(whoa.)

Man.
Just tried to read through my last post.
(T’was trying.)
You might think it was the scribblings of a drunkard.
You might be correct.
I apologize.

Shaving Face

And here I am without beard for the first time in years. (Read here to find out why.) You will get no pictures.
I shaved off my beard in the middle of the lunchroom in the middle of lunchtime. Isn’t that tantalizing. No one was available to take pictures (thank the good [...]

Sad Songs Say So Much

A mysterious visitor showed up in my classroom today to let me know how he’s doing. It’s been about a year since I saw him last, and at that time he was recovering from shotgun wounds. Prior to that I saw him just after he’d dropped out of school. Prior to that [...]

Dissecting a story (look at all them dogs and ponies!)

Tomorrow is my final observation before reaching some form of tenure, and while I’m not too worried about the whole process, there’s always something on my shoulder pouring poison into my ear. Meanwhile, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to get away from the simple exercises I’ve been putting my students through, and decided [...]

Whatever Happened to Paul Harvey?

This, my third year of teaching, is by far the most trying. I find difficulties in planning, in preparing, in follow-up, and in finding ways to make these students connect to what we read and how we learn to write.
This is a difficult thing to describe, and I know that I am [...]

Tips and Tricks — Cram Sessions

We all have cram sessions. We prepare our students for national tests, for state test, and for our own in-class tests. While we all have similar goals, I think our methods differ.
We should share.
And don’t be afraid to share. You might not be inventing the wheel with your methods, but just mentioning [...]

Powerful Powerpoints — State Testing Time again

There’s a downloadable PowerPoint Presentation at the end of this post.
Yep, that’s right — state testing time again. And however you approach your version of “drill and practice,” it’s always helpful to have a supply of information at hand. For myself, I always find it troublesome deciding which questions will get the most [...]