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What a beautiful book! And even though you didn't write it, you do write it every day...in the way you teach and talk about these students of yours. You are their gift. They are your gift. And you're our gift too! xo, a.

Thank you for posting this today! Perfect timing with the "testing" of mid year starting. You could have written this book. Just think about all those wonders each day that we don't anticipate? isn't that why we teach amazing fifth graders?

Could you tell I was sort of talking to you when I wrote this post? 'Cause I was!

Thank you, Dear Friend!

This is one to buy for all those teachers I work with, now with our big night coming, they can use a lot of wonder. Thanks Mary Lee.

I taught 5th grade for 24 years and loved them almost all the time, too! I love this book already and will read and share it. It was the days when someone totally suprised me that really made my heart sing. And these kids are so lucky to be able to wonder along with you. See you in Texas I hear from Kim and Jan. Hooray!
Janet F.
Definitely loving Book Love!! Thank you and Frankie again.

Oh my goodness...this looks awesome. I taught 26 years! I can really relate!

Just put it on hold! Can't wait to read it. Thanks for the suggestion.

Laurie
Chickadee Jubilee

Wonderful! Thank you for introducing this one.

I couldn't agree more. Thank you for sharing.

Kimberley
First in Maine

Teachers in my school are in the midst of writing narrative reports, prepping for parent-teacher conferences, and battling the winter doldrums. This poem is the perfect reminder about the wonder of teaching. Thanks for sharing.

Mary Lee~
Thank you so much for sharing, this title is a must have! This poem together with my 2013 mantra- Assume good intentions, will be thought of each day. It's hard to admit I ned this -I believe our job is a priviledge, but it certainly is not without challenges.
My 12 yo daughter once said, "Mommy you can't have a bad day because your bad day is 23 kids' bad day." PRESSURE!
1st- 5th everyday truly wonders!

I think, once the kids get older, maybe even into adulthood, they will remember the time they went on that neat field trip and saw a reenactment of history. Something of what they experienced that day may trigger a desire to learn more later on.

I don't know if there's a way to inspire a curiosity to learn about history, except to say that as long as we don't learn from our past we are doomed to repeat it. Obviously we have not yet learned how to live peacefully with each other as we still go to war and commit crimes against each other.

As for me I always loved history. Particularly ancient Roman and Greek history. I was so into I knew names and dates of battles, generals, kings...all sorts of stuff. I also had some very exciting history teachers who managed, through lectures no less, to connect moments together a way that made it clear how one thing can and does lead to another.

Of course, I've forgotten more than I remember, but I still love history. And I don't think becoming interesting in the Civil War through reading Gone With the Wind is a bad thing at all.

My daughter (3rd grade) had a field trip on Friday during which most bus communictaion happened via their linked Nintendo DS handhelds.

Clearly someone needs to come up with a Nintendo "Colonial Williamsburg" game where you have to learn wheelwrighting, metalsmithing, wigmaking, etc. without starving or dying from an infected wound...

So the field trips are like seeds, Bish? That makes me feel like schools really aren't wasting tons of money. I think you're right on this, too.

We had worksheets in history, and lots and lots of maps. I can't stand maps - really, just ask my husband who reminds me that if I can write a novel, I can surely read a map. I have a kind of map dyslexia. It makes for some truly random moments during road trips.
But yeah, teachers should be able to ignite the kids who aren't lucky enough to have an inborn desire to learn history.

Yup, Christy, those Nintendo DS's. It's exactly like tween texting.

Ahh....I come to this blog for a big dose of sanity -- and to be entertained, and I always get what I came for! We had those power moms too and I wouldn't have minded flushing their blackberries down the toilets.

I have a sure-fire way to teach history. Look up whatever the subject is that you want to teach on Wikipedia or similar, wait until your kids are in the room, standing near you, then flick off quickly, letting them get just a fascinating peek. If they ask what you were looking at, tell them it was something they're not quite ready for yet. I've taught my kids all sorts of interesting history this way.

And I'm a big fan of Horrible Histories, too. My kids have taught ME a whole bunch of history through Horrible Histories.

Sanity? That makes me feel great, since that's not a word ascribed to us too often. Just ask the neighbors...

So make history kind of like a forbidden fruit? That would definitely entice my kids. I'll have to try your strategies.

Last year I went on a zoo field trip, and we had one of those scavenger hunt assignments. We ran around at an insane pace trying to complete it (there was a candy prize involved) and barely had the chance to actually see animals.

As for learning history, I think my kids are doing better than I was. I just crammed for tests and then promptly forgot everything. I did like those epic movies, but that was mainly because we got out of doing boring timelines.

I don't remember most of the field trips I went on as a kid, except the amazing one to Biltmore House when I was in ninth grade. Oh, and the zoo. Heck, I don't even really remember the field trips I helped chaperon while student teaching.

I never had any interest in history until college, and then it was only because I happened to take a history course from the most amazing professor ever. I took everything else he taught and ended up minoring in history--if he'd taught more classes, I could have majored. His classes shouldn't have been interesting because he just stood there and lectured (and got testy if someone interrupted with a question), but his lectures were full of fascinating details--but not details for the sake of trivia, details that made everything just come alive. I don't know that you could do that for younger kids, though. I don't think they have the attention span.

(Hi, by the way; you commented on my blog so I dropped by and immediately snorted coke--er, coca-cola--through my nose at the squirrels with lightsabers. Thanks!)

Those scavenger hunts completely ruin the trips. I asked why the kids couldn't come back and just write a journal entry about what they saw - what impressed them, what was unusual, something along those lines rather than, "How many boats brought iron ore to Cape May in 1854?"

I had English professors like that, KC. I never touched history in college which says a whole lot of bad stuff about my high school.

And I know -- squirrels with light sabers. How could anyone resist? I love that one.

Hi Anne,

Thank you for answering my questions about your book. When is the next one coming out?

-Megan Albitt

I loved the line,"her inmates cheered," and "Moom, no one checks this, just toss it in the recycle bin."

Lawsy, I can not answer your question because I detested history and still kinda do - unless I'm watching some delicious period film.

I'm gonna think on this.

Hi Megan,

Book #2 is due out in February, 2010. Thanks for asking!

I know, Katie. I learned all my history though reading period novels. I guess my real worry is my kids sort of "inherited" my lack of natural interest in history. I have to be really lured.