sutton007

Growing up my folks would often drag us to visit their aunts and uncles.  Dreading the thought, all I wondered was 'what am I supposed to do there?'  After all, this was before the days of Nintendo DS Games, iPods and cellphones.   Why couldn't I just stay home and play with my friends? How BORING ! My Primary Sources: My Dad, Aunt and Mom While traveling into the city I would mope displaying a sour look on my face and wear it the whole time as my mom visited with Auntie Mare.  Sitting by the window I'd watch the pigeons land and waddle on the ledge, while in the background I could hear the soft voices of my mom and great aunt.  There would be clinking tea cups intermingled with laughter.  It never occurred to me to join in the conversation or actually listen to what they were talking about. Other times the Great Aunts and Uncles would visit us.  Retreating to another room I could escape interacting with those people who I considered 'old'....

My First & Second Grade Report Cards " Why don't you just give them all A's !" shouted my daughter this afternoon!  It never fails...I hear the same request from either my sister, mother, husband, cousin, friend, neighbor, or local teen every time I sit down to spend the day to write out my students' report cards. Do they really all think that teachers just ' GIVE ' grades based on some nebulous reason?   Don't they understand that teachers work long hours finding sums and averages based on the student's assessments? Or don't they realize that hours are spent filling in checklists based on whether the student has completed the standards set by the state? The business of report cards is a touchy subject at best.   When mentioned in most any setting it brings recounts of days gone by. "Do you remember when I locked myself in the bathroom and wouldn't come out? How I shoved my report card under the door for mom and dad?" my sist...

View from NASA satellite on 3/5/11 An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.9 on the Richter Scale shook Japan on March 11, 2011 .   The earthquake then triggered a 23 foot wave tsunami that caused massive destruction.     Watching the videos of water sweeping cars and homes away, people scrambling to take cover under desks, people running in the streets trying to avoid falling bricks and many other images were disturbing to me.  I couldn’t help but think about my students who might also be seeing this on their televisions. Naturally, children are curious, fascinated and maybe fearful of earthquakes and tsunamis.  It might be helpful for them to have some information about these topics.  Richter Scale – Learn how to read the Richter Scale by Scholastic. Tsunami – Watch this video designed for kids by the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). It describes what a Tsunami is and what do to if one occurs in your area.  Or watch...

Gee!  Haw!  Hike!  Mush!   These are just some of the shouts that can be heard on the streets of Anchorage this weekend as the 39 th Iditarod Dog Sled Race in Alaska gets underway. Who will cross under the Burled Arch first? Who will win the Red Lantern Award?  Keeping track of the 1100 mile race, (also known as The Last Great Race) especially if you have chosen a musher to follow is addicting .  Whether you’ve chosen to watch 4-time champion Lance Mackey , breast cancer survivor DeeDee Jonrowe , rookie Kris Hoffman or Jamaican musher, Newton Marshall, the race is sure to fascinate fans. (Current Musher Standing of 2011 Iditarod) Following a musher and their dog team leads to a natural curiosity about the race.  There is a lot of information to be found at Iditarod.com or Scholastic’s, Race Across Alaska .  There is something for everyone in this event.  Dog lovers , you can learn about the race through the eyes of Iditarod dogs,...