Teaching and Learning – Page 11

September 1, 2015

School Dress Code Wars

Back to school and new beginnings feel exciting, except for one thing—the dress code wars! I wonder if parents know how much time teachers and administrators invest in enforcing these rules. We want our children to dress safely and “appropriately,” a word that has different meanings for many. I hold two perspectives. When principal of a K-8… Continue reading

Social and emotional development, Speaking and listening, Teaching and Learning, Teenagers

school uniforms, teach thinking

August 26, 2015

Military Family Stories

Veterans of World War II rarely speak of their service. In the case of my father, humility is part of the reason. “Everybody did it,” he shrugged, referring to his peers in the 1940s. He is one of a handful of remaining WWII veterans in his town. Read his story, published this week in the… Continue reading

Family, History and Social Science, Social and emotional development, Speaking and listening, Storytelling, Teaching and Learning

B25, Greatest Generation, Rhode Island Red, veterans, World War II

August 11, 2015

Birds, Music, Classroom Management

No one has ever put together music with nature’s music like Robert J. Lurtsema. If you love classical music and lived in eastern New England from the 1970s to the 1990s, Robert J woke you every morning with these incredible sounds. He used his own recordings of birds to create a soundscape using, in this case,… Continue reading

Music, Speaking and listening, Teaching and Learning

classroom behavior, classroom energy, classroom management, soundscapes

July 28, 2015

The Art of Wandering

On a weekend trip to Québec City, we visited sites recommended by a travel book— Montmorency Falls, the Basilica of Sainte Anne de Beaupré, the farmer’s market, art galleries and cafés, all lovely and worth experiencing. Sometimes, though, an itinerary needs to breathe. My husband and I set off one evening to roam the cobblestone… Continue reading

Music, Rituals, Social and emotional development, Speaking and listening, Teaching and Learning

imagination, Mascagni Intermezzo, roam, travel

July 22, 2015

Grandparents and Kellogg’s Corn Flakes

Your two granddaughters come to visit while their mother copes with a new baby. Every morning, you pour mountainous bowls of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes for each one before they come downstairs. You set out spoons and the yellow milk pitcher. You have firm ideas about the propriety of leaving the cereal box on the table, so you put it back in… Continue reading

Interdiscipinary learning, Math, Reading, Rituals, Science, Teaching and Learning, Vocabulary

breakfast, Grandchildren, vacation activities