My elementary school kids desperately want to please their teacher. So much so, they frequently let their emotions get the better of them. Actually it's daily. And here's how I know: Each and every day that I'm in the classroom I hear the "gasp"!
Every story has a beginning, middle and end. And in the details of that telling, we can be transported to times and places that fill us with a range of emotions - from wonder, hope and, mirth - to fear, sadness and dread. And the best stories usually have a blend of both!
Today my class of Experience Corps students celebrated their 100 th day of school! When I got to school the teacher had placed "100 th day of school" signs all over the walls. To celebrate, the children made crowns with a "100" featured prominently on the front, and decorated their headband with…
Great excitement colors every Halloween. Kids happily don their costumes - some out of the box, some handmade - carve their jack o'lanterns, then set off to troll neighborhoods in the dusk and dark for candy galore.
Earlier this month I began my Experience Corps work with Washington, D.C. elementary school kids to build their reading skills. It has been both exhilarating and exhausting. And although I'm having a tremendous amount of fun, I am already developing calluses on my back side getting used to…