are ready for…
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