blog
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Spectacular Sopranos
I have to admit that I never watched The Sopranos during its original run on television. I had heard all the hype over it but I just never got the chance to watch any episodes. That was until recently. I found that you could actually borrow entire seasons of the show from the public library.…
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Teaching Tip Tuesday – Homework Program
Nobody likes homework. I know that I sure don’t. I try to get most of my work done at school during my planning times. It’s part of my teaching philosophy to keep it at school. That’s why I’ve really been thinking about what I want my homework program to look like this year. I discussed…
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Everyone is a DJ
Everyone is a DJ. Everyone. Whenever you decide to change the radio station in the car, or switch a CD at home, or skip to another track on your MP3 player, you are doing exactly what a DJ does. A disc jockey carefully selects and plays music to suit a mood, event, venue, or audience.…
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Don’t Stay Together for the Kids
This is an appeal to all those out there who desire to get back together with an ex. It won’t work. I’m sorry to sound like such a pragmatist but you can’t stay together for the kids. Kids are smart. They know when things aren’t right between their parents. So staying together for their sake…
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Teaching Tip Tuesday – Fairy Tales
This is an excellent unit to start off your Language Arts program. It is called “Fairy Tale Friends and Foes.” It was originally meant for Grade 2 classes in Catholic school but I have adapted it over the years to use in public schools for several different grades. I like how you can teach the…
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The Summer’s Gone
I played this song last night and again this morning. It’s sort of a yearly tradition. I love Buffalo Tom and play them a lot. However, I feel like need to hear this particular song to mark the end of my summer ever year. I don’t know why. I just do. Summer is now officially…
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Brother Ali is Phenomenal
Brother Ali is a talented artist and an amazingly gifted MC. He is definitely my favourite MC out right now. It’s amazing to see how he has used live musicians in the studio to record his new album. I’m patiently waiting for it to drop next month. I usually get music for free from the…
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My Summer Reading List
I did a lot of reading this summer. Here is a list of what I read. I didn’t keep track of all the graphic novels that I got from the public library so this is not a complete list. I’ve often thought that I should keep a detailed reading log. Perhaps this will be the…
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Three Types of Listeners
I have found that there are three types of music listeners. The first is the casual listener who doesn’t pay much attention to the music whatsoever. This listener often doesn’t know the name of the artists or the songs that they listen to. They don’t own much in the way of music. They might not…
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Teaching Tip Tuesday – First Day of School
My best advice for the first day of school is to plan, plan, plan, and over-plan. You should have your day structured so well that there will never be any lag time. You need to involve the students in some easy work right away, first thing in the morning. I usually have them do an…