I marched with the drummers and fifers to the battlefield on the Heights of Carillon.  Imagining myself actually marching into battle pierced me for just a moment - knowing that I would soon be seeing a fight, that I would soon be defending myself against a deadly opponent, that I would would be part of a barrier defending the border of a new nation.

Large logs and trenches would form our main defensive lines outside the fort, planned at angles to follow the landscape and allow shooters to fire at a variety of angles.  The, thanks to General Montcalm, the front of the lines would be reinforced with an abatis - trees felled and intertwined and branches sharpened to face the enemy.

As we waited for the British to arrive in this historic battle, we had to think.  There were 3,700 of us defending the French fort against 16,000 advancing, trained British troops.

The anticipation of the reenactment on a sultry hot day was enough.  We could not imagine the reality of the wait - the anticipation of something so large that once rolling down hill, it would be unstoppable.  At this point the battlefield is ready.  Now, we just needed an opponent to ascend the Heights.

Stay tuned for more from Fort Ticonderoga soon.

​In the meantime, you can find out more about the teacher institute at the fort on my Fort Ticonderoga page.

We simply cannot miss the opportunity to learn about chocolate in the 18th century.  While at Fort Ticonderoga, I was afforded a sample drink of hot "heritage" chocolate.  It was not sweet like today's fare, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.  See how much the Washingtons enjoyed theirs?

I just finished the last book on Missouri's Mark Twain Award nominee list.  The book, pictured here, titled Mustaches for Maddie​, was written by the parents of a young girl with a brain tumor.  I would not have chosen this book to read for myself, and honestly, I was not looking forward to ending the Mark Twain list with this one.  I felt like the mustache theme has run its course in recent years, as well.  Mostly, however, I just didn't want to read yet another kid-with-cancer story.

Thankfully, Mustaches for Maddie won me over...but not at first.  The beginning just seemed like the author were trying too hard.  The humor was forced, and I could feel the writing process while I was reading the book.  Then, out of nowhere, things leveled out, and the story started to grow on me.  Parts of the book were actually pretty funny, but the real part of the story starts to weigh on the reader after a while.  When Maddie tells about her surgery to remove the tumor, the explanations feel genuine.  I suppose that comes out of the real-life experiences of the real-life Maddie, the authors' daughter.

The agony of watching your child deal with the fear and anxiety of an approaching brain surgery comes to the forefront, and the reader feels the pain right alongside the parents and the child.

It's not how I would have told the whole story, but it's definitely how I would have written the real parts.  Mustaches for Maddie is one of the books on this year's Mark Twain nominees that you might want to pick up to read in our school library.

In our class, I expect every student to maintain an 80% positive record with behavior.  If anyone falls below that threshold, the individual student and I need to have a conversation and make alternative plans for how to move forward.  Collectively, we are a team, so collectively I expect the class to maintain 90% positive as our average for the year.  If we ever fall below 90%, the class will work as a team to raise their score back up to an acceptable level.

​More information about my experiences at the Fort Ticonderoga Teacher Institute is available on my Fort Ticonderoga page.  Plus, keep watching this space:  more photos are coming!

Look what came to town for a week!  It's the WWI Mobile Museum, making a stop at the Joplin Public Library for this week only, and it's worth a look.  Head on over there for a visit.

I heard about the traveling museum, last week.  Since my week-long study of the French and Indian War and World War One at Fort Ticonderoga, this summer, I couldn't let the opportunity to see more WWI information.  The collection was inspired by the nation's only WWI museum in Kansas City.

The pictures here are a sample of the outpouring of support Joplin has received in response.  It would appear that humanity has not completely lost its heart, that our part of the universe is still empathic, and that we are raising some pretty compassionate young people.  Sadly, it often takes a shocking and tragic loss to help us see the light.

