The Rookery

It always takes me a while to think through everything that happens during our very busy Wolf Ridge week.  Being able to observe so many different teachers while I'm there always makes me reflective about my own practice.  This year I was struck by the power of discovery that some…

Things are super busy.  Still having great weather.  Still having a great time.  We're trying out two kinds of videos — snapshots of our activities with kids from different classes and then short reflection on the day.      

We are having a great time.  The weather is great.  The Internet connection is slow.  We will update you as we can!   

Since the first day of school, the Herons have asked when we were going to be doing "our play."  It's funny — while I was involved in drama in highschool and college, I didn't imagine I would do plays in my classroom.  But for the last four years, we have…

A recent blog by Cathy reminded me that this is a great time to expand the work we do with the 4/5s for social curriculum.  A few years ago, we had a thought provoking presentation by local counselor Nancy Gregerson on how to support children socially.  As Cathy said, this…

Our trip to the Mill City Museum was great.  We were able to apply a lot of what we had learned over the past two months to Minneapolis history.  Many thanks to Nicole Krenzel, Kerry Hanifl and Naomi Hilmas for chaperoning.  They all dove right in and helped the kids…

Thursday was a sad day for the Herons.  Connor Rohwer, the highschool senior who has spent every Tuesday and Thursday morning with us since September had to say goodbye.  This was the final week of the term and his schedule changes next week — Tuesdays and Thursday will be filled…

I have recently been re-reading a favorite series of essays by Eleanor Duckworth called The Having of Wonderful Ideas.  In it, Duckworth asserts that: the development of intelligence is a matter of having wonderful ideas. In other words, it is a creative affair. When children are afforded the occasions to…

I was so proud to be with the Herons tonight as they sang with and for the Northfield community at ARTech's Arts for Martin celebration.  There is a power in raising one's voice with others and it fills me with so much hope to watch our kids at an event…