November Days of Gratitude: My kids, because where would a teacher be without a classroom full of children? I have to admit, this year I have particularly charming classes and, as every teacher can tell you, that isn’t always the case. Classes of children take on personalities and this year, I have an incredibly sweet…
Tag: teaching
We all need a village: November Days of Gratitude
November Days of Gratitude: My colleagues. In education, that is a combination of scores of teachers, supportive administration, and indispensable support staff. Without all of them, I don’t know where I’d be. I’m sure I wouldn’t be the teacher I am. From my first year teaching in 1990, when I would unabashedly arrive in the…
Six degrees and volcanic activity in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Seems like I’ve been gone from my blog for forever. Sometimes you need to step off, regroup. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but sometimes, you just have nothing to say. Better to remain silent. I went back to work full-time in January, adopting a 7th grade class whose teacher resigned over the…
WordPress Delivered My First Gift of Christmas
After Thanksgiving, I went into a bit of hibernation. Work and responsibilities at home don’t stop when I need downtime, so I’ve backed off in other areas where I have more control — which is why I’ve been a bit quiet for a week. My poor little blog hasn’t gotten much attention at all. But…
November Days of Gratitude: When one day rolls into the next
My days of gratitude, in and of themselves, have been something to give thanks for. They have centered me, grounded me to the blessings in my life. It has been a slowing down of the crazy pace we’ve accepted as “normal” and given me time to reflect. Mostly. Except yesterday — when I had to…
Looking for Time in all the wrong places: thoughts on my blogging life.
Tuesday 5:30 AM: I feel like a country western song — you know, the one about not finding what you’re looking for — or the one about losing what you had? I don’t even know the right words for the picking of guitar strings, but I can hear the sound in my ears as I…
How do we best help our kids navigate their world of smartphones and social media?
Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? This article, appearing in THE ATLANTIC, is one of the most disturbing articles I’ve read lately. It’s not that I didn’t know (or at least suspect) most of what the author presents about the amount of time kids spend on their smart phones and social media. And it’s not like…
Summer brain and the start of a new school year
I’m such a cliche. After having spent the whole week thinking today was my wedding anniversary, I actually looked at the calendar. It’s tomorrow. It’s not that I didn’t know the date we got married; it’s that I didn’t know what today’s date was. I’m blaming it on summer brain. Summer brain is the heavy…
Poetry: Using Models to Spark Creativity in Middle School (Write Every Day, 19)
I love using poetry in the classroom. We read it, think about it, talk about it, write it. When kids first hear the word “poetry” they usually groan (which truly breaks my heart), but when they’re given the opportunity to immerse themselves in the lyrics of their favorite songs, a tiny shift happens. Suddenly, poetry…
The 50-Word Story, A Challenge (Write Every Day 18)
Teaching middle school writers is a balance between getting them started and teaching them to edit. Some middle schoolers will write on and on forever, if given the time, wanting to write the “Great American Novel.” They will ramble and roll through plot until it is a maze of confusion. Revision is hard; editing down…
Did you move away from home? Did you go back? (Write Every Day #11)
Before you read this post, take a look at this article about “Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay.” I was one of those who left. Packed up, headed out. Across the country. Away from my hometown, which was more suburban than rural, but I am a late Boomer. It’s kind of what we did. It…
Let’s Have Coffee and Talk Ideas (inspired by Steven Johnson’s “Where Good Ideas Come From”)
I haven’t written in a while. Sometimes, life is all about getting to work, driving to soccer practice, grading papers, planning lessons, and chopping veggies for something we might call dinner. Sometimes, the doing shoves the word-making, idea-exploring off to the side. And then you have a Saturday morning, where you wake up at 5:00…
Barbara Ganias Comstock 