I like to video my ELL kids every few weeks so that I can see progress. This week I asked one of my kinders "How old are you?" and he answered "Monday! Monday Tuesday. WizzdayTursdayFriday." "Oh! I didn't know you knew the... Continue Reading →
I had my flatulent little princess first thing this morning. She was sitting in my lap and we were playing sentence-building games when she ripped a glorious one that vibrated my legs. I'm serious. My thighs jiggled.
People often ask me what has changed since I've moved to Brazil. There are things that I notice, things maybe others notice more than me. I'm not sure. But here are some basics: My most intense conversations are with bugs. For example:... Continue Reading →
Wednesdays are hard, man. Even spelling the word is hard. (Am I the only person who still has to go "Wed-nes-day" in her head when writing that one out? Along with "def-in-ite-ly be-a-u-ti-ful." Every time. And I'm 30. And teach... Continue Reading →
I look forward to Mondays. I look forward to the challenges I will face with my students. To the words I will discover they don't know and figuring out a meaningful way to act them out and a poster I... Continue Reading →
The thing about teaching is that every week holds its own mysteries and moments of joy. The job changes every day, because you can't count on kids for anything. They are unpredictable monsters that you want to squeeze in either... Continue Reading →
I grew up on road trips - the mini ones like the hour drive to my great grandma's, the hours up to Clear Lake or Pinecrest, and what seemed like a billion years to Disneyland. Plus, there were volleyball or... Continue Reading →
As a recovering junior high teacher, I have a vast collection of kids jokes I can use on demand, mostly whenever I had lost control of the class or the lesson was terrible or I was having a bad day,... Continue Reading →
I remember being very asleep when my mom came in my room. I was in fourth or fifth grade, and the Polly Klaas story was something we had followed at home and on the playground. My mom crept in, sniffling,... Continue Reading →
"I told a big lie to mean old mom about drinking the apple juice! She sent me to my room anyway." "Gma bought me a Nintendo for Christmas, I just know it." "Janice told me I was her best friend... Continue Reading →
I started my unexpected teaching career with nothing: I didn't know Latin, I'd never taught, never even been in a private school, wasn't affiliated with the church...In my interview, I literally told the principal "I don't know why you'd hire... Continue Reading →
Kummerspeck (German) Excess weight gained from emotional overeating. Literally, grief bacon. As a brain break a few days ago, I showed my students a list of words from a Mental Floss article about words that exist in languages except English... Continue Reading →
Sunglasses Always Fit 