So far my spring break has been wonderfully relaxing- while I couldn't imagine living anywhere but in the heart of the city, I absolutely LOVE the country!  My days have been full of long walks with my dog along dusty dirt pathways, snickerdoodle cookies from the Amish Famer's Market, sweet tea in the shade with a stack of books, and lingering conversations with family members I have missed so much since Christmas.  Tonight we begin our preparations for Easter, starting with a Monde Thursday observation at church (in honor of the Last Supper).  It's going to be a much-needed time of reflection and introspection...

All of this peace and quiet has also given me time to think about and make plans for the website.  April is the slowest traffic month for the site, and the summer months are the highest, so I want to add a lot between now and then.  I feel like I have neglected it for other professional obligations as well as the devotions, and I apologize to those who have been faithfully emailing me to inquire about updates- they're coming!  Here are some of the things I have in mind:

-a complete archive of lesson plans and teaching activities for math and reading comprehension: easy and fun ways to teach skills with few materials and no prep time!  This will hopefully be a great resource for those who feel bound to worksheet-driven instruction simply because they have no time or energy to come up with more engaging ways of teaching.  I have been there and done that and hope to save other teachers- and their kids- from that trap!

-more 'fun, free stuff'.  I have no idea where I'll find it, but that page gets about 5 times as many hits as the others on the site, so clearly, that's where the need is!

-seasonal activities.  That poor neglected page has been up for a year and half and has nothing on it.  I want to include holiday activities that are actually meaningful teaching tools- not just cute busy work.

-more class photos. I've done alot with the room since I last took pictures, and I want to add them.

-photos of other classrooms in my school.  I have some incredibly talented and creative colleagues whose classrooms MUST be featured- I know you'll get tons of great ideas from them!

-more behavior modification ideas, especially individualized plans for especially challenging children.  I have about 10 different plans I've created and used over the years and really want to get them online so you don't have to reinvent the wheel.

-job interview tip updates.  There are a lot of fabulous resources out there I want to compile to help those of you who are job-hunting to remember that the interview is a TWO-WAY street.  They're not just interviewing you, you're searching for the school that is the best fit for your needs, as well, and I want you to know what to look for in a school and how to find out what it's REALLY like to work there.

-a National Board certification support page.  I want to give organizational tips that helped me keep track of the massive amounts of papers the process has produced (at least 3 reams, isn't that unbelievable!?!?), online resources and support groups that have been invaluable, ideas for pacing yourself and creating a timeline, etc.

So that's what's on my heart right now.  If there's anything else you'd like to see added to the site, please let me know, because I'm gathering ideas now! 

I absolutely love your website. I tried the token reward system in my class last year with great success! I am hoping that you will post more photos soon. I will be teaching grade 6 in September, so I would like some new ideas.

I want to use the token system appropriately so I need to re-read teh page on it... I think I am doing it wrong in my student teaching... I am so glad that u are updating, I thought maybe you had vanished LOL!:P

:)YAY! I am excited about the updates to come...