“How can I get Jake to do his homework?” If I had a dollar for every time a parent asked me this question during my teaching career, I wouldn’t be working anymore. No joke. Homework battles were the biggest problems facing most of my parents. …
An e-mail arrived from my mom titled “Your Last First Day of School.” It was my senior year of college and I was about to head off to the first day of classes. But I would leave a few minutes late and wiping my eyes. …
This is a guest post by Sarah Cummings. Teenagers are known for their moodiness, getting in relentless tit-for-tat spats with their parents, and sleeping all day long. But this might not be how teenagers are supposed to behave after all. And there is a solution …
This lady loves a good bargain. A few years ago, I was inspired by the show Extreme Couponing and went all in. My crazy couponing days are past me, but I still break out the coupons every fall for some thrifty Back to School shopping. …
Looking back on my teen summers, my memories are . . . pretty hazy. All right, I don’t remember much except when we left home for a vacation. Other than that, they all blend. I believe I spent my time going to friends’ houses, reading, …
My first year of teaching was exhausting. Literally and figuratively. There were multiple times when I took a nap Friday afternoon and woke up the next morning. But I survived my first year and was proud of what I had done. Yet, when I started …
I was a tad… high strung in high school and college about academics. Bless her, my mother regularly received crying phone calls from me when I got overwhelmed. Much of the time, letting me talk it out usually sufficed. But there were times when I …
A friend of mine has SEVEN children. Seven. They range in age from preschool to high school. I started thinking about Teacher Appreciation Week and how darn expensive that could get for her family. Especially, factoring in multiple teachers or coaches at the middle and …
I first realized something was wrong with teen sleep while student teaching. I taught 2nd-semester seniors (whoever scheduled that clearly hated me!) School started at 7:20 and I watched my students walk in with coffee, caffeinated sodas, and candy bars to wake themselves up. While …
“So, I’m going to take 7 IB classes next year, Ms. P”. Josh was a junior, getting ready to apply to competitive schools the next fall. There was NO need to take all IB classes, but he insisted. I’d taught Josh when he was a …