In our classroom, we do a lot of partner and group work.  Sometimes it can be tricky matching kids that will work well together.  There are times that I let kids choose their own partners, but we often end up with more play than work that way.  I have a name box that I often [...]

This is the beginning of my 25th year in the classroom.  During that time I have been responsible for setting up a classroom for eight different groups of first graders, one group of second graders, a group of third graders, and now my fifteenth group of fourth graders.  In that time I have learned a [...]

Next weekend I am going to camp– EdCamp Omaha, that is!  I’m pretty much a homebody, and I’m not much of a traveler, but this is one of those times that the closer it gets, the more excited I am.  This will be my first EdCamp, and there are so many things that make this [...]

Everyone is making New Year’s resolutions at this time of year, and I have a few in mind myself.  The new year also brings an opportunity to rethink things that are going on in my classroom.  There are several things I would like to try in the coming weeks and months.  Even though I didn’t [...]

In my school district teachers officially start to work on Monday, and the kids begin on Thursday.  This will be my 24th year in the classroom, with twenty of them spent at this school.  It will be, however, only my second year of using technology as a big part of my instruction.  By the end of [...]