It is a gray kind of marine-layer day here in California. The kind of day that makes me want to hunker down in my jammies, grab my ubiquitous cup of coffee and read a book. Except now that I am an iPad owner, it makes me want to cuddle that sleek, little rectangle and find something new and different to do.
So reluctantly, I put my NY Times crossword puzzle aside and I continued my quest for great Education related apps.
I found one.
Happy Monday morning!
This morning, uncharacteristically, I had some time on my hands.
Those that know me are aware that this happens only when the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars.
Having said this, I found myself in a bit of work limbo and so took my little iPad down to the closest coffee establishment with free wi-fi and had myself a cup o’ Joe.
For some of you, it’s the end of the school year.
You are tired.
You are writing report cards or narratives.
You are packing up your classroom and squirreling away the supplies for next year that have already arrived in hopes that the summer program that is using your classroom will not find your fresh stock of crayons and help themselves (or was that just my own experience?).
For some of you, you are on vacation. You are lying in a darkened bedroom recovering from the school year.
You are sipping an iced Starbucks drink and wearing open toed shoes.
I have been thinking a lot about snowflakes lately, which is strange because I live in California and it is spring. However, my kindergartner is completely fascinated by snowflakes, mostly because each one is unique, like no other in the universe. And not to sound trite, but so are students. Unique. Like no other in the universe. Recently I spoke at a career panel and was asked by a sixth grade girl, “Why do you like teaching?” I stopped and thought about why I liked being a teacher. What did teaching mean to me? As I looked out over the sea of young women sitting there, I knew my answer. I like the puzzle of teaching to the unique. I thrive on figuring out how to make EVERY child learn what is just right for them. I gauge my success as a teacher upon how effectively I succeed at this. I believe that it is this constant need to advocate for every learner that makes this profession so very interesting. Let’s face it–it requires flexibility, creativity and plain old mental Olympics to achieve this in the classroom.
Today’s quick tip is in honor of the social studies and history teachers out there. While I have only blogged a bit about this area of education, it is actually my favorite to teach. I loved using this technique in my classroom when looking at a historical figure or event in more detail. This is a fabulous activity for any grade K-8 classroom with a tad bit of adjustment based on the age.
Did you know that April 13 is Thomas Jefferson’s birthday? In honor of the third president of the United States, we will be shaping our activity around his life. Here is what you do:
