For years I assessed my students to find their guided reading level. The unique reading level of each child helped me in so many ways. I could find books at the students’ instructional level so they could reach their independent reading level. I could report the reading level to parents at conferences so they knew exactly…
When I told my work colleagues that I was leaving my job teaching in north Minneapolis to move to a job teaching in a suburb, I got a mixed bag of responses. While most of the responses were positive, there was one response in particular that continues to nag me: “I would never teach a…
It was a bitter-sweet day on June 2, 2016 when I left my position as an elementary literacy coach and reading interventionist in North Minneapolis. While leaving a school I have called home for nearly four years was difficult, I am incredibly excited to head back into the classroom as a first grade teacher. I…
If I didn’t know about this restaurant, I would have thought it was a neighborhood printing company based on its sign that boldly displayed the name, “ie.” While I didn’t like the sign, I loved everything else about the newest addition of Italian fare in Minneapolis, Italian Eatery called “ie”. The rustic decor was both elegant and…
My students don’t understand what they are reading! As the K-3 literacy coach, I meet with each teacher two times a month for our coaching conversations. Several months have passed and the vast majority of teachers share this very same concern. The level of frustration is exacerbated by the fact that several of these teachers are…
So long 2015 and hello 2016! I decided to begin the new year by ditching my old blog, Diary of a Grumpy Teacher, and starting a new blog. I loved the playfulness of my old blog, but now that I’m well into my 30s, I felt I needed a blog that better represented where I…
I got a new MacBook Pro. I got the new Office for Mac 2016. I finished my Thanksgiving Break Packet using PowerPoint. I was feeling great! And then… …I got the ugly white border on my PDF. I tried the old trick of unchecking the “Scale to Fit Paper” box, but it didn’t work. It just…
I can’t believe we just finished our second week of school. It feels like the students have been back for two months! Anyway, I’m linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for another edition of Five for Friday. 1. I absolutely love my new blog design! A big thank you to Lindsey Paull for doing such…
I was just about done writing this post on Friday when my internet suddenly went out. It was finally fixed this morning. Two days without internet was unnerving. Anyway, I’m linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday–two days late. 1. I finally reached the first TpT milestone! It took a little over…
As I make my frequent stops to Target, Office Max, Lakeshore Learning Store, etc. to find the best deals for the back-to-school season, I’m also thinking about how I will teach even better during this upcoming school year. In addition to teaching reading intervention, I have the added responsibility of coaching and mentoring the K-3…
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