Slice of Life - Summer Goals

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  Join us each week and come to love this awesome writing community.
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Summer goals are different than New Year's Resolutions.  First, I don't think I ever manage to maintain any of my New Year's Resolutions.  However, with summer goals, I usually do a pretty decent job completing them. 

Some of these goals or activties are things that I look forward to doing each year because the schedule in the summer is so different. Other items are things that I want to learn but have difficulty making time for during the school year.  All of them provide a sense of structure for my summer.  

This summer, I am looking forward to the following things...

1.  #Bookaday Challenge - This will be my fourth year participating in Donalyn Miller's #bookaday challenge.  I have met so many amazing teachers and librarians who have become a significant part of my tribe through this challenge.  They have all made me a better educator and thinker.

2.  Presentations, Conferences, and Trainings - From June to July, I will be doing a couple of presentations, attending the American Library Association Annual Conference, and also a training on Project-Based Learning.

3. Teachers Write! - Kate Messner, Jen Vincent, and Gae Polisner started this as a virtual writing camp a few years ago.  I have always been a bit afraid to participate, but after doing this year's March Slice Challenge, I think I am ready.  I may have to keep saying this to myself so I won't lose courage, but it's my goal for now.

4.  Mock-Newbery Club - One of my favorite Indie Bookstores is Once Upon a Time in Montrose.  I will be helping out one of the staff lead a Mock-Newbery Club with students ages 9 to 12.  I have been working on a list of books to share with them and we have some special surprises.

5.  Reading & Writing Project - Based on all of my recent work, particularly with first graders, I will be planning for a series of workshops and trainings that I will be leading.  Additionally, I want to set up a space on our District's website for providing resources for the teachers that I am working with.  I have wanted to do this during the school year but unfortunately, kept running out of time.  Additionally, I would like to play with some apps that might benefit teachers as they work on reading comprehension and writing with students.

Finally, on the personal end of things...I have two simple goals...to get back into a regular exercise routine, and tackle a few household organization projects.

With summer vacation nearly upon us, I would love to hear what others are planning on doing?

Slice of Life - A Scattered Stream of Consciousness

 

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  Join us each week and come to love this awesome writing community.
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In March, I did a #slice14 challenge post that was just random thoughts.  Someone suggested that I pick one thing and write about it.  Now that suggestion might have worked on that day.  My brain did not feel scattered.  Unfortunately, today, I am scattered.  Here's a glimpse at my evening...

I read a picture book that arrived in my mail today, and log it into GoodReads.

I check twitter. I post to twitter. I get caught up in a conversation on twitter.

I do the same on Facebook.  It seems that everyone I know is celebrating their NCTE '14 proposal news. I am not complaining. I am celebrating too, since I will be presenting with two wonderful teacher/librarians, Cynthia Alaniz and Lisa Morris-Wilkey. 

One of my best friends lives next door.  While I stop in to drop off some books for her youngest daughter, I soon find my friend demanding the follow up to Cinder by Marissa Meyers. I warned her it ended on a cliff-hanger of sorts. As I am sitting around, I tell the middle child that I was invited to a screening of The Fault in Our Stars. She received a copy of the book for her 13th birthday and read and loved it. Before she can be too annoyed that I am going to the screening, she switches over to telling me about This Star Won't Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl.  Somehow we get onto talking about Unwind and trying to convince her mom to read it.  When I head home, she follows me back so she can search my bookshelves for more books by Green. I think I have created a nerdfighter. As typical for my evening, I am missing my copy of Scarlet, but we did find Cress and several John Green books. I send Jax back with the stack and a promise to look at my bookshelves at work for Scarlet.

Once I am settled again at my laptop, I go back to several rounds of checking email, responding to emails, checking twitter, checking facebook.  I should be writing this post, or working on a project for tomorrow.  I am restless and can't settle down.  I head down rabbit holes as I look for a link or see an alert pop up on my screen.

Somehow, I manage to write something down.  Though I won't call it my best writing, I will say it is coherent, which is better than I could hope for at the moment.  And before I find another rabbit hole to follow, I am going to end this crazy ramble.

How many days until summer break?

Slice of Life - You Can't Exit Real Life

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  Join us each week and come to love this awesome writing community.
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 Last night, I was hanging with my roommate and also trying to figure out what to write about.  She is a big fan of the TV show 24 and of course wanted to watch the new season opener.  At one point, she picks up the remote and clicks it as if to "exit" the show. I looked up at her and said "You can't exit real life."  What I really meant was you can't hit the exit button on a TV program that is being aired.  The remote option only works when we are watching a program that we recorded. 

