The child is in me still . . .and sometimes not so still. -Fred Rogers

Mr. Rogers could talk to a television camera and make it feel completely personal....words just to me and me alone!   Such a gentle teacher - and gentleman.  He made complications seem simple again.

And I don't think keeping the "child" inside means losing our grip on reality.  It's just seeing the wonder in things:  full moon; autumn color; early morning stillness.  Or maybe it's  letting go of worries in order to find the wonders in the first place.

Whatever it means to you personally, being in touch with your "child inside" as a teacher is what helps you guide and motivate your kids each and everyday. You see first hand the looks on their faces when they've learned a new concept or skill.  (You see it - you don't have to rely on data or test scores to know it happened), and it really is a "wonder-filled" thing!  It's why we became teachers in the first place.

So, keep your "child inside" - at the very center of your good teaching!  And in your life away from teaching, too.

Be well today and always,

I'm sorry for kids who don't have a rock for a friend. - Byrd Baylor

Everybody Needs a Rock  is a beautiful story for all ages, and a lesson about finding contentment and joy in the smallest things -  in simplicity.  Just reading it makes you feel peaceful and calm....and then, if you're like me, you get going with the rest of the day and completely lose sight of it.  In the midst of all the stuff in our lives, getting to "simple" is - well - complicated! 

Since I'm usually on the edge of frantic when it comes to getting stuff done I won't waste your time with words of wisdom from my side of the computer, but I do think it's always always worth our while to keep this goal in mind.  Contentment and simplicity are all around us, even in a rock, if we just remember to look.

I've added a new free product on Thanks You's and Thanksgiving for 2nd or 3rd graders.  Click here for your copy https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-i62PVJovVeWDhiR0tVbU9oTUU/edit?usp=sharing or go to my tpt store. 

In fact, go to teacherspayteachers.com for tons of stuff - free and paid - download and be done. Then take a few minutes (or hours) to go find your rock.

Halfway down the stairs is a stair where I sit. There isn't any other stair quite like it. A.A.Milne

Personal, private spaces and places are important to all of us.  We have lots of nooks and crannies to hide away at home.......quiet places to come back to  every now and then when we need to refuel.  But what about the classroom?  Most classrooms are crammed with furniture, books, desks, shelves, and way way too much stuff on the walls. 

Is there a place in the corner of your classroom where you can create a safe getaway place for a student who needs some peace and quiet?  You could put A.A. Milne's poem ("Halfway Down" from When We Were Very Young) on a shelf nearby where "all sorts of funny thoughts can run round your head!"   Better yet, put nothing at all nearby.  Quiet time for quiet reflection.

Find your quiet time and place today and let go of some of your worries.  If you need to take some time off in coming weeks, check out my full day plans for sub teachers.   With all the products now available on teacherspayteachers.com, you no longer need to spend long hours planning for a sub.
(http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Subplanners-By-Jean-Snowden)

Be well today and always,

"It's always too late for sorries! ....." from Neil Gaiman

Great line!  In other words, it shouldn't have happened in the first place - whatever it was you're saying "sorry" about.  I cringe when teachers or parents insist on kids saying "sorry" for bullying or calling names or whatever wrong they'd done, and afterward presume all is forgiven and forgotten.  It hardly wipes the slate clean in my book!    Better to work at undoing the damage in a constructive way rather than covering up with "sorries." 

And it's not okay to be sorry for things that may have gone wrong in your classroom last week!  Forget it and move on.   Focus on what you do best and build on it.  
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Do you have 3rd graders working on adjectives?  Click here for free 8 pages of adjective practice. Might provide some good "fillers" in coming weeks, or use as a literacy center.  https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-i62PVJovVeVkN1SVRQN1lLZlE/edit?usp=sharing

I finished a Zombies ABC Book this week for grades K-1 and then decided to put together a full day of activities (to use as subplans, student teacher plans, or fillers anywhere during your day) on Halloween.  The Zombies ABC Book is hilarious, thanks to clipart by Wrangler Mike and fonts by Jen Jones.  My grandson, Gunnar, loves zombies.  Me, too.
Links to both products: 

(Zombie ABC Book)  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Zombies-ABC-Book-For-Emergent-Readers-889283

(Full day Sub Plan for Halloween)  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Grades-K-1-Full-Day-Emergency-Sub-PlansHalloween-Fun-899879

“The helpful thought for which you look is written somewhere in a book" - Edward Gorey

I love this quote and its writer/artist: always a slight twinkle in his eye!  Like -  it's reassuring to know there's an answer to all our problems out there somewhere; or stop searching and think for yourself.

Hopefully on this Saturday morning there's enough time and energy in your world to think through some things on your own (or with a good friend which can be even better).  I mean things like how your kids actually liked or responded to an activity rather than how the test scores added up. Or if you're in special ed, how a kid gestured appropriately, or signed a word for the first time, or followed a two part direction.  Celebrations!

If one of your thoughts today is about how to more effectively check for comprehension without waiting for the test, try "quick draw."  Have the kids find a piece of scrap paper and draw the meaning.  (The only pre-teaching for this one is getting kids to doodle-draw rather than draw perfectly.  A few practice sessions may be needed.) Provide 1 minute only!  As you walk around the room you'll see immediately if they got it or not, and move on or reteach.

Check out Subplanners if you need a day off in coming weeks.  In fact, check out teacherspayteachers.com for anything and everything you need in coming days!  It's all there.

It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long difficult words but rather short, easy words like "what about lunch?" Winnie the Pooh

Wouldn't life be great if all of us lived happily together in Pooh's "100 Aker Wood?!"  Well, maybe not, but Today is Saturday - best day of a school week - and I wish for you an hour or two of life without long difficult words.  Enjoy this day.

I finished a 4th grade plan, "Everyone's a Winner!" this week.  The overlying theme is for kids to work more on having "winning smiles" or "winning new friends" than trying to beat each other in competitive events.   Find this full day of activities at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/4th-Grade-Full-Day-Emergency-Sub-Lesson-PlansEveryones-a-Winner-869697 




And go out for lunch with a good friend!

Let whatever you do today be enough.

I spent a good amount of time this week dreaming up and writing activities for a 5th/6th grade subplan on Cultural Diversity.  One thing I came across and couldn't get out of my head:  Michael Jackson's "We Are The World" song and video on youtube.  Remember?  It was a powerful message and so promising. 

Makes me think of "Where the Hell is Matt" on youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwe-pA6TaZk) (if that doesn't work, go to youtube and search the title)  I play this movie whenever I get depressed about human nature.  Makes you want to dance!

Here's hoping your school week was a good one and that you managed to stay cool somehow.  Enjoy the day and "Let whatever you do today be enough."