This Little Light of Mine – Part II

When my children were young I started taking interest in elementary school science. I was curious to know how the subject was taught and what topics were covered. As my knowledge grew, I developed a number of science presentations suitable for grades 2-5. For several years the superintendent granted me a number of release days…

This Little Light of Mine – Part I

As a science teacher it was important to me that my students understood the concept of thinking scientifically. If nothing else, I wanted them to understand that to be scientific one simply needed to make sufficient observations before forming a conclusion. If we all approached life in this manner then we would be well on…

Choosing the Right Word

When my son and daughter were young I couldn’t tell their voices apart on the phone. I didn’t want to ask them which one I was talking to so I taught them the word sibling. “Hello” “Hi, it’s Dad checking in. How are you?” “Good.” I can’t tell which one it is. “What are you…

My Uncle Snook

Yes, I had an Uncle Snook. That was his actual name. My dad had seven brothers and two sisters. They grew up in a Newfoundland outport. Abraham and Sarah died in infancy, so I never knew them. Dad was number three son and Snook was number five. It was also obvious that he had great…

Call 911

Emergency Services contacted the school and reported that a number of kindergarten students had called 911 the previous afternoon. The teachers had done a home safety presentation and, apparently, when some of the students arrived home they were curious. We were asked to do a follow-up with the kids and to emphasize that 911 was…