Tales from the Fourth Grade: The Best Field Trip EVER

Teachers will tell you that one of the hardest parts of any school year is the planning and execution of field trips. While students are looking forward to a “day off” from the classroom, teachers and administrators are scrambling to get permission forms returned and figuring out driving and chaperone arrangements. Though I didn’t have …

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Tales from the Fourth Grade: Sing, Sing a Song

Something had to be done. The majority of my fourth grade girls had been singing “My Favorite Things,” loudly and off-key for a good minute now. I took a deep breath and approached the throng clustered around a poetry book that contained the lyrics. My students, singers and non-singers alike, eyed me with cautious curiosity. …

Teach Like a Pirate: Building Rapport, Student Engagement, and Creativity

While reading Dave Burgess’s highly popular educational tome Teach Like a Pirate, I discovered several key elements were repeated over and over again. These elements tie directly into the acrostic PIRATE, which stands for Passion, Immersion, Rapport, Ask and Analyze, Transformation, and Enthusiasm. While Burgess contends that a successful teacher will implement all of the …

Book Review: The Second Worst Restaurant in France

The Second Worst Restaurant in France by Alexander McCall Smith My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars I will be the first to offer plaudits to the genius and gentle humor of Alexander McCall Smith. However, this sequel to the free-standing My Italian Bulldozer reads like it was the product of the publishers, not the author. …

Book Review: The Rosie Result

The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion My rating: 4 of 5 stars "I had observed that neurotypicals criticised autistic people for lacking empathy -- towards them -- but seldom made any effort to improve their own empathy towards autistic people."Boom. What a statement, and so incredibly true. My sister is totally empathetic, yet neurotypical people …

Book Review: My Italian Bulldozer

My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander McCall Smith My rating: 4 of 5 stars Reading an Alexander McCall Smith book is like returning to one of your favorite haunts after months or years away and remembering why you liked the place so much to begin with. The atmosphere is relaxed and gentle, despite whatever pedantic prodding …

Book Review: Landline

Landline by Rainbow Rowell My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book was hit or miss for me. I loved the relationship between Georgie and Neal and how we got to see it evolve. All of the characters (except maybe Kendrick and Scotty) were well-rounded and developed. The premise of a magic time-traveling phone is …

Love is Not Love Which Alters

The story unfolds in the same manner as the plethora of celebrity couple breakups before them. The couple issues a joint statement explaining how they are getting a divorce due to "irreconcilable differences," but that while the marriage is over, they still "love each other and always will." And not for the first time, I'm …

What is Love?

If you've clicked this post and are of a certain age group, chances are the jaunty rhythm of the Haddaway tune is running through your head right now. Hopefully my question is more intellectually stirring than a pop song making a mournful inquiry into the steadfastness of romantic love. Though it might be less entertaining. …

A Guide to Self-Preservation*

The key to self-preservation is not to look at his azure eyes or his aquiline nose or his lips--hell, just don't look. Chewing your finger only solves half of the problem. Your mouth might be distracted, but your mind is still engaged. Doodling is rather preoccupying...You drew another heart, didn't you? Damn it, you did! …