Welcome!
A Song from Yesterday, A Lesson for Today
When I was growing up, I sang along to an album of Disney favorites that included a tune from the movie Mary Poppins. Julie Andrews sang this rousing rendition as her young charges set out on the arduous task of cleaning their rooms. She reminds them:]
In every job that must be done. There is an element of fun, You find the fun and snap! The job's a game.
I hold myself and my students to high standards, and I do it without apology. However, I stand firmly behind the old adage that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, and in my time as a teacher, media specialist, and consultant, I have learned how to sweeten the pot with any number of fun activities. Most of the standards I address pertain to language arts, but many other content areas will “sneak in” as well. I hope you will find ideas here that will help you make your job in the classroom more effective and more fun!!
Since I sang along with a record album as a child, you might have already figured out that I am a veteran in this profession. Each year, it seems that we are all faced with tasks that are increasingly hard to swallow. The curriculum is more demanding, students’ families are more fractured, and budgets are shrinking. We would all do well to take Mary Poppins’ advice as she admonishes:
Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.
Since I don’t have an English nanny who can whisk away all the problems we face in education, it is up to me to find the fun as I work to help students meet and exceed whatever standard I am teaching. In this site, I hope to share some of my favorite standards sweeteners!
Standards by the Spoonful: Sweeten It Up-Don’t Water It Down
A little sugar is a tasty treat, but too much sugar is bad for anyone! In the same way, we have to be careful that the art, music, or other activities we use in our classrooms don’t get in the way of teaching our standards. I use these experiences to motivate learning and mastery of the standards. I sprinkle in the “sugar” as part of an effective instructional program that includes all kinds of activities.
Still Teaching and Learning!
I hope these pages have given you some insight into who I am. As a minister’s wife, I have moved around quite a bit and have had a variety of experiences. It has been my privilege to work with some of finest educators in this country, and it is their tireless and selfless dedication that inspires me daily.
On a Personal Note…
I am a native of south Louisiana and a graduate of LSU-Geaux Tigers! I love being married to my best friend, John, and we are truly blessed to be the parents of a son and a daughter, Jack and Meg, who fill our lives with laughter and joy. I love to spend time reading(I never miss an issue of Southern Living magazine) and playing the piano.