June 24, 2016 We visited and toured Avignon, France. Although the heat remained rather unbearable I could not help but to order the French Onion Soup. Guess what? It was just called onion soup. After lunch we did a little market shopping and strolled by the river. We stayed for one night within the walls of…
Tag: students
Winning the gift of gab – and all it takes is a kiss!
Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle in Cork, Ireland June 20, 2015 – Day 5 of the Britannia with Education First Tours. Blarney Castle: The grounds were gorgeous and green and views from the top, well, gorgeous. We climbed to the top of the castle and had to lie down and hang out backwards…
Book Club
Thanks, Kelly Gallagher, for the Book Club! Year after year I have struggled with reluctant readers in my classroom. I try and try to support outside reading and despise the read a book take a test option. I want so badly to ignite a love of reading in each and every student. I think I…
The Pont du Gard Aqueduct
During our 2016 Tour we traveled more than 20,000 miles, starting in the US and traveling to Germany, France, Spain and Portugal. An amazing 16 day trip. June 24,2016 After the long day of the June heat of Avignon, France we journeyed to the ancient Roman Aqueduct – The Pont du Gard. A large portion of…
Batter up!
I just sat through the first scrimmage of our girls softball team for this season and boy was it cold! So, after coaching track and going on a run with my husband, the weather seemed tolerable enough – oh no — no, no. The lack of clothing on my body and the failure to…
Yanks out for a run in Killarney, Ireland
I love to grab my phone and go out for an early morning run while on tour with my students. Unfortunately, exhaustion tends to take over and the rest becomes more important as we move through our 14 hour days of walking and sight-seeing while traveling abroad. Still, when I am able to do…
the wrong kind of goodbye
As a teacher I am used to saying goodbye. Students move in and out of the district, always coming and going. Farewells naturally occur at the end of every school year as I pass along my little cherubs to the next lucky soul that gets to touch their lives. Often times I ignore my feelings of loss and try…
Arms waving, feet flying – This is my life!!
Rome, Italy: Picture this – a 10 year old American boy running full speed down the cobblestone street – arms spread out and waving in the air – excitedly and repeatedly screaming at the top of his lungs “This is my liiiifffffe!”, “This is my liiiifffffe!” I wish I would have snapped a photo of this little…
Pompeii, Italy
Italy remains one of my favorite destinations. After our journey to the top of Mt. Vesuvius, we took an expertly guided tour of the ruins of Pompeii. Mt. Vesuvius destroyed this ancient Roman town in 79 AD, but the ash, evidently, preserved quite a bit of it. There are lots of photos and I only…
To the top of Mt. Vesuvius, Gulf of Naples, Italy
Mt. Vesuvius is the one of the most dangerous and most closely monitored active volcanoes in the world – according to our awesomely amazing guide – ANNA. It stands 1293 meters and was last active in 1944 during WWII – at which point the area was evacuated. I mention the war, because I remember something…
Dear New Teachers:
Dear new teachers, We need you. This difficult job will reward you in many ways. Please stick with it, even when you want to quit – it does get easier. Well, not easier, but you figure out how to be better at it and find balance. Our nation faces a crisis in the classroom. We…
Slushie to the face!
Wow – what a way to end a brutal 10 work hour day. Tonight after a day of teaching, an afternoon of coaching, and an evening of parenting teenagers – my other half seemed to be having some philosophical questions as to the purpose, and perhaps futility, of parenting and vented them my way: “What…
