Filed under Children …

Thanksgiving Day Table

Each year as Thanksgiving Day rolls around, I spend some time thinking about how I will want the dinner table to look.  I enjoy having the chance to treat my family with party favors and special decorations.  After all, I am thankful to have them gathered around me, and this is my way of showing … Continue reading →

Halloween Is The Perfect Time For…

…Picking your own pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, which isn’t so easy when you’re only six months old.  So many interesting shapes and sizes to choose from…which one will wear the face of a jack-o-lantern?  And when will the Great Pumpkin arrive? …Funny hats and little black cats who come for a visit and perhaps … Continue reading →

The Inspiration of Children

When I approach a child he inspires me in two sentiments;  tenderness for what he is, and respect for what he may become. ~ Louis Pasteur As the school year is coming to a close, I find myself reflecting on the progress made by our second graders and on the meaningful interactions I have had … Continue reading →

Rivers Are Children Holding Hands

I came across this wonderful little poem.  It appeared in a second grade reading textbook in an article about the life of a poet.  To my dismay, the publisher of the book did not include the title of the poem or the year that it was published.  Unfortunately, my internet research has failed to uncover … Continue reading →

Successful Schools Remember To Have Fun

“There is little success where there is little laughter.” – Andrew Carnegie We were talking about this at work.  Not the quote, but an idea related to it.  I work in a public elementary school and we were discussing the concept that school should be fun.  Someone questioned whether this was possible; “How can school … Continue reading →

Book Lovers Never Go To Bed Alone

“Book lovers never go to bed alone.” -Anonymous I love this quote – there’s nothing like a good book to send you off to sleep. And on a rainy day, as this one has been, there’s nothing better than curling up with a good book.  From the time I was very young, I discovered the … Continue reading →

What is your favorite animal in the jungle?

Every morning the second-graders are given a topic to write about in their morning journals.  Yesterday the topic, presented as the Question of the Day, was “What is your favorite animal in the jungle?”.  The topic came in connection with the children reading about Jane Goodall’s observations of chimpanzees in the wild.  When I read … Continue reading →

The Reading Circle

Sometimes pleasurable little moments come when you are not trying so hard.  They just happen and you become aware that something sweet and positive is revealing itself to you.  Yesterday I had one of those moments.  I was assisting in the second grade classroom where students were working on a writing assignment.  The children were … Continue reading →

Welcome to the World, Baby Felix!

As a follow-up to an earlier post, To Thayer, Joey, and Baby, With Love, I’d like to share with you the happy news of Baby Felix’s entrance into the world!  Baby Felix was born on Monday, April 2, 2012.  He weighs   6 lbs., 14 oz. and is 20¼ in. long.  Although his mom, Thayer, had … Continue reading →