October 2009

  • Virtual Pumpkin Carving

    Here are some of the pumpkins that my students carved in the computer lab this week. Check out this cool website to virtually carve your own pumpkin. http://www.theoworlds.com/halloween/ I wish everyone a Safe and Happy Halloween tonight!


  • Halloween Classroom Decorations

    This is the mural that my class made for today’s Halloween celebrations in the gym. It is about 6 feet long by 4 feet wide. All of my students had a hand in creating it. And here are some positive and negative jack-o-lanterns that we made. I hope that you all have a Safe and […]


  • Bubble Bobble – Takes Me Back

    I think Bubble Bobble is the best video game ever. And I’m not sure why it isn’t often mentioned in video game circles as a classic. I love playing this game. I can remember plunking in quarter after quarter into the arcade machine at the bowling alley near my house. The one thing I liked […]


  • Teaching Tip Tuesdays – EQAO Testing

    The EQAO is a standardized test that is taken by all students in Ontario near the end of Grade 3 and then again in Grade 6. It is a difficult test and it is challenging to be a teacher in these grades. We need to prepare our students so that they can write the test […]


  • We Don’t Buy Those

    I’m at the grocery store in the cookie aisle. I pick up some cookies and put them into my basket. Just then, a father pushes his daughter down the aisle. She’s sitting in the shopping cart and she sees me picking out my cookies. She happily exclaims, “Cookies!” Her father says doesn’t even slow the […]


  • Be Satisfied Already

    It seems that some people are never satisfied. I come across these people all the time and I really can’t figure them out. It used to drive me crazy because I would bend over backwards trying to please these people and it seemed that whatever I did, it was never enough. I finally figured out […]


  • Love Story Meets Viva La Vida

    I so love Twitter. Ryan D. Scott posted this message up yesterday: “Jon Schmidt, Steven Sharp, Taylor Swift and Coldplay = holy fantastic. Thanks @jonschmidty http://bit.ly/BjfHR” I follow Ryan because he is a good blogger and posts some interesting thoughts, observations, and links on his Twitter page. I followed this link in particular because I […]


  • Teaching Tip Tuesdays – Level Everything

    I found an efficient way to mark student work a few years ago and I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it sooner. It is so simple that I almost forgot to share it with you here on Teaching Tip Tuesdays. So here’s my tip, “Level Everything.” I will go over some of the […]


  • Best Movie Ever – When Harry Met Sally

    “When Harry Met Sally” is a classic movie in all aspects of the word. I truly think that it is the best movie ever made. Even now, twenty years later, it still holds up. The writing is very sharp and it really explores what it means to be in a relationship and the nature of […]


  • Red Hill Valley – The Trail is Still There

    When I was in high school, our cross country team always went to Red Hill Valley to do some nice trail runs. The valley was beautiful and it was a treasure to have this huge green space in the east end of the city. If you hiked off of the main trail, you could walk […]