Teacher! Teacher! What, Student?

Bestseller's List, Here I Come!

2012-02-09T13:13:00.000-08:00

I'm super excited to report that on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 two of my books were ranked under 200,000 of 17+ million on Amazon.com!!! Yay! O Lord, Teach Me Your Ways: A Proverbs Devotional was ranked as follows: ISBN-10: 0615550762ISBN-13: 978-0615550763Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inchesShipping Weight: 8.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)Average Customer Review: 5.0

11-Year Old Entrepreneur

2012-02-07T17:24:00.000-08:00

ATLANTA-Maya Penn, an 11-year-old girl from Canton, Georgia has created her own line of Eco-friendly clothing called Maya’s Ideas which she sells online. Click to read more. Homeschooling is becoming more and more appealing every day. Stifling potential is one of the things I do not like about the Tucson Unified School District and public education in general. My son is a 4th-generation

I'm a Reader

2012-02-02T10:00:00.000-08:00

OMGosh! I almost had a heart attack. I couldn't find my Amplified. I looked all over my reading room. Then, jumped up and down a few minutes to create some heat, put on a robe and went and looked in the car. My brain imagined me placing it on the top of the car while loading up and it flying off so naturally I panicked. And, right before I screamed I remembered I left it on the kitchen counter

2012-01-31T17:28:00.000-08:00

Teacher! Teacher! What, Student? was nominated for a VERSATILE BLOGGER award by mother, author and blogger G.E. Johnson. Thank you, thank you, thank you, G.E.!!! I gladly receive this honor. As a stipulation of accepting the award, bloggers have to: Add the award image to your blog Write down seven random facts about you Nominate other bloggers and let them know Seven Facts About Me:

Brichta Principal to Parent: Don't Contact Your Child's Teachers

2012-01-30T14:29:00.000-08:00

I love my son more than I know how to articulately express. Even though I was a public school teacher in Tucson, and it would've been quick and easy to bring him to work with me for his formal schooling, I knew that that wasn't best for him. I knew that in order to give him every opportunity he should have in life, he needed to be in an excellent school environment. I chose private,

12 Year Old Goes to College

2012-01-11T12:55:00.000-08:00

Have you ever considered homeschooling as an opportunity to allow your child to receive information the way they learn best?

Say, 'YES!'

2012-01-06T11:44:00.001-08:00

Research suggests that children are told, 'no,' upwards of 148,000 times in their formative years. For 2012, choose not to limit or stifle your child's dreams, future, vision, goals or curiosity by making the conscious decision to say, 'YES!'

Go, Go, Goals 2012!!!

2011-12-30T00:00:00.000-08:00

I'm writing curriculum for kids' church for a local small church in Pasco, Wash. and using the book 10 Powerful Tips for Training Unstoppable Children by Patti Gibble as one of my inspirations and as a guide. Tell me what you'll be working on as the new year commences for a chance to win a FREE copy. /*{literal}<![CDATA[*/ window.RAFLIN = window.RAFLIN || {}; window.RAFLIN['c6597e08'] =

2011-12-21T00:54:00.000-08:00

10 Powerful Tips for Training Unstoppable Children: Teaching children values and morals, Teaching children to pray, Teaching children respect, How to ... children, Raising responsible children by Patti Gibble My rating: 5 of 5 stars I've actually read 10 Powerful Tips for Training Unstoppable Children through a couple of times, but I'm going to read it again - a chapter a day - until the

Zip it, Lock it, Put It In Your Pocket

2011-12-11T23:13:00.000-08:00

"Zip it, lock it, put it in your pocket, hands together in your lap," was one of the instructions I gave to my first graders regularly. But, I'm beginning to believe that some adults need to hear those same directions sometimes. These days the majority of my teaching time is spent tutoring private clients and training adults to be successful employees by establishing and reinforcing protocols

Zari Banks Restoring the Heart, Inc.'s November 2011 Spotlight Woman

2011-11-08T21:22:00.000-08:00

Meet Author Zari Banks, a freelance writer and technical writer who currently operates a tutoring business called "The Smarty Pants Tutor." Banks, a woman after God's own heart, like many of us has a testimony that she is using to teach both men and women ... Click to read more.

