There is nothing quite like receiving a hand-written card or letter in the mail addressed just to you. Last year, I wrote and sent Christmas cards to each of my students. It wasn't for their parents, their siblings or anyone else-- just them. Iridescent polar bear cards aren't much, but it was something small I could do to make each and every one of them feel special. This year, the favor has been returned. Last week, I received a Christmas card from one of my students with learning disabilities. When I first met her at the start of the year, ...

I used to say that there is nothing like the high you get from watching a kid learn. But I have to add to that now. There is nothing quite like watching a teacher learn to be a better teacher and be able to get his/her kids to learn even more. But I still miss teaching. Eventually, I will return to the classroom. But in the meantime, I will brag about my teachers' growth, and I will retell stories about my students in New Mexico. That is what I did last week when I went to Boulder, Colo., to ...

Dear Readers, I will be posting every Tuesday as well as on the weekend from now on. I love hearing suggestions on how to improve the blog-- if you have a suggestion or a topic you'd like to read about, please leave a message. Thank you for the great feedback so far! Jessica Name a junk food and chances are, I'll eat it. But as much as I love junk, I don't want our schools to love junk too. Schools have a responsibility to be models in the community, and as much as I love McDonald's No. 3 breakfast meal (artery...