Smile: It’s Your Best School Year Ever
Back to school season is expensive, but one thing that's free is a smile. Studies show a smile makes life better. Smiling puts your brain in a very different space. Teaching is hard. I often say it's like playing dodge ball but I'm the one in the middle and...
The 3 Cooking Secrets That Will Save You from Starving
Stop cooking now! Unless you know these cooking secrets, you are wasting time. From the minute you go back to school until the day you get out for summer, your time is not your own. Whether you love to cook or not, you may not have the time you to create a masterpiece...
Free Lunch Series: Zucchini
Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch? Nonsense! There is--if you're eating zucchini in season. I grow a ton of my food, but even if you don't, there's a neighbor who wants to give you zucchini. You know it's true. Just look a little bit interested, and...
How to Make Every Second of Summer Vacation Count
Summer vacation is finally here. You've got all the time in the world...and what happens? You waste it! Summer vacation is the moment every teacher's been waiting for! Six to eight weeks of pure uninterrupted time off to do all the things you've been desperate to...
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!
An alum of mine posted a picture of drinks on my Facebook wall for Teacher Appreciation Week. She told me I was awesome and said she'd buy me "tea," but she suspected she'd put something else in the tea. I wonder if she thought I needed it. The absolute best...
To Email or Not to Email… That is the Question
"I delete your emails," said a friend. "They're too long." They were. These days, I'm embarrassed. My old emails would've been perfect--if I were writing a research paper or Ph.D thesis. They're way too long and deserved to be filed under #nobodycares. I...
“I Want to Smash Their Phones”
"I want to smash their phones." This is the number one complaint I hear about middle and high school students with phones. It often gets directed to me. "I know you wanted students to have phones, but..." I'm a big fan of BYOD*--Bring Your Own Device--for a number...
Get Organized: Use Calendars & Project Management Tools
"When's it due?" students ask. "When did I say it was due?" I answer. "I don't know." It's either that or "I forgot." That's how it goes. Not anymore! No kid with a computer, tablet, or smartphone gets to say "I forgot" anymore. Set them up with calendars and...
Pinterest in the Classroom
Do you use Pinterest in the classroom? If not, you should. Pinterest used to be a place for dumping pictures of all the cool things you wanted to buy and projects you never got around to finishing. Not anymore--Pinterest is the place to be for research,...