Sight vs. Vocabulary Words: They're Not Created Equal

2011-11-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

This week I was asked about the difference between sight words and vocabulary words and this is an excellent place to address the topic. Sight words - high-frequency, star, etc.; they're called different things by different teachers, schools, districts and colleges of education - are words that are used commonly within the English language, both spoken and written. As within any concept of

Mothers and Authors Rhachelle Nicol' and Zari Banks Are Passionate About Parenting

2011-11-04T01:32:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE October 31, 2011 – Finding your passion in life is a goal that many gaze at but only few are able to embrace fully and enjoy the rewards of its success. Zari Banks and Rhachelle Nicol’ have found their passions – to support and uplift mothers by coming alongside them and helping to lighten the load in any way possible. Join author Zari Banks in supporting Rhachelle Nicole’s

Books on Shelves. A Beautiful Sight to See.

2011-10-31T14:18:00.000-07:00

Parents Can Address Academic Skill Deficits in Several Ways

2011-10-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited about a kiddo I've been tutoring for a few weeks now. We've made enough progress in catching up reading skills to be on track for success, that the parents (and the classroom teacher O_O) have asked that I take on tutoring math foundational skills as well. It's wonderful when parents of kids who are struggling address the skill deficits early for several reasons. One, it's

You Reap What You Sow, Later Than You Sow, Longer Than You Sow

2011-08-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you how screwed up the thinking of the leadership at Brichta Elementary School is. And, when I write leadership, yes, I mean the principal Sabrina Cruz. First of all, she allowed my 9-year-old son who should've entered 4th grade this year to skip to the 5th grade. He attended private Christian school - and preschool actually - prior to being forcefully enrolled into Brichta at the

2011-06-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

How to Create a 4th and 5th Grade Lesson Plan

2011-05-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

An effective lesson plan for fourth and fifth grades communicates the performance objectives clearly to students while keeping them engaged. The information presented should be relevant and timely, and the students should be able to connect the content to past experiences. They must be able to interact with the teacher and each other and apply the content to various situations to

Youth Realizes AZ School's Failing Her

2011-05-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

Why isn't anyone challenging me?

Keep a Sampling of Graded Work to Verify Report Card Grades

2011-05-21T00:53:00.000-07:00

Your kids bring home a plethora of papers from school each week – from graded in-class work to notices about the next PTA meeting. It’s tempting to glance over everything, and drop it in the recycling bin as soon as possible, but don’t do it. It’s important to keep a sampling of the graded work that comes home so you can verify that the grades earned daily or weekly match what is recorded on the

All Parents Deserve Proof of Students' Grades

2011-05-20T01:41:00.000-07:00

I'm having a terrible time trying to decipher what my son's grades will be on the 4th-quarter report card that he'll receive from Brichta Elementary School. I've asked for three weekly progress reports from the homeroom teacher and the Math teacher. For the most part I receive the reports, but they're not proof that these are actually my son's grades because no graded work comes home. I asked

Your Kids Are What You Create

2011-05-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

By MizBanksSource: CappiT As I waited in my car in the school parking lot to pick up my 9-year-old son this afternoon, another car pulled up to my left. We were about 15 minutes early, and it was hot so as soon as the bell rang the dad - I'm assuming he was the dad - jumped out of the car, and hurried to retrieve his child. Click Here to Read

Accepting Submissions

2011-05-03T20:28:00.000-07:00

Teacher! Teacher! What, student? Blog is accepting submissions and guest postings about educational topics related to minority educators, students and the districts and schools that serve them. Interested writers - professional and otherwise - should send letter of interest including resume and samples, if available, to the Smarty Pants Teacher. The first submission is not paid, however, later

Some Tucson Districts' Summer School Programs Fail to Produce Academic Improvement

2011-05-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

Some Tucson Districts' Summer School Programs Fail to Produce Academic Improvement

2011-04-27T23:24:00.000-07:00

Kelley Williams-Bolar Can't Visit Tanya McDowell