My third grader's homework came with a handout of a number line he was to use

for several problems. He thought about it and asked, "Why will I have to erase

my work between problems? Can't I put this inside one of your plastic things and

use a dry erase marker instead?" Amazing, as he always is, he thought outside

the box and I was very proud. He asked if I had extra plastic sheets to share with his

class so they wouldn't have to erase all the time, too. So, I shared a picture with

his teacher and the next day my thoughtful boy shared his idea with the class.