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: Make a Joyful Noise

While my students were writing out their first book report for the quarter in cursive (my kids will have non-forgeable signatures, thanks very much), I decided to play some music to keep them motivated. Eva was enjoying my classical music and asked if we could listen to songs from Phantom of the Opera. I first …

Happy Climbing: How to Overcome Obstacles

My family is blessed to own property on a beautiful island in northern Lake Michigan. While it is the largest island in Lake Michigan, Beaver Island is not exactly brimming with activities or tourist attractions like Great Britain in the Atlantic, or Australia or Hawaii in the Pacific. It is a place to unwind from …

The Only New Year’s Resolution You Need

Welcome to 2019! As we look out on a fresh, new year full of untapped potential, we often find ourselves glancing backward at the year gone by. I will be the first to say quite proudly that my 2018 went remarkably well, and I plan to make my 2019 also a success by following a …