What Does it Mean To Be a Teacher?
“I hate this stupid job!” I cursed after my elementary students left the classroom. It was the end of another agonizing day at work. The children had brutally taken advantage of me – just like they...
View ArticleThe Best Reflection Question E-V-E-R
Reblogged from allensbrain: “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” ― Søren Kierkegaard This quote screams TRUTH louder than a Blue Whale’s lustful invitation during...
View ArticleReunited with my Students
I often taught my elementary students: “Listen to your heart – be wise, be mindful, be silly, be smart.” After five years of service as a teacher at KMS, I decided it was time to respond to the...
View ArticleThree Secrets to Success in Elementary
I learned this trick from Randall, my mentor and co-teacher. Throughout the years I’ve modified it to fit my teaching style. On the first day of school (or any day that works well for you), write the...
View ArticleA Harmonious rANT
They disembarked at my shores like a storm with no warning, escalating the possibility of war… After getting settled in my studio apartment in Thailand, and following weeks of mindless harvest of...
View ArticleThe Chocolate Nibble Challenge
When I was ten years old, Roald Dahl blew me away with his epic novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This year I decided to do the same for my 5th grade students. Indeed I had so much fun...
View ArticleI’m Just a Kid – One Child’s View of Truth
Friday afternoon rolled around. School was out, and I went to the front gate for my weekly after-school duty. As I assisted arriving parents to sign their kids out, I knew that at any moment, Yok,...
View ArticleA 5 year-old’s Guide: How to Deal with Anger
“Choose a job you like, and you won’t have to work a day in your life.” - Confucius There once was a 5 year-old kindergartener named Teddy. Teddy loved to visit my first grade classroom and...
View ArticleLessons from the White Space Monster
Back in the early September days of this school year, my first grade students began work on a team-building art project. On the project’s third day, I decided it was time to share the tale of the White...
View ArticleThe Power of “I’m Sorry”
As an educator, I do my best to make emotional space in my heart for times when I have to apologize to my students for having done something I shouldn’t have done. For example, my students already...
View ArticleDon’t Ever Give Up
I remember the day in 6th grade when I nervously sat in the principal’s office at Miller Creek Middle School, awaiting the inevitable sentencing for some minor offense I’d committed during recess....
View ArticleReunited with my Students
I often taught my elementary students: “Listen to your heart – be wise, be mindful, be silly, be smart.” After five years of service as a teacher at KMS, I decided it was time to respond to the...
View ArticleThe Restaurant
- “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” - Plato “Hey Mr. Allen!” Danny (6 y/o) yelled from across the school yard. “Come look at what we built. We...
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