July 2007 - Posts
Some schools scrambling to increase their scores in math and reading due to NCLB are pulling time and resources from other subjects. Experts are seeing an increasing trend to devote more class time and instruction to reading and math, as well as other
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Everyone seems to be in a hurry. When motorists behind me are biting at the bits to go, my not taking a right on red causes them to experience major meltdown. I have had people honk, scream, and do unacceptable things with their hands just to let me know
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For some reason, I have never been able to get into the Harry Potter books. Oh, I have tried. When my students wanted to talk about the books with me, I gave them my full attention. I do love to read, and tackling a thick book is something I am not hesitant
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(Writing Contest entry for answers.com ) Some of us worry about almost everything. Unfortunately, I am one of those people. I fight it as hard as I can, and for just a short while, I feel that I am winning the battle. That’s when I remember to breathe.
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My sister sent me this as an email. I figured she wanted me to share it! YOU HAVE SURELY SEEN THIS ONE BEFORE, BUT HAD TO SAY I AM CERTAINLY GLAD THEY DIDN'T GIVE THIS TEST TO ME.......I WOULD STILL BE IN "MAKE UP" CLASSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Teaching kids internet safety makes good sense. Gov. Matt Blunt and Miss Missouri, Lindsay Casmaer, helped launch a new program Tuesday to teach children to stay safe on the Internet. The program — known as INOBTR, shorthand for “I know better” — received
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In an effort to save money, a district in Texas is asking TEA if they can go to four longer school days and give the kids a three day weekend. Lancaster ISD surprised a lot of parents, kids, and teachers with the news on Wednesday. The proposal calls
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I have read several articles in the past week about students and summer jobs. Some kids seem to be more concerned with boosting their education by taking extra courses during the summer. One can't blame them for this since it is not always easy to get
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When I was in high school, I had a history teacher that was amazing. The first day of class he convinced us that George Washington wasn't really the first president. He enjoyed letting us know that we could be manipulated by a powerful speaker. He was
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If the kids are getting bored or if you want a site to enjoy at school, I found a funky site where you can create your own dance and get up and participate. There are other fun things for kids to do (or adults) like a fitness challenge at your computer.
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Just as the new Merriam-Webster dictionary adds a hundred new words for us to use and enjoy, a squid washes up on the beach in Australia to prove that the word ginormous is necessary. Ginormous (a combination of gigantic and enormous) is now available
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Teacher evaluations could be positive and helpful. Unfortunately, there are a lot of principals that choose their favorites early on and give other teachers a tough time. I had one principal who only considered a lesson to be outstanding if all bells
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I have blogged before about Texas and its need to test. "There's a test for that" should replace "Don't mess with Texas" on billboards. I came across another article about Texas and its testing. The part that caught my attention was the amount of money
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I used to share a daily buzzword from this site at the beginning of every lesson in my sixth grade language arts classes. The kids loved it. At the end of the week, they wrote a paragraph using the words. They thought the man pronouncing the words was
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Those television teasers that go on all day just to get us to tune into the ten o'clock news just drive me crazy. Yesterday I kept hearing the big question. Do men or women talk the most? "Who cares?" was my first thought. After all, this wasn't a promise
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I received an email about a writing contest using selected words and phrases. It looks like a lot of fun, and there are prizes! :) You can even win a link to your blog in the Hall of Fame and a little extra money! Entries are due by July 31st. Click on
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Students may learn better if they connect the learning to hand gestures according to a study involving math and 84 third and fourth graders. Children taught to gesture with their hands as they learn new concepts perform far better at solving similar problems
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I once had a student that was obsessed with collecting discarded staples. He brought a large magnet to school and found plenty of staples as he walked from class to class. His hobby seemed harmless enough, but was it some sort of addiction or warning?
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Yesterday was indeed a challenging day. My grandsons and I spent a little :) time in Walmart in the toy section. Several hours later we returned home with a Star Wars Lego set. I wasn't too worried. The ages on the box let me know that if I happened to
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Moving to another state and looking for a teaching job might not be as easy as one might think. I was at a pool party recently, and several people were asking the question, "What is up with Texas and Texas history?" They were laughing because they had
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