• The End of the Line

    This is my last week home with the kids before they head back to daycare next week and I start my official week of preplanning at school. I have mixed feelings about this.…

  • This Video Will Self Destruct

    So, a few weeks ago, I was sitting in my kitchen, enjoying a few glasses of wine, and flipping through my school calendar.  Suddenly, I realized that 8th grade day was coming up…

  • Giving Joy Away

    Here’s a very weird fact about me. When I’m mad at you, I’m going to give you a present. Isn’t that weird? Even I have always thought that was weird, but it’s an…

  • So… Yeah…

    I started teaching three years ago with a temporary teaching certificate. Since I don’t have an education degree (though my masters is focused on educational leadership) but did have a degree in my…

  • 5% of Middle Schoolers

    Today in school I was teaching about tone in your writing. How to select the correct words to create your desired tone. This, in turn, creates the right mood with your reader. When…

  • Better Run, Run, Run

    I can usually tell how I’m feeling about life in general based on how my running is going. Right now, I can barely get my butt out of bed. I am dragging fo’…

  • Se Habla Espanol

    When we were in Costa Rica, everyone spoke Spanish. (Side note: I just re-read that sentence and it is the dumbest thing I’ve ever written. No crap they spoke Spanish…what else would they…

  • The Accidental Teacher

    I sort of fell into a teaching career. That’s probably not what the parents of my students want to hear, but it’s the truth. I always thought I’d be a lawyer, actually. But…

  • My Long Day

    One of my favorite things to read online are schedules of people’s days. That and pictures of inside people’s refrigerators. I like mundane things. So, I thought I’d take you along with me…

  • Teach On

    I’ve gotten several questions lately about my job teaching.  For those of you who don’t know, I used to work in university administration.  And before that I worked in the legal field.  And…