Teaching

  • Parenting,  Teaching

    What’s Your Strongest Intelligence?

    There is little that upsets me more than when I hear a child say they aren’t smart. Unfortunately, I hear it often as a substitute teacher and it always breaks my heart. Sitting in the back of the room, arms crossed, the high school sophomore blurted out “This is an ESE class. That means we’re stupid.” Not wanting to lecture, but wanting to help, I gave a brief lesson on multiple intelligences. According to Dr. Howard Gardner’s theory, there are eight intelligences. • Linguistic Intelligence • Musical Intelligence • Logical-Mathematical Intelligence • Spatial Intelligence • Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence • Interpersonal Intelligence • Intrapersonal Intelligence • Naturalist Intelligence I explained that our…

  • Teaching

    Teaching

    Tap, tap, tap, “Mrs. Rausin.” Tap, tap, tap, “Mrs. Rausin.” One day I smiled and tapped back before I answered-I couldn’t resist. I wondered where he had learned such a habit. He looked at me with bewilderment and laughed. That’s what my days are filled with, moments of silliness, laughter and sometimes exhaustion because third graders have a tremendous amount of energy. I am reminded daily of how peaceful my life once was. I used to spend my mornings sipping coffee and typing in silence creating characters, now, I have a room full of them by seven-thirty. “Mrs. Rausin did you know that boy humpback whales sing?” “Mrs. Rausin instead of…