Dear Reader, My first teaching job was in a small school with predominantly Spanish speaking students. Since I am bilingual, the district assumed I would be able to teach them English. Boy, were they wrong! I had no idea what I was doing. I had lots of enthusiasm...and very few strategies. So I started to learn, and read and try things in my classroom. And then I got a new job, where all the students were native English speakers. But that didn't mean that they had strong vocabularies. So, I...

Hey Reader, Maybe you've noticed it too. Students are reading fewer books now than they used to. As a classroom teacher for over 30 years, I have watched this with tears in my heart. So many times in my life, a book has come along and been just the friend that I needed. When I taught 5th grade, I wanted my classroom to constantly remind students that books could make them laugh, cry, wonder, travel, imagine, dream, and give them hope in dark times. Students deserve to experience books that...

Hey Reader, I hope you are enjoying the last, golden days of summer. I was, until the other day, when I made the mistake of opening my school email. How did THAT happen? Which got me thinking..... What does YOUR inbox look like? Is it as bad as mine? (Go ahead and hit reply. I read every email and I am ready with sympathy and tissue!) Help me, help you! I want to make sure that the emails I send you this year are actually useful to you. I have been teaching since 1995, and have taught every...