49 Ways to Cross Your t's

Always remember to dot your i's and cross your t's!

WT Melon Definition: Anta Claus

Anta Claus: (noun): A slender man with a bushy black beard who lives on the South Pole, Antarctica. Each school year Anta Claus rides in his black sleigh drawn by eight colorful yaks and visits school children who say "can't" too much. In fact, Anta Claus is only visible to those students who give up too easily.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Anta cries whenever he appears in a classroom. "Oh! Oh! Oh!"

49 Ways to Dot Your i's

Always remember to dot your i's and cross your t's!

Back Home Above the Classroom at the End of the Hall

Wonderful Ones,
It's good to be sitting again in my EZ chair above the classroom at the end of the hall. School is presently in session and the third-graders are busy doing math. The class is different, but the tall teacher is still there. I listened to a boy named Paul who always forgets to raise his hand when he speaks out and to a girl named Kimberly who always takes cuts. There's Lroen who detests taking tests and Alex who keeps saying, "I can't!" I better start mixing up a batch of elemenopy. I'm looking forward to a fun and interesting school year. Children often send me ideas for new stories about the classroom at the end of the hall and I appreciate every one of them.

All the best, Walter Teach Melon

Big Book Building

The Big Book Building on Apple Island once held every book ever writen. The entire place was organized by Miss LIbrary, which is where the word for our modern day "books buildings" comes from.

New School Moon

Wonderful Ones,
        Did everyone see this year's New-School-Year Moon. It was big and round and hung over every grade school on the night before school started. Surprisingly, this year the September moon was pink! By now the moon has waned and looks more like a big pink comma in the the sky. Check it out before you go to bed tonight.

All the Best, Walter Teach Melon

Homework Gnome

Do you hate homework as much as Hari did? Then be on the lookout for the Homework Gnone who could be hanging out at your school. The Homework Gnome will do your homework for a price. But beware! The Homework Gnones deals might be more than you bargain for. Read more about the Homework Gnome in the book Math Rashes, and Other Classroom Tales

WT Melon Alphabet: C

C is for Classroom At the End of the Hall: the third-grade classroom at WT Melon Elementary School where strange and changing things happen to the students during the school year.

Fall!

Happy first day of autumn!
From, Spot

Abandoned Teacher City

Wonderful Ones,
Today I rode my red bicycle around Teacher City. (see map) It was odd. All the crabby teachers are gone now and only a few pigeons remain there. When I lived on the island I had never visited this city, so I was lost most of the time. I rode my bike onto the Popsicle Stick Bridge across White River. From there I rode down Teacher Boulevard, across City Square to the original S.C.H.O.O.L, which as you might know stands for Small Citizen House of Official Learning. I hope your days at school are going well this fall.

All the Best, Walter Teach Melon

Teacher City Map

Here's a map of Teacher City, the former home of 1000 crabby teachers and the birthplace of S.C.H.O.O.L.s-small citizens house of official learning.

The Great Hallway

Wonderful Ones,
Today I rode my bicycle around down thet Great Hallway. What fun! I passed the Big Book Building where Miss Library used to work and I passed Office Palace that was once the home of Prince Apple. I zipped past Purple Lake which is the reason all crabby teachers have purple ankles and then I rode over the White River bridge into Teacher City. I'll write about my adventures in that abandoned city next. Meanwhile, study hard!

All the best, Walter Teach Melon

Apple Island Map

For all you Wondlerful One who have been wondering, here's a map of Apple Island where I am presently on vacation.

All the Best, Walter Teach Melon

The Grand Playground

Wonderful Ones,
This morning I visited the Grand Playground here on Apple Island. It's a place I remember well, and grew very fond of when I lived here on the island. This playground, you see, is miles wide and miles long. It takes hours just to run from one side to the other. I had fun climbed the gigantic jungle gym. I must have climbed a few thousand feet up. What a view from the top. I could see all the way to Office Palace where Prince Apple once lived. I hope your school years got off to a great start and you're enjoying your new teachers. But remember, watch out for teachers with purple ankles.

All the best, Walter Teach Melon

Chalk Mountain

Here's a picture of Chlak Mountain after it just erupted. Colorful paint came spewing out of the top and covered the entire Apple Island. This forced all the crabby teachers who lived there to leave the island. Where they went to, no one can be sure.

Apple Island Mines

Wonderful Ones,
Today I took a splendid tour of the mines that wind underground on Apple Island. I had never been down there before, not even all the years I lived on Apple Island. As I had read in Apple Island or the Truth About Teachers, the walls of the mines were made of crayon wax. The stalactites were pencil lead and the stalagmites with pencil eraser rubber. The highlight of the tour was to stand directly under Chalk Mountain. From this very spot Bradley Zimmerman released the tempura paint "rainbow" volcano. I'll be on vacation another two weeks before returning to my little room above the classroom at the end of the hall, but I'll keep sending these blogs from Apple Island.

All the best, Walter Teach Melon

Prince Oh's Challenge

Adam Story was sitting at a picnic table with a laptop, exploring the world on the Internet, when a mysterious man named Prine Olioli Oh sat down and gave him a challenge. He said to Adam that if he could travel around the world in forty days, using only surface transportation, not only would he be the youngest person ever to do so, but he's also win $4,000,000. Read about Adam's circumlavigational journey in the book MVP*:the Magellan Voyage Project

How Come?

How come teachers call them blackboards,
When most are green?

