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October 2008 - Posts

My name's not Sally

Students are so amusing when it comes to their names.  If I mispronounce one of their names, it's a really big deal.  Substitutes are expected to show up and automatically know how to say each name correctly and  understand that some of Read More...

Itsy bitsy spider art activity

My grandson came home with the cutest itsy bitsy spider .  The spider is one of those Halloween spider rings and  slides easily up and down a plastic straw (the gutter) as the song is sung.  The straw is taped to the paper so the spider Read More...

Watch the master

My four year old grandson has learned to draw fish.  His teacher taught him a unique way to draw fish by starting with a circle, and he draws schools of them on his paper.  He told me to "watch the master" after looking at the fish Read More...

Getting items printed for the holidays

I attended a training today and decided that I need to learn how to customize and order items such as calendars and posters. This seems like a great idea for the holidays. It's kind of like jumping in there and not being afraid of technology. Once I get Read More...

Tie a string around your finger

My four year old grandson and I spent the day together.  We started by going to the donut store.  He brought his own money and wanted to buy.  Of course, I indulged in my favorite donut, the one that is huge and cherry filled. We played Read More...

Teacher evaluations call for strong deodorants

My deodorant was never strong enough when I was being evaluated.  My whole body sort of went into shock when the principal or outside evaluator entered the room holding a notepad and wearing a serious expression.  Of course, I know that everyone Read More...

Political ads addle my brain

According to the New York Times: About $300 million has been spent from April 3 to Oct. 13, 2008 to broadcast over 200 ads, according to statistics compiled by Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks political advertising expenditures. I tune out Read More...

Teaching tips to take to heart

I read Ms Teacher's blog today and think her teaching tips for Tuesday offer some great advice for teachers and those of us who are substituting.  I am already falling into old habits and am barely drinking enough water to keep a fly alive.  Read More...

What the possum must have thought

My knowledge of science, or shall I say lack of knowledge, prompted me to yell out in a meeting when I looked out a glass door and found a cute little creature staring at me.  I was sitting with a group of adults and was probably the oldest person Read More...

Any ideas for indoor recess?

Although I absolutely love the rain, keeping kids indoors all day can be a challenge.  Some kids love to draw, and Bingo games are always an option, but I thought I might toss it out there to see if anyone has any other ideas.  If you have something Read More...

Checking out colleges the easy way

A newly developed website makes it easy to review and check out colleges in the United States and Canada.  All you have to do is click on a state, and you can find reviews of the colleges in that state.  The best part is that the reviews come Read More...

To spit or not to spit

I look for something every day to enrich my life with a little bit of humor.  Sure, the curve balls are coming at me fast, but what's life without a good belly laugh?  Okay, I couldn't really indulge myself in real laughter, but I was enormously Read More...

Click, click, click

I'm glad that I read Joanne Jacob's blog about clickers.  I can just see myself seeing them for the first time as I substitute.  Of course, the price of clickers might prevent a lot of schools from using them, especially in these troubled economic Read More...

Free printable rulers and graph paper

I found several links that I want to share from the wonderful blog I Want to Teach Forever .  As a former sixth grade math teacher, I know what it's like to need extra graph paper and rulers.  Plus, as a parent, I have made those late night Read More...

What I learned from KoKo the dog

My sister and I had a little Toy Fox Terrier named KoKo when we were kids.  He was a nervous little guy who flew under the sofa every time my dad sneezed.  Years later I still think of Koko a lot.  His name is frequently mentioned in conversations Read More...