I have a precious 5th grade student with a wonderful imagination. He is so poetic that he sees stories fully formed in his mind. His details, word usage, and transitions are seamless. He can paint a picture with words that takes me into his story. However, when he sits down to write the stories out longhand, he gets bogged down in the mechanics of the writing - the physical friction of pencil to paper slows him down. Typing by hunt and peck also slows him down. He gets

My precious teaching assistants, Carter and Max, passed this year. Both boys were magical additions to the Learning is Fun experience. Carter, my Aussie Shepherd, 16 and Max, my black tabby mix, 11, were loved by all. Carter escorted students to their chairs and snuggled with them on the floor if they needed a break. Max jumped right up on the table and got in his “observation” box to play along with the students. He purred and provided a big fluffy pile of snuggles. Th