How come teachers call reading, writing, and arithmetic the Three-R-s,
When only one starts with R?

How come teachers call it schoolwork,
When learning is supposed to be fun?

How come teacher say the school bell rang,
After a buzzer has buzzed?

How come teachers say put on your thinking caps,
When hats aren’t allowed to be worn in class?

Just wondering.

MVP*:the Magellan Voyage Project

MVP"
Originally uploaded by WT Melon.

Sometimes when I listen in on the classroom at the end of the hall, I hear the children sitting at the computer, exploring the Internet. From right t.in their classroom they can visit places all around the world. This gave me the idea to write my latest book MVP*:the Magellan Voyage Project. It's the story of Adam Story who is given a challenge. If he can travel around the world in forty days, using only surface transportion such as buses, ships, and trains (No airplanes allowed!) the MVP* team will give him a big prize! Does Adam make it? Read MVP*:the Magellan Voyage Project and find out!

Sub Isle

Wonderful Ones,
        I'm still on my vacation on Apple Island. Today I sailed from Teacherville to Sub Isle, home of all the substitutes that might visit your school. I toured the sub station and went down to the subterranean submarine base where I saw the sub-compact submarines that the substitutes ride to the nearest subway station from where they've received The Call. Substitutes, you may know, are prepared to teacher their subjects any subject from subtraction to subatomic particles. I had a sublime day on Sub Isle.

All the Best, Walter Teach Melon

Del & Estelle

D&E
Originally uploaded by WTMelon.

Del and Estelle are two pigeons who roost at the intersection of College and Ashby. Estelle takes great care in her appearance and eats only whole grains. Del, on the other hand, puts the pig in pigeon.

Things That Bring You Good Luck and Bad Luck in Elementary School

Good Luck:
1. Leaving your desk from the left hand side
2. Rubbing a teacher’s foot during story time
3. Tossing eraser crumbs over your right shoulder
4. Seeing a raven on the playground
5. Entering a classroom backwards
6. Raising your hand three times to answer a question
7. Kissing a red fire alarm box
Bad Luck:
1. Having a kindergartner stand behind you in line
2 Turning a pencil sharpener handle thirteen times
3. Taking the last chocolate milk carton at lunchtime
4. Spilling black paint
5. Ending a story with the letter X
6. Seeing your reflection in the Teachers’ Room mirror
7. Stepping on a playground crack

Apple Island 2nd Edition

Hurrah! The second edition of Apple Island or the Truth About Teachers will be published shortly.

Bradley's Odyssey: Chapter One

Chapter One
Too Hot To Hoot
Bradley’s arms stuck to the desktop. His armpits were sopped, and his feet squished in his sneakers. A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek, off his chin, and plopped onto his science test.
“It’s too hot to think,” Bradley told himself. “It’s too hot to read. It’s too hot to write. It’s too hot to hoot.”
The next question lay below the wet spot on his paper.
5) What planet is closest to the sun?
Bradley checked the thermometer attached outside the window. “It’s too hot to remember,” he said. “The mercury is going to burst out the top of that thing.”
He reached into his desk, tore off the end of a Mars Bar and popped it into his mouth. The next question read:
6) What planet is called the ‘red planet’?
“How should I know?” he said. “It’s just too hot to take a test.”
On the playground, ripples of heat rose off the asphalt. The effect reminded Bradley of a lake, which reminded him of water, which reminded him of the drinking fountain in the hallway--the tall cooler that shot out a high arch of H2O--which reminded him of his terrific thirst.
He folded his test into a fan and waved it before his face. “Would the teacher let me get a drink in the middle of a quiz?” he wondered. “Not a chance. So I’ll ask to go to the Boys’ Room. That might work.”
Miss Smartt, his teacher, sat behind her desk, grading papers.
“Miss Smartt? The Boys’ Room. I gotta go,” Bradley called out. “It’s an emergency. I can’t wait.”
The teacher raised her head. Instead of answering Bradley, however, she remarked, “Class, I’ve just been checking the spelling tests you took this morning. What happened? You all made many mistakes. Some of you missed every word. Let’s put on our Thinking Caps and try a little harder on the science quiz. OK? Bradley, make is snappy.”
Bradley hurried out the door. The drinking fountain stood halfway down the hall. As he hastened toward it, he heard the hum of its motor, keeping the water icy cold.
“It’s too hot to listen to teachers,” he said. “It’s too hot to try. It’s too hot to hoot.”
Once at the fountain, he pressed his bare legs against the frosty, metal sides. He pushed the silver button on top. A worm of frigid water spouted out. Bradley leaned over. He puckered his parched lips as if to kiss the cascading stream.
“I’ll drink the reservoir dry,” he said. “I’ll drink until my belly bursts.”
Closer and closer he drew to the nozzle. The water wet the tip of his nose.
That’s when the earthquake hit.

Apple Island Vacation

Wonderful Ones,
I'm still on vacation on Apple Island. I'm revisiting some of my favorite places on the island--the Grand Playground, the Great Hallway, and the Big Book Building. Fortunately all the crabby teachers have left the island, and although everything on the island is still covered with dried paint from the terrific paint volcano blast that came out of Chalk Mountain, the island is still beautiful. I hope everyone is having a good start of the new school-year. Did the New School-Year Moon appear above your school? I will be back in my room above the classroom at the end of the hall at WT Melon Elementary School very soon.

All the best, Walter Teach Melon