School and the City

I'm baaaack! My original blog post about running Words Their Way, called  Words Their Way: MY Way , is my most-visited and most-pinned blog post EVER. First of all, I'm totally flattered that anyone wants to read anything I have to say. Second of all, I GET IT! Words Their Way is the monster under the bed that makes you decide that, well, you'd rather stay safely in your bed than risk getting out of it. I love Words Their Way - don't get me wrong - but it can be completely overwhelming and consuming if you don't have an attack plan. Thus, I present to you... If you were directed here from my first post, thanks for reading! If you haven't read Part 1  yet, I suggest you start there first. Let's dig in! As many of you know, I started at a new school this year. My new school does use Words Their Way, but I have had to change up my routine a bit to best fit my new classroom. WORKBOOKS First of all, my school prov...

I HATE pencils. Really. But pens aren't always practical. Sometimes I think to myself that I should quit my job and invent a pencil that doesn't require sharpening, and then I remember that mechanical pencils are a thing. Sigh. I guess I'll stick with my day job. Honestly, though, where do all of the pencils go? Are they hoarding them in desks and backpacks? Do they take them home and display them in their bedrooms? Do we have a pencil monster that's best friends with  the eraser monster ? Why do they tear them up intentionally? Do they EAT them? I don't get it.  It's a little infuriating. So I decided I was going to set a great example for my students by not sharing my pencils. (sarcasm) I had seen multiple ideas on Pinterest  about how to make sure teacher pencils are clearly marked. I picked my favorite method, opened a brand new box, and sharpened those babies. Then I wrapped them with my favorite washi tape so that they becam...