There are teacher-y things we've all said to our students that we wish we hadn't. Am I right? Ask three before me*. Sound it out. You freaking brats are driving me crazy. Wait, scratch that last one (who would SAY that to children? Certainly not ME). The following teacher go-tos are especially prevalent in language arts… Continue reading 3 ELA Teacher-isms to Stop Using NOW
Category: Lessons Learned In Combat
What Walking 39.3 Miles (Re)Taught Me About Teaching
A week and a half ago I finished my sixth Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, a two-day event that encompasses 39.3 miles during which its participants walk along the streets, overpasses, and public gardens of beautiful Boston, Massachusetts. (There are also walks that take place in Houston, TX; Washington, D.C.; and Santa Barbara, CA, among other cities… Continue reading What Walking 39.3 Miles (Re)Taught Me About Teaching
“Live Free or Die?” Not When It Comes to Opting Out.
My husband and I are in shock. We have just received a letter from our children's superintendent and elementary school principal denying our request to opt our children out of their state standardized testing, most notably the NECAP and the upcoming Smarter Balanced assessment. This, from a NH district (Live Free or Die!) that many… Continue reading “Live Free or Die?” Not When It Comes to Opting Out.
Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard by Annette LeBlanc Cate – Review by Shawna Coppola
This Nerdy blog post is dedicated to my amazing niece, Evan, Future Ornithologist Extraordinaire!
Goodbye to a Mentor and a Friend
She never missed a birthday. Whether it was mine or that of either of my two daughters, we could always count on receiving a postcard filled with her scrawly cursive, wishing us a joyful day and asking--always--what book we were currently reading. Even during the last weeks of her life, Margaret didn't miss a… Continue reading Goodbye to a Mentor and a Friend
Today’s Epic Fail
If you've read Katie Wood Ray's Wondrous Words or In Pictures and In Words, you know how powerful it can be to study mentor authors and illustrators and encourage students to notice, name, and try out their craft. I have been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to do just that with students since first reading… Continue reading Today’s Epic Fail
Classroom Library Self-Assessment
Hello Twitter friends! Due to the response from my Twitter pals at the #MELit chat, I thought I'd post the recent self-assessment I created for classroom teachers and their classroom libraries here. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any suggestions for improvement! Will be sharing with the faculty/staff at my school… Continue reading Classroom Library Self-Assessment
Are You Teacher Material?
A couple of weeks ago, some colleagues expressed how conflicted they were upon hearing that their son/daughter was considering becoming a teacher. "I'm not sure I'd tell him to go for it," one colleague admitted, bemoaning how much the profession has changed since she'd begun teaching. (This was followed by much nodding of heads from… Continue reading Are You Teacher Material?
50 Gradients of Grey
In September of 2012 Irene Fountas and Sue Pinnell, creators of the F&P Text Level Gradient and the leading voices in reading intervention as it currently exists, put out a white paper through their publisher, Heinemann Publishing, that explained their decision to make “minor adjustments” to the grade-level goals on their text level gradient, which… Continue reading 50 Gradients of Grey
“Oh No You DI-DN’T!”: Ten Apologies to my Former Students
If you are one of the two (maybe three) people who read my last post, you may think that I think that I am one of those educators who always "got it." Not true. There have been many moments during my teaching career when clearly I didn't get it--what my friend Kathy calls those "Oh… Continue reading “Oh No You DI-DN’T!”: Ten Apologies to my Former Students
My So-Called Literacy Life 