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Touch the Strings by Mark McCain and Erika Johnson – Album Review

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[album cover]
modern classical, Celtic, bluegrass, and jazz
Album: Touch the Strings (CD) by Mark McCain and Erika Johnson.

I included a whole album suggestion because this CD is great for times when students need to work silently. Some pieces may help to keep up a student’s pace during journal writing. Other songs are good for silent reading.

Lyrics: None (instrumental).

Style: Guitarist and Cellist playing modern classical, Celtic, bluegrass, and jazz. Peaceful, positive, energizing, and uplifting.

Recommended Age: Any.

Genre: Strings.

Year: 2003.

Videos: Live performances from TouchTheStrings.com.

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Add A Due Date To Email Subject Lines

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Time spent on a quality subject line will, in the long run, save you more time than you spend.
I have to admit I didn’t even read the suggestions for improved email communication (because I thought I already knew it all) in my CFISD Teacher Leadership Academy binder, but luckily another teacher did–and shared!

I’m big on using subject lines effectively and efficiently, so I think it’s a great idea to to put “(please respond by [date])” into the subject line of emails with a due date. No need to open the email to see if it’s urgent. It might even be a good idea to write “(reference only)” for email that is just for reference.

This complements something I’ve been doing a few years: I put “(takes X minutes)” into my subject lines, so I can get a quick response from something that should be quick.