Amber ChandlerAug 18, 20213 minWaffle Cones and the Construct of Time I'm frugal. Some (my husband) would say I'm cheap. I'd like to argue that I'm easily satisfied, but anyone who knows my obsession with...
Amber ChandlerMay 5, 20215 minFondly, If you’ve ever received a card from me, you’ll notice that I often sign it with the closing “Fondly, Amber.” I have adopted this ideal...
Amber ChandlerApr 22, 20213 minThis is the part of the pandemic when we all sigh. . . It's standardized test time. It's do we or don't we bring students back to in-person school time. It's tax time. It's do we send students...
Amber ChandlerJan 31, 20212 minThere's nothing standard about this. . . I'm not a standardized test fan for a whole bunch of reasons, but to suggest that this school year we NEED standardized test to measure...
Amber ChandlerJan 28, 20213 min"Ketchup Day" (a small, manageable rant)Monday, I cancelled a meeting. Tuesday, we ordered take-out. Wednesday I worked 11 hours without leaving my school building, barely saw...
Amber ChandlerJan 16, 20215 minSidelinedI have been sidelined for the last two weeks. I hurt my knee and IT band, and I was instructed to rest and heal. For those of you who...
Amber ChandlerJan 10, 20213 minIf not now, when? I've been stuck on the couch for almost a week now with an IT band strain, and it has been a confluence of SO.MUCH.NEWS, boredom, and...
Amber ChandlerDec 30, 20201 minSave My ProgressWhen I first played Super Mario Brothers as an adult, I noticed that there was an amazing new feature. My son, after he'd reached a...
Amber ChandlerSep 3, 20204 minWhat Phase Is This? My kids and I were talking and discussing the fact that Covid-time is completely different than "real time." We just passed the 6 month...
Amber ChandlerMay 24, 20202 minTaking Care of BusinessAs most of you know, my dad is in the hospital. His prognosis is a roller coaster ride, and the fact that our communication with him is...
Amber ChandlerOct 11, 20191 minIt Gets Better In OctoberStarting an entirely new program, in a new building, with teachers I'd never worked with (or met, in some cases), with FRESHMEN, was a...
Amber ChandlerMar 1, 20193 minSharing Our DaughtersWhen I was pregnant with Zoey--14 years ago--I felt incredibly insecure about the type of mom I wanted to be. I read everything I could...
Amber ChandlerFeb 16, 20193 minObservation ObservationIn Buffalo, we recently had a weather "situation" that led to three days in a row off from school. As this "situation" was developing, I...
Amber ChandlerFeb 7, 20192 minIt Always Matters Who Is In The RoomAs a middle school teacher, I look at my adjunct professor role as an opportunity to connect with other adults and help share what I've...
Amber ChandlerJan 4, 20192 minShaking Things Up with Resource GroupsHappy New Year! Yesterday, when my students returned to class I needed to shake things up a bit. We'd grown close during the beginning of...
Amber ChandlerNov 13, 20181 minWe Are A Community . . . and it shows!Last week we got loud. There were hoots, hollers, stomps, claps, and some standing ovations. There were chants of names, and there were...
Amber ChandlerNov 21, 20171 minReading With PurposeMy favorite book to teach is probably A Prayer for Owen Meany, but given that I no longer have access to AP Lit students on a regular...
Amber ChandlerOct 19, 20172 minStrategic Groupings for Academic and SEL This has been an awesome month of school. It is really flying by, and as we do final edits of our Credo essays, I'm already making some...
Amber ChandlerOct 11, 20172 minJigsaw Activities to Support SEL SkillsRoom 255 has been trying out jigsaw activities over the last few weeks. First, we used "The Landlady" jigsaw to do a close read, section...
Amber ChandlerSep 8, 20171 minFlexible Seating and PresentationsToday we will begin presenting our Credos. This is an awesome day for me because I will fully commit students to memory because I will...