Desktop Learning Adventures

We’ve all heard it, after the shock of a poor grade on homework, on a test, on a major assignment/project.  It didn’t matter that I stated very clearly at the beginning of the year – I don’t believe in extra credit; I believe in doing the job correctly the first time.  Still, sticker shock persists.   Here’s a multiple choice pop quiz for you.  1. What is the typical excuse or thinking that goes along with, “Teacher, can I do extra credit”? My mom is going to kill me! My dad is going to kill me! My coach is going to kill me! I didn’t know it was due today! OMG! I forgot to take my book home, to study, to... The list goes on. One or two or all of the above, and probably more.    2. What is the typical excuse or thinking that results in a note or phone call from the parent when the poor grade actually hits home?  Finish the sentence.  It’s not my child’s fault because- I couldn’t help him/her with the assignment. We had a lot...

As I stated before, I was pleased to be nominated for the Liebster Blog Award (no par value :)  I’ve discovered there are several interpretations of how it works. The version I received from Lynn at http://funinthefours.blogspot.com / and from Darlene at http://meatballsinthemiddle.blogspot.com /  requires: Link back to the blog that nominated you.  (Hope those links worked- we’ll see.) Post 11 random things about yourself. Answer the 11 questions posted by the nominator. Create 11 questions for the people you nominate. Choose 11 other blogs with less than 200 followers and link to them on this post. Alrighty then... 11 random things~ Wind makes me cranky. I love tennis, although my knee is not too fond of it right now. I’m scared of heights.  Even typing that made my palms sweaty! I’m ambidextrous.  I was supposed to be a lefty, but my kindergarten teacher changed me to a righty.  I thank her because, now I have 2 forehands and a b...

It’s that time of year again- crunch time for teachers and students, as they make the final turn for the last few weeks before... the test.  It makes me sad that so much time is wasted in the classrooms, and that  many feel they have to “teach to the test” to “make the grade” which, by the way, is a floating target.   I’m retired, but worked over half of my teaching career in an at-risk K-6 elementary school with high mobility and high free-and-reduced lunch percentages. The underlying message to the staff was, “Improve test scores or the school will close”. The pressure for teachers working under these conditions is insanely intense. The district inundates the building with coaches and experts and meetings, leaving little time to actually plan and use the data provided, in a meaningful way. We coach, we push, we pray that students will show exactly what they can do on those all-so-important test days.  We wait with bated breath for the numbers to reflect a...

Welcome to my maiden voyage into the world of blogging!  I expect this learning curve will be as steep as the others I've encountered lately; but hey, I like a good challenge. I enjoyed 20+ years in the classroom; the majority of those in 6th grade, with some of the earlier years in 5th and 5/6 multiage settings.  With my current company, Learning Adventures LLC, I'm enjoying the challenge of working with K-6, as well as filling my store on Teachers Pay Teachers with differentiated units, activities, RAFTs and more. I believe children learn best through real-life, hands-on experiences, preferably in a problem-based situation when possible, where the teacher is a facilitator of that learning.  Active learning sparks curiosity and creativity.  My intent for Desktop Learning Adventures is to share some of my experiences, offer ideas and links to websites and blogs I find valuable, and to have fun!  I welcome the interchange from my followers and hope to h...