For some of us, the summer is a time to re-group, re-fresh and re-energize from a school year filled with many demands. Time with family and friends dominate the hours and before you know it, you are preparing for another school year without experiencing any of the refreshment that you longed for. So, before the time gets away from you, take a deep breath, notice the beauty around you and be grateful for this moment. Continue reading
Just as we are concerned about kids losing some of the skills they learn in the classroom over the summer, we need to think about maintaining their health too. There’s a lot of research that shows health and learning are related. Studies have found that not only can children lose academic knowledge, but their health may decline over the summer months as well. Lower levels of physical activity as well as decreased access to healthy meals both play a part in children’s health.
Many of us have memories of spending all day outside with our peers running Continue reading
Image: Pedro Ribeiro Simões
Last summer I started a summer blog with books that I planned to explore over the summer days. So doing that again, seems like a good way to start a new tradition! Since I tend to do a considerable amount of reading while floating in a kayak my selections are text based (Just in case the unexpected happens, better to have a paperback land in the water than my Ipad!).
So what is on the reading pile for this summer? Continue reading
It has been nearly eight years since I had to work a summer. As an ESL teacher in the Bronx, the summer time off was that special time for much needed physical, mental and spiritual recovery. My recovery took many forms: a visit to the zoo, road trips across the country, volunteer work, extra date nights with the husband, late night reading, watching the Godfather I and II over and over again (I am a little obsessed!) and educational classes. Continue reading
At the close of school I received this Tweet from a former Responsive Classroom 1 participant and friend Chris Yost, 2nd grade teacher at Waterman Primary School in Skaneateles, NY.
As the children’s voices of the school year start to fade into summer, his post struck me. Responsive Classroom teachers across the country started the year by setting the stage for learning during the first six weeks of school. During this time and throughout the rest of the year, Responsive Classroom teachers: Continue reading
As the school year winds down, I thought I’d take this opportunity to focus on the rest and relaxation many of us might be craving during our time off. (Of course I realize that not everyone who reads this blog is on a teacher schedule, but I’m hoping that the pace of life even for administrators, counselors, and others who work during July and August will be a bit more easy-going). It seems to me that this has been a particularly stressful year for those of us who work in schools, with additional emphasis on Continue reading
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