What is the best holiday gift for a teacher?

December 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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A little over a week ago, I received a very kind piece of hate mail in my comments. A teacher of over 32 years, ever so sweetly, told me she felt sorry for me and found me self-centered. Twice. She shared these feelings in a comment to one of my Teacher Gift posts that I write every year (it was from 2010). You see, she taught in inner cities for 31 of those 32 years and felt that I truly must not have appreciated my students if I was sharing with my readers that the best gifts are spa gift … [Read more...]

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Next Monday is Thank a Teacher Day

December 10, 2013 by 2 Comments
thank a teacher day

Last December, as our country mourned the devastation at Sandy Hook Elementary School, I brainstormed ways that we, as a nation, could recognize the teachers that gave (and those that continue to give) so much every day. This year, we're celebrating the memories of the fallen and the dedication of our teachers on Monday, December 16, 2013, with the second annual Thank a Teacher Day. How to Participate in Thank a Teacher Day Thank your teacher The easiest, and most effective way, is to … [Read more...]

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Thank you, Mrs. Caum, for encouraging writing and encouraging friendship #CountlessPossibilities

December 4, 2013 by 51 Comments
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NOTE: This giveaway will begin by 1 pm EST on 12/4 and end on 12/11/13. The spring before I entered high school, like so many of the other 300ish eighth graders, I poured through elective opportunities that would soon be available. Humanities, foreign language, keyboarding, accounting... so many choices to expand my horizons. I probably read the guide at least 36 times. The area that got the most wear in that book? English. Even then, at age 14, I knew my passion: I wanted to take every … [Read more...]

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What is Pertussis and how will I know if my child has it?

December 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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This seems to happen every few years... we receive a notice from our school that children have been diagnosed with Pertussis. Or that there's an outbreak in our town. This year at our school, coming on notice of a second diagnosis, children who haven't been vaxxed are not permitted to return to school for 21 days after the last date of outbreak or until they have been vaccinated (or receive notice from their pediatrician that they have been on a preventative antibiotic.) Sounds scary, … [Read more...]

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Books to gift everyone on your list

November 27, 2013 by 1 Comment
best books for kids

I love gifting books for every occasion. They've even become my favorite house-warming and hostess-gifts. I've found the easiest way to gift the hostess is to stick with the theme of the evening, like Hanukkah, Christmas or Thanksgiving. And for the holidays, try to gift new books so that there's little chance that the child already has the book. Great holiday books for gifting this season Hanukkah Bear Perfect for a family with young children, a bear wakes to a wonderful smell of latkes … [Read more...]

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Fall Alpha-Bits Book: A preschool learning activity

November 5, 2013 by 2 Comments
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Alpha-Bits cereal snack times have been the inspiration to many great opportunities for letter-based learning and conversation lately. On a recent walk through our  neighborhood, I brought along a baggie of Alpha-Bits for Little (age 4) to enjoy. These tiny whole-grain cereal pieces, all shaped like letters, have enthused her and opened a new way to practice sounds. As I shared last week, she's been motivated by opportunities to sound out words and rhyme, fascinated by letters making words. … [Read more...]

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