Years ago, a mentor gave a very useful suggestion. He told me to visualize what my ideal classroom would look like. Not just the decorations on the wall and the seating arrangement, but all the aspects of my “ultimate classroom,” including how the students behaved, what the learning looked like, how I was teaching each day, my interactions with parents, and the kind of academic (and social/emotional) results I would achieve. It was a powerful exercise.

I was recently reminded of the...

COOL facts about Ice Cream

Did you Know that JULY is National Ice Cream Month in the USA? It was established by President Ronald Reagan, in 1984. National Ice Cream Day is the 3rd Sunday in July. Learn some fun facts about ice cream!

1. One scoop of ice cream needs about 50 licks to finish.

2. The Chinese...

When learning how to lesson-plan, pre-service teachers I work with often notice their mentor teachers rely on shorter, more condensed lesson plans. These student teachers wonder why they are required through coursework to develop lengthy, detailed plans.

I usually fall back on analogies such as learning to drive a car—at first, it takes much thought and conscientious practice to drive, but after gaining experience, the act of driving becomes unconscious.

Similarly, with...