Recently I was called on twice in as many weeks to serve as an educational consultant. The topics in question were in separate disciplines but both have ties to my boys and their capacities as learners and individuals. Both instances made me feel good and reinforced what I believe is my true calling – teaching…
One of the best gifts I received this holiday season was a PBS documentary video called, “Plants Behaving Badly”, in which two types of amazing plants – orchids and carnivorous plants – are described in detail. I am lucky that my husband indulged me with this item on my wish list. Home alone on Saturday afternoon,…
We are at the start of a new year, but the middle of a school year, nearing the end of the first semester, or second quarter, in most places. I would like to ask if you think you are investing in your students? Research has shown that teachers who show their students they care about…
Last year, a parent donated 220 Amaryllis Kits to the after school garden club I ran at our local elementary school. It was not the first time she had made such a donation, but the volume this time was much larger! 220 Kits! Wow! I had about 40 students enrolled in garden club and knew…
What kind of feedback do you offer your students on their writing? Are you red pen crazy? Do you mark up the paragraph, page, or essay with slashes, carots, and circles every where there is an error? Do you do this with another color pen – trying to conceal your zeal for marking the page?…
List style posts are not really my thing but today, I thought I would share my last 24 hours in such a style. I have written more substantial posts in the last week and if you need more “meat” for a slice of life post, you can check out my post on Nutcrackers from yesterday, 12/4/2017,…
It’s Tuesday again! Already! Time for a Slice of Life Post sponsored by the Two Writing Teachers Blog. Last Thursday, I found out the my proposed study, Garden Education and The Subsequent Development of Environmental Stewardship: Indicative Memories, was approved by the IRB, or Institutional Review Board, at the university I attend for graduate school. My mentor…
Late last night I got back from a five-day trip to visit my parents in Western New York. I have not blogged since last Thursday! Today’s Slice of Life Tuesday post is just that – a slice on what I have been up to since the end of last week and my last blog post….
If you just want my book recommendations, skip to the end of the blog. If you want to know why I am recommending the books, then I guess you need to read the post! My graduate course on Environmental History is almost over. It has been a whirlwind tour of the last several centuries worth…
Today, I offer a Slice of Life Tuesday post that is two-pronged. In one prong, I ask for you to share your experience with me for a future post. The second prong entails telling what I did yesterday – an old activity, in a new place! Prong One: Currently, I am working a post about Advanced…