Overheard: “Did anyone ever tell you that you look like David Hasselhoff?”
Friday, April 1st, 2011 Posted in School Visits | 2 Comments »No, actually. You're my first. Thanks a lot for that. (Mutters under breath.) There I was, speaking to a group of 4th-graders, probably about 125 or so, and the question -- like a dart from a bamboo tube -- was directed at ...
Random Scans: Artwork, Letters, Assorted Awesomeness
Thursday, March 17th, 2011 Posted in Fan Mail, School Visits | 1 Comment »I've mentioned that I'm in school visit mode, and it's a trying time in terms of productivity. When I'm at a school, I'll often be handed a package of notes or artwork, along with a cupcake and a smile. Here's a ...
School Visit Central: Fuel Me Up
Monday, March 14th, 2011 Posted in In the Classroom, School Visits | No Comments »I'm in the middle of school visit season, and it bears repeating: Authors don't do school visits; schools do author visits. By the time I arrive, 90% of the work is done. The students are either primed and ready, or not. The ...
An Author’s Adventures in Skype
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 Posted in Bystander, Fan Mail, School Visits | 3 Comments »- Okay, this is pretty terrifying in a Mothra kind of way . . . - - Yes, that's my giant gob projected on a viewing screen. The picture was taken during a recent Skype visit. Quick, here's a couple of other shots: - - - - I'm still ...
Fan Mail Wednesday #103 (The Video Edition!)
Thursday, December 9th, 2010 Posted in A Pirates Guide to First Grade, Fan Mail, Fun Clips, School Visits | 2 Comments »Any author can answer a letter the old-fashioned way -- that is, pay their hired assistant Roxanne to stuff an envelope. But a video letter? That takes someone who can't actually type! This is for you, Ms. Aberman's class at Edgewood ...
One Book, One School: Some Photos & Reflections
Monday, November 22nd, 2010 Posted in Bystander, School Visits, bullying | No Comments »I love this photo, somehow it says everything. This is why you write for children, those faces up there. A while back I posted about how Bystander was being featured in some special "One Book, One School" reading programs. Lately I've ...
Dipping My Big Toe Into the Cool Pool of Skype (does that sound too gross?)
Monday, November 1st, 2010 Posted in School Visits | No Comments »I've been thinking about Skyping lately, you know, video conferencing with schools. My first reaction to Skype was negative -- because that's how I react to any new technology. At heart, I am a Caveman. Fire? Oh, please. It's a ...
“One Book, One School”
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010 Posted in Bystander, School Visits | 1 Comment »I don't know where to begin, what to say. Let's start with a couple of photos that were recently sent me from Hastings Middle School in Fairhaven, MA. On Thursday, 9/16, all the students, staff and faculty at Hastings participated in a ...
Jigsaw Jones, The Musical: Both Thumbs, Way Up
Friday, April 30th, 2010 Posted in Current Events, Happenings, Jigsaw Jones, School Visits | 1 Comment »I want to share a few photos and give my belated reaction to seeing the musical, Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Class Clown. From left to right in the above photo: Benjamin K. Glaser (Jigsaw Jones), Jill Kurzner (Helen/Athena), ...
Dear Teacher: An Author’s Take on School Visits
Monday, February 15th, 2010 Posted in Greatest Hits, In the Classroom, School Visits | 5 Comments »I have been enjoying school visits for the past 15 years. I've played a role in great successes and I've had visits that have felt flat and, for me at least, unrealized. Same guy. What was the difference? Which is another way ...