One thing I've noticed as a middle-level teacher, is that my job never feels like it's done. There's always work to grade, and new items to focus on for the success of my students. Sometimes when I get wrapped up in chaos of work, I forget to balance it with the 'chaos' at home. Recently I feel like that imbalance has caught up with me so I have decided to make a change. I am not an expert, I am not a nutritionist, I am not a doctor, or a fitness coach. But what I AM is someone who likes to do her research and understand the interests in which I do not know. Being a woman over 40 has come with it many changes they never tell you about. I have recently decided to set a new goal and go on a personal health journey. This will include healthier eating (but not obsessive), a little bit of fitness (but not intense workouts only the pros can keep up with) and a lot of support, motivation and cheering in YOUR corner if you decide to join my journey. What are YOUR over-40 goals?

I love when an Every Day Edit lines up with what I'm teaching. Students had fun with their most recent one on Nancy Drew. They get excited to see how many they can get individually in 3 minutes and we celebrate when the class works as a team to find all 10. Have you tried Every Day Edits? If not, give them a try. There are a ton to choose from, they're quick and easy, and it help students sharpen editing skills in a. fun way. https://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/edit.shtml

I handed out clues to each student as they entered class. This is what they saw on the board. Students were expected to remain silent until it was their turn to reveal their clue. After all clues were read, one-by-one, students were allowed to use them as evidence to cross items from the list. This is always a fun activity, doesn't take long, and gets kids working together to figure out who took what, and where it was found. Full lesson can be found inside under the Mystery Unit.

At the end of a long week, I was happy to discover that my students were pumped for our activity today. I gave them a series of “10 Mysteries” that I collected from various sources online. As they answered each question/solved each problem, I gave them a ballot. They got so excited to show me their answers and may of them were challenging g and required them to go back and try again. It’s fun when class is over and your students don’t want to leave!