Author Archives: Annie Campbell

Dogs can teach us about the writing life. They can focus on a worthy idea and they can catch it in midair. They live verbs and love nouns. Dogs don’t walk. They saunter, scamper, scurry, and lope. A dog’s nouns … Continue reading →

I love February 14. In the third grade book of days, it is the high holy day of love and friendship. With a flurry of red paper, pink paper, white doilies and ribbon, each child is acknowledged as friend and … Continue reading →

One morning last week, I greeted the children and was happy to see them, but I was also preoccupied by all that comes with end of a marking period. I didn’t even realize that I’d forgotten to put the morning … Continue reading →

I wanted it to be perfect. I wanted it to be a day my students would never forget. I wanted the day to be like the Inauguration itself: Big. Wonderful. Groundbreaking. I hunted obstacles down weeks in advance– nothing would … Continue reading →

I love to read Frederick by Leo Leonni to show my students the power of words. The mice are very busy getting ready for the cold dark days of winter. They scurry. They hurry. They work to gather grain. Frederick … Continue reading →

When the rain comes down, the games come out in Room 204 –and I’m amazed at what we learn. Introducing games to my third graders was an intuitive move, but theory and reason weren’t far behind. I looked for traditional … Continue reading →

A few days ago, I was sitting in a dentist’s chair furtively reading a biography of William Shakespeare. I was embarrassed when the assistant noticed. Who reads about Shakespeare in a dentist’s office on Winter Break? She went on to … Continue reading →

I loved reading the homework last week. I loved reading about visits to the food bank to deliver food; visits to the emergency room to deliver books; and visits to neighbors to deliver cookies. I loved reading about (and tasting) … Continue reading →

What do you really want for Christmas? What are you hoping for during Hanukkah? These are the questions that children hear at this time of year. And so do we. These sound like simple questions, and they are. Too simple. … Continue reading →

As a child, I often watched my mother or grandmother sit down at the dining room table with an ashtray, a cup of coffee, and a pen. The morning paper had been read and it was time for the crossword … Continue reading →