We both got a chuckle out it, but then I thought about it and realized it was a perfect topic for a slice. Do you ever wish that life was a little bit like a recorded TV movie?  When commercials come on, you can fast-forward back to the action.  The phone rings, or someone knocks on your door, or the timer for that pot on the stove goes off and we can pause what we are watching and deal with it and then come back without missing anything.  Or a scene is too boring, or scary, or just not what we want to see, and we can just skip it altogether. Wouldn't that be nice thing to do in a meeting when things slow down too much? And best yet, save an episode of life for when you have time to deal with whatever is being aired.

Instead of exiting life, we must live it.  And truly living it means dealing with interruptions, with boring times and times that are just plain scary.  It also means that those really special moments like when a toddler gets so excited to see you at pick up time or you are hanging together as a family and no one is arguing won't be recorded for multiple viewings and there will be no instant replays. Those moments need to be lived in at the time they are happening and committed to our memory for the human kind of replay.  

Maybe staying in life and truly living it is much more exciting than hitting the exit button.

Slice of Life - It's hard building a reading community, or is it?

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  Join us each week and come to love this awesome writing community.
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Six years ago, I had an epiphany about what my students needed.  At that time, I wasn't sure how I was going to help them get to where they needed to go.  I simply started to take one small step at a time. I am certain that I had moments of frustration. It was probably hard at times. However, I simply kept my goal in mind and tried to have as much fun along the way that I never really thought about it as being hard.

Initially, my goal was to help students improve their ability to read. Since I never really belonged to a community of readers as a child, I wasn't really thinking about developing a reading community at the time.  I knew others who liked to read, and I would tell someone what I was reading if they asked but there wasn't a lot of discussing books together.  I was actually sort of private with my reading.  Yet, somehow, I did realize that I needed to take my love for reading beyond my comfort zone and share it with others, especially if my students were going to become readers. I had this simple kernel of thought that began to grow inside me. If I am excited about books and I share that enthusiasm then maybe they will be excited about books.  And do you know what? It worked.

Of course along the way, I met other kindred spirits who also loved to read and who were further along the journey than I was. By being open to allowing my feet to follow the path wherever it would take me I met some amazing individuals who then connected me to other amazing people, and one of the things we all had in common was our love of books.

And then there are those days when I encounter teachers who say they want to build a reading community, but do not realize that what they are doing may be hindering their ability to do what they say they want.  Rather than looking at the journey, they are only looking at how hard the path is.  Instead of thinking that if this is something that you love then you will want to make time for it, they simply get caught up in all of the other tasks clamoring for their attention.

When I look back on my journey, I know that I could have as easily wandered down another path rather than the one I ended up on. What if I had not found a few books that re-kindled my love for reading? What if I had not met some of the inspiring teachers on twitter and Facebook that I have since met? What if I had never written an email to an author whose book touched me deeply and in turn received a response back from that author? I probably would be doing something completely different.

Building a reading community in a single classroom certainly is a challenge.  Now what does it take to build it school-wide? The challenge grows exponentially when expanding it to multiple campuses within a district. Can it be done? I believe it can.  The work is slower and sometimes it really does feel like it is harder. And then I receive an email from a teacher or staff telling me of how they see their school developing into a reading community and I have to rejoice a lot.

Next year, I am setting my sites on a couple of middle schools. This will be a whole new world for me.  Though my focus continues to be on elementary school literacy, I am excited to explore a few things with older students.  And to take a page from the past...I think I will go one step at a time.
 

Slice of Life - Writing With Young Children

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  Join us each week and come to love this awesome writing community.
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For the past several months, I have been seriously thinking about ways to encourage children to write. I have particularly focused on students in grades K to 2.  This isn't the first time that I have pondered how to encourage and support writing in the younger grades, but lately I feel a bit obsessed. Children need to have a voice and a way of expressing themselves.  They need to be able to advocate on their on behalf, as well as, express their unique ideas and learning.   Not only should this communication be orally but in writing as well.

But how do you best do this as a teacher when you have large class sizes and many students who are English Language Learners or who do not have strong role models for reading or writing?

It is not that I am opposed to writing prompts or sentence starters or using graphic organizers or other techniques to support students, but somewhere we lose sight of the real goal - providing students with a voice to share ideas, and stories, and feelings.

Sometimes I feel like the ideas coming out of some schools of thought do not adequately address the challenges in writing with children in urban settings.  Other times, I feel like the ideas created specifically for children who are English Language Learners are too restrictive and do not produce the results that we hope for. Where is the happy medium? What is the best technique for the kindergarten teacher with a very diverse classroom of nearly 30 young students?

So, I am reaching out to my on-line Professional Learning Community and asking, what has worked for you in teaching and nurturing young children to write? What techniques or strategies have been particularly helpful? Have you tried these ideas with diverse populations? How does it fit into your daily routine? Any other thoughts?

If you can leave some of your thoughts in the comment area, I would love to read them. And thank you for being a responsive sounding board as well.