This was a huge Saturday event.  With all attention on the first Joplin/Webb City game and all the support coming from both sides of the field in response to a lost player, attendance went well over capacity early.  Sixty-three's twin bother and his family led his team onto the gridiron.  Players and cheer squads from both teams joined center field for prayer, followed soon after by Joplin players carrying an empty "63" jersey out for the coin toss.  Joplin started the game with 10 players, and referees called a penalty for not having enough players on the field.  Webb City declined the penalty.

​Joplin won in a high-scoring game against a team known as a football empire, marking Joplin's first win over Webb City since 1990, their first win in Webb City since 1941, and Webb City's second regular season loss at home since 2004.  The final score was 35-28, which - coincidentally - adds to 63.

WELCOME TO FORT WILLIAM HENRY:  "YOU'LL BE SAFE HERE"

The accounts of Fort William Henry are heartbreaking and heroic, filled with an eventful siege,
​a great account of gentlemanly respect, and some disastrous results.

Write an impassioned speech to answer one of the following prompts.  Volunteer to give a dramatic reading of your speech to the class.

• Tell the French general, the Marquis de Montcalm, why he should not take you prisoner.
• Tell the English general why he should surrender.
• Tell the Indians why they should not kill you.

I'm ready to make a statement.

With 30 years in the saddle as a teacher, and 25 years in the same classroom, I am still growing.  Still improving. Still feeling the pain of change as I stretch myself in my craft.

Yes, I said craft.  I might even say art.  My statement?  Teaching is an art.

I know we debated this in my undergraduate classes in education, and we continued to ponder the question:  Is teaching an art or a science?

Before any of you gets up in arms, let me qualify my answer by saying, Teaching is an art for me.  This is where I am comfortable, but more importantly, the art of teaching is where I can stretch and grow.  The art of teaching is where I excel and shine.  It's where I prove myself.  It's where I get results.

You, my peer, may find your own niche on the other side of the debate.  You may excel with data analysis and small group instruction in response to your findings.  You may thrive in constantly assessing and comparing your own students with those of other teachers, other schools, and other states.

If you know me, you see me as different, strange, and weird.  You know that I like to own my lessons - and not buy worksheets from Teachers Pay Teachers.  I'm not one who spends a lot of time with Pinterest.  I strive to make my class and my lessons unique.  If you know me, you know I have my students interests at heart.  You know I work to establish strong relationships with them.  You know that my interactions motivate the unmotivated, encourage the discouraged, and calm the anxious.

Administrators and legislators need to understand that you are different than other teachers.  There must be a system where professional teachers are accepted for their strengths.  If you can grow better by attacking instruction with a series of if/then statements, you should be allowed to pursue happiness in that realm.  If I can stay in the same classroom for three decades and still be growing my craft, then I must not be saddled with tasks that hinder my strengths.  I'm ready to make a statement.

Educators must be held accountable, but they must also be allowed to shine.

Here's an odd book title:  Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus.  The book itself is quite unique, as well.  It was fun and poignant at the same time, and the author successfully framed many serious concepts with her humor:  an armless girl, a boy with Tourette's Syndrome, an overweight friend, as well as adoption.

The main character's self-deprecating humor is a refreshing change to many of other characters who would rather feel sorry for themselves.  Yet, the humor is also real:  deep down she still gets a little depressed.  I can't say I have ever read a book about a character with no arms, but it was interesting to me to see how the author dealt with the restrictions in her book.

Many books for this age level have families who move to new places, and this one is no different.  Here, however, the move has more purpose in the move.  Instead of just accepting that the move was necessary, author Dusti Bowling makes it an integral part of the story.  There is a questionable reference in one scene that wasn't necessary, but otherwise this story is a great addition to this year's Mark Twain Award nominees.

When you are ready, we will apply what you have learned to place the colonies in order based on:

• Alphabetical order
• Order of admission as a royal colony

We can also understand the 13 original colonies on the current United States flag.  The red and white stripes represent those 13 British colonies (as seen in the image below, left).  The stars represent the 50 current states (as seen in the image on the right).