Glenmont Elementary – what a fun day. Maybe it was because it was the last day before vacation, but everyone seemed to be in an especially good mood. Mrs. B. helped me read Backbeard and did all the voices. She was terrific!

And I even got some good reviews on the Glenmont “Read A Book” review wall. Students write reviews of books they’ve read, and I don’t mean to brag, but one said of Backbeard:

“You’ll enjoy reading this book if you’re the kind of reader who likes pirates and people who are both bad and mean. There is no mushiness. Look closely at some pictures – you might notice stuff.”

Ironically, one of my favorite parts of the visit was also the saddest. To commemorate a dog she lost years ago, Mrs. B. created a bulletin board in the library where students who lose a pet can post a photo or a drawing. When students graduate, the picture is transferred to a big book to be archived. In all the years I’ve been visiting schools, I’ve never seen anything like it.

My thanks to everyone at Glenmont – the kids, Mrs. Schwind, Mrs. Bordick, Mrs. Zaccagnino, and especially Mrs. B. for all your work putting the visit together!

There’s always that moment of expectation when you check in at a new hotel. Key in hand, you head off to find your room, scanning the numbers in the halls, looking for the place that will be your home for the next few days. Will it be nice? Will it have a view? Will it have HBO? These are all good questions.

Another good question is: Will it be cordoned off with police-style caution tape?

If the answer is “yes”, you know it’s going to be one of those trips. Evidently, there was some construction in my hotel. One clue was that the check-in desk was a bunch of folding tables with computers on them upstairs in a meeting room. Another clue was the fact that some of the staircases didn’t appear to be connected.

The good news is that the rest of my visit in Burlington was dynamite. Great schools, great kids, great teachers who made me feel welcome. Here are just a few of the highlights:

At Edmunds Elementary students designed their own colorfully-dressed pirates, Ã la Backbeard…

At Chaplain Elementary, Alexandre and Rowen made this cool Backbeard ship out of popsicle sticks…

…and Essa made a great Bean Thirteen illustration…

At C.P. Smith, students designed wedding dresses for a soon-to-be-married teacher in the style of Backbeard…

..and there was much, much more. So who cares if my phone wasn’t connected, my alarm clock malfunctioned, and the guy in the room below was doing construction at eight at night? Burlington was a great way to end this year’s school visit season. Thanks so much to everyone I met this past week!

I spent the past week in Auburn, NY visiting five schools. Here are just a few of the highlights.

At Owasco Elementary, the art teacher drew the most amazing Backbeard mural on the whiteboard in the art room.

Here’s a close-up:

At Casey Park Elementary, I saw this T-shirt in the hallway, attached to an easel. (I’m thinking of having one made for myself.)

In art class, Casey Park students were doing a very interesting project. They were learning to draw animals, and each student created a composition with at least four creatures plus Frieda, hidden somewhere in the scene.

At Genesee Elementary, the teachers came to school dressed in custom-designed boxer shorts in honor of Backbeard. (The strange thing is, none of the students seemed to find this at all unusual.)

Finally, some cool Backbeard pirate maps from Seward Elementary…

…and some Absolutely Not-inspired tessellations at Herman Avenue Elementary.

All in all, a terrific five-day visit. Thanks to everyone at Auburn for all your hard work and enthusiasm!

There was a lot to like about my visit last week to Elsmere Elementary, in the Bethlehem, NY school district. The setting in the library was just perfect, and Robyn Ryan and Nacy Smith did such a great job getting everything ready for the visit. My lasting memory, however, will probably be the terrific interpretations of hairy pirates that lined the hallway that the kids made, some of the best pictures I’ve seen at a school visit. There were far too many to show them all here, but I’m posting just a few to give you a taste of the variety, humor, and life that each picture seemed to have. These would make a great book on their own.

The week after I visited, Bell Top Elementary School in East Greenbush had their annual Halloween parade. Guess who the library staff, Nora Martin and Phyllis Stern, dressed up as? I’m speechless!