Slice of Life - Couch Potato to Marathon Reader: Building a Reading Community

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  Join us each week and come to love this awesome writing community.
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For the past three years, I have had the opportunity to serve on the Scholastic Book Fair's Principals' Advisory Board (PAB).  I have met principals from across the country with an enthusiasm and passion for connecting children with books.  I have also met some wonderful Scholastic Book Fair staff during this time as well.  However, I have developed a very special relationship with my local Book Fair Reps.

In February, I attended a PAB meeting in Orlando, Florida.  While there, we talked about reading communities, and helping children become independent readers, classroom libraries, and summer reading plans. I wasn't sure how I would apply what I was thinking about to real life, but I knew I wanted to do something.  Currently, I am working with about eight elementary schools and it means I need to be a bit more creative when implementing plans.

When I arrived home, I emailed one of my local reps, Heather Biggs and asked to get together. As we put our heads together, I thought it would be fun to bring together teams from each school that I work with and share with them some of what I learned.  Heather was up for the challenge.

Heather and I came up with the idea of using the Couch to 5K model as a theme for our meeting. We called it Couch Potato to Marathon Reader.  We also thought it would be fun if our presentation followed along with the theme.  We created a game board, and pieces to use as we talked about each area.

It is not easy getting everyone to attend a meeting afterschool, even when you offer food and goodies, but we did have a few schools show up.  The smaller number of participants allowed us to provide each school team with more individualized attention.

Each participant received smile stickers to indicate things that they have done or are trying to do in their classrooms or at their schools.  Items ranged from showing interest in developing a reading community (coming to the meeting) to bigger things like having a classroom library with more than 300 books or hosting a Family Literacy Night at the school.

After going through our presentation, we provided teams with a form that they could use to set some goals towards creating a reading community.  We asked them to work in their school teams.  Since it was a bit late, I really did expect teams to want to rush out.  However, I was super thrilled when they stayed and engaged in some very meaningful dialogue with one another and asked Heather and I about possible support.

When Heather and I took time to debrief after the meeting, we recognized that there were things that could be strengthened.  Yet, at the same time, we were thrilled for how the evening went and in the potential for future meetings. Though we have a ways to go, I will continue to bring this group together in a Literacy PLC to explore what it means to be a reading community. 

Slice of Life - Letter of Recommendation

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  After the the March Slice Challenge, I decided to continue weekly with Slice posts.
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Unless you have recently looked for a job or applied for something that required a current letter or letters of recommendation, then you probably have not solicited any new ones. Recently, I had several colleagues ask me to write letters on their behalf. Sometimes these are hard to write, even when I really like the person and think very highly of their work. 

When I write a letter of recommendation, I want it to be clear that I know this person and the words contained on the page need to be meaningful and honest. These words without a doubt should let others know how I feel about this person, and what I think of the quality of their work and their character. 

While talking with a friend, she made a comment that everyone should ask for letters of recommendation on a yearly basis.  Her belief is that reading the letter is beneficial and uplifting to the person receiving it. I truly have to agree with her.

Think about this...When I ask a friend to write a letter of recommendation, I usually trust them to write a positive letter or I would not be asking.  Upon receiving the finished letter, I am eager to see what they wrote? Was it unique or a standard format style used to provide a generic letter? As I read through the letter, I am often pleasantly surprised.  Since many of us tend not to let others know when we think they did a good job, people are sometimes unsure of our true thoughts about them.  A sincere letter is like a window into someone's thoughts and provides us with a new understanding of ourselves.

I love when I start reading and I notice someone has commented positively about an area that I think I am not as strong in. The feeling is amazing if the tone of the letter can be read sincerely.  Often times it is just the pick up boost that I need.  

If you are in need of a bit of a pick-me-up, then update your personal files with a few letters of recommendation.  Not only will your files be ready in case you need them, but you will have just the boost that you need.

Slice of Life - 31 of 31 posts!

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, I am participating in the March Challenge by posting a slice daily.
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As I was thinking about how to wrap up the March Slice of Life Challenge, I was going through all of the posts that I have written this month.  Wow! I still surprise myself that I actually did it. There were days when I almost gave up and a couple of days were I posted later in the day, but I did it. I posted 31 Slice of Life posts.

Out of curiosity, I wondered which Slice posts resonated the most with other readers. One way of telling was to see how many people stopped by to read each post.  Here were the top five posts:

# 5 - March 8, 2014 - A Splash of Red

#4 - March 23, 2014 - The One Where I Attempt a Poem

Tied for 2nd:
#2 - March 16, 2014 - New Obsession: Caramel Macchiato

#2 - March 25, 2014 - Finding My Writing Voice

#1 - March 21, 2014 - The One Where I Get Personal

From this writing challenge, I developed a better sense of what it must feel like to be a student who struggles to write. I have new insights and hopefully it will make me a better teacher or at least one who is more understanding.

