sutton007

As New Year's quickly approaches many of us think about making resolutions. As teachers or parents we often have our students or children create resolutions for themselves. The problem : When thinking about our own resolutions we may realize they are often not attained or neglected by mid January. Why does this happen and why would I ask my students to create resolutions of their own when mine clearly are not followed? Resolutions are often not met because they are too general with little or not accountability. The solution : Create resolutions that are SMART ! Based on the way we set our goals at school, we should help our students create goals (or resolutions) that are S pecific, M easurable, A ttainable, R ealistic & T imely. SMART GOALS! The reasoning: Creating goals that are specific insures better chances they will be met. Measuring goals along the way will not only show results, it will provide incentive. Generating goals that are attainable means a plan or ...

"The past is never dead. It isn’t even past"...William Faulkner. I agree with Faulkner and, today, I think there are 21 ten year-olds who might be of the same opinion as well. While these fourth graders are still in the elementary stages of cursive writing, they braved the challenge of writing a letter with a quill pen. Simulating their peers of over 250 years ago, students used real feathers, parchment paper, ink and blotting paper to 'pen' a letter of thanks to their parents. They were given instruction in the "art of the beautiful hand" or penmanship of Colonial Times and one hour to complete the assignment. The challenge : writing on paper without lines; manipulating a delicate tool without breaking it; using (washable) ink from a pot The reward: concentrating on a not-so-easy task; putting their learning into practice; a beautiful, endearing letter. The comments: "I like writing with the quills!" "It looks easier than it is!"...