August 31, 2008, 03:28 AM
I'm departing from my usual topic for tonight. I read a book once. Maybe you've heard of it? It's a great book with this mythical wizard named Harry. To be honest, the book mesmerized me. Great writing, great characters and an underlying theme of the importance of friendship and love. Wow - Jo, you totally rock! After I read the book I found that I "magically" discovered all of these people to discuss this wonderful piece of literature. These friends and I have had great, in-depth discussions...
August 23, 2008, 04:34 AM
Hi everyone! This is Nick Rhein, Doris’ co-admin on the Leaky Lounge, filling in while Doris is busy getting her kids ready for school. She will be back here next week! I’m currently a college student studying to be a high school Spanish teacher, and I plan on using Harry Potter in my future classroom as well, but not always in the ways you might think. I’ll explain some ways that a foreign language teacher or English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor could use the books...
August 09, 2008, 02:37 AM
In my last blog I took the opportunity to answer a few emails asking about books to help teachers in their classroom. The problem is that most teachers didn't want to know how to teach reading and writing, but what to do with those kids that can't be reached. I thought I'd answer a few of those questions in a few blog entries over the next few days. All of the suggestions I'm making are taken from the book, Teaching with Love and Logic. One of the BEST things I learned as a secondary teacher...
August 07, 2008, 01:38 AM
I've received a few emails asking about good books to inspire teachers and books to help teach vocabulary to students preparing for their Scholastic Aptitude Test. (SAT) I'm taking a break from the usual articles to chat about these topics. What books do I recommend teachers read during the summer? Harry Potter seems obvious, (if you teach in a secondary school, read Breaking Dawn - by Stephanie Meyers since your students probably did) so I'll stick to books that are more on the subject of teaching...
August 02, 2008, 11:41 PM
I love to read. So much so that I drive people crazy with my reading habit. The odd thing about reading is that my tastes are everywhere. I have a friend who owns this wonderful book shop, Boomerang Books, who has the same taste in books I do. We like everything! Today my friend and I were sitting at her store talking about our book choices. I love non-fiction, fiction, biographies, young adult, fantasy, historical fiction; well you get the idea. No matter the genre' I've probably read it and...
July 29, 2008, 02:52 AM
Guest blog from Kadi: A very special thanks to Kadi, who despite the reputation of being the "evile one" amongst her friends, is really an awesome teacher to a very wonderful group of kids. Thanks Kadi for helping me round out this blog topic from the point of view of an elementary teacher who teaches student's with special needs. In some Skyping with Doris the other night she told me she called standardized tests the "Dementors of Education" which… maybe you have to be a teacher to really...
July 26, 2008, 09:32 PM
Before you read this, I want to make sure I say that the opinions in this blog are mine, and they don't reflect the views of Leaky. So, basically, if you want to yell at someone, please aim it at me! I have enlisted a dear friend, Kadi, (Darth Kadar herself) to help me discuss standardized testing from her point of view as an elementary teacher and as a teacher of children who have special needs. This week you'll see my blog entry, from the views of a teacher in secondary school who teaches students...
July 24, 2008, 01:24 AM
Most adults realize that reading is an integral part of our daily lives. Yes, we have to read. We can't get jobs, order food, excel in school, or enjoy our favorite novels without the benefit of understanding the written word. For some of us, reading is a routine event that brings us joy and serves a purpose. But for many people, literacy is the snitch that even Harry Potter can not catch. According to this International Reading Association 2007 study "The relationship of illiteracy and poverty...
July 12, 2008, 10:50 PM
We all came to know Harry Potter in different ways, and for every fan, Harry has a special place in our hearts. For me, I've been a fan of Harry for many years for many reasons. Each of those reasons has moved from my classroom with a newly found love of reading. Many of those reasons, my students, are now filling university classrooms. It all started with that first reason. A typical boy, my son loved life, reading, school and sports. As he grew his love of athletics replaced his love for the...
