If I ignore the Halloween candy will it go away?

Yes, that was a rhetorical question. Son says Halloween was the best night of his life, a quick tour through the neighborhood and then back to the house for Super Smash Brothers Brawl, popcorn and lemonade (wine and Mission Impossible for the waiting parents)

PTSA meeting in two hours so I'll be brief. As the parent of a kid who suffers from allergies I'm itching, (ha ha) to read "The Itchy Kids Club: Silly Poems for Itchy Kids." This book promises to be a great way for children to learn why their bodies react in different ways to various stimuli. Reading level is kindergarten through 4th grade. If you read it before I do, share your thoughts.

Wanted to note the passing of Theodore Sizer, a huge name in education circles. He authored a number of books on best practices in education, including Horace's Compromise and Horace's Hope.

One paragraph from this obituary in the LA Times sums up Sizer's philosophy nicely: "He stood for an ideal of school as a place devoted to nurturing "habits of mind," the ability to think deeply about the subjects that matter -- such as literacy, numeracy and civic understanding -- and connect that knowledge to students' lives."