Though I look forward to gaining some time back to devote to reading, I plan to continue with the weekly Slice of Life posts and the Saturday Celebrate This Week Posts. And I do look forward to continuing with this amazing community of writers who have taught me so much and encouraged me on this journey.

Slice of Life - Encouraging Writers

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, I am participating in the March Challenge by posting a slice daily.
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On Friday, Stacey Shubitz gave a shout out to the Support Team for the Slice of Life March Challenge. You can read it here. 

As a first time participant in the challenge, I want to say how much I have appreciated the Support Team as well as the other Slicers. I am pretty certain that if it wasn't for the support in the form of well-timed comments I might not have made it through to this far.  Initially, the encouragement to keep writing because it would get easier or keep a notebook for ideas was what I needed. I did keep writing even when it was difficult.  I also picked up a small notebook to jot down ideas. I will see something or encounter something and now think that I could write a slice of life post on that idea or experience.  I wasn't sure I would get to this point but those in the Support Team and the other Slice of Lifers did. 

Not only did I start keeping a notebook of ideas, I took some chances with my writing.  Writing things that are more personal is uncomfortable, but I tried and was supported by this amazing tribe of writers. I, also, tried some things that were hard.   Not only did I try one poem but two. It's still hard but I am glad I tried.

This month's journey has made me understand the need to write more regularly, like on a daily basis.  If I struggled to write, and I am a teacher and someone who must regularly communicate using written words, then what about my students who are far less comfortable with words? However, if daily writing and encouragement can change me, it can certainly change their writing.  Through this experience, I have come to think more about how we write with students and how we support and mentor them through the process of learning how to write.  It has taught me more about celebrating writing.

Everyone, no matter how young or old, has something to say and everyone must find their writing voice.  As writers, we learn that words can make a difference. Our words can inspire someone, or make someone laugh.  Our words help others experience emotions when we write in a way that they can feel the same sense of joy, or pain that we felt while writing our slice. Our words hold power.  Power that can build up or tear down.  We need to learn responsibility with our writing as well.

Writing can transform us and those that read what we wrote.  Maybe the transformation over the month has been subtle, but the ripple effect of those changes will be felt for a much longer time.

Though, I am not sure if I know everyone who is on the welcome committee that stopped by regularly (or even sporadically), but I do want to thank Tara Smith, and Melanie Meehan, and Linda Baie who commented daily or nearly daily.  Your presence and encouragement was felt. And for the other Slicers who stopped by and commented regularly your support was felt as well.  Thank you all for being so faithful and committed to this element of learning. I have learned so much from you and your writing as well.

Thank you dearest Slicers for welcoming me into your tribe and for giving so much of your self this month during the challenge.  I have been honored to be a part of a truly special group of people.  

Slice of Life - Celebrate This Week - 3/29/14

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, I am participating in the March Challenge by posting a slice daily.

This year, I am trying to increase my awareness of the many good things that happen, which are frequently overlooked by me.  To help me, I am joining Ruth Ayres' Celebrate This Week.

Here's what I am thankful for this week... 

1. Back to work - I miss the lazy schedule of last week.  The first week back to work after a break always seems crazier than normal.  It was a good week and I am celebrating that I made it through the week.

2.  Comprehension Lessons - For the next 6 to 8 weeks, I will be piloting a series of comprehension lessons in a couple of 1st and 2nd grade classes.  I started by working with a fabulous first grade teacher at one site.  Her class is a lot of fun and we made an immediate connection.  I start with the other classes in the next week or two.

3.  Earthquakes - Well I am not really celebrating an earthquake, more like celebrating that everyone and everything is alright. This was the second or third one that we had recently.  Not really a fan of earthquakes and like when I just sleep through them.  However, the one last night was a little longer than we have had in awhile.

4.  Math Field Day - I am going to celebrate this one a bit early.  It is happening this morning (Saturday) and I will be helping with registration and some other logistics this year.  

So, what are you celebrating this week?

Update on 3/30/14 - Some of you have asked about Math Field Day.  Here is a post that I added to Facebook that I thought I would share here as well...
This has been my 8th year at Math Field Day for our District. My heart always broke as I watched teams of student receive no medals and other teams sweep their category. The results were always teams of kids who would burst into tears and think they sucked at math and never wanted to try again. Though I think there is a place for competition and winners and losers, I was pretty sure that wasn't the message we wanted to send to students about math or learning, but I could never figure out how to make it more equitable.

Thanks to some changes in logistics, process and scoring there will be more winners and more recognition of hard work. Nothing is ever perfect and someone will inevitably not like the new system, but if it will result in less tears and more opportunities to build a love of math and a confidence in learning then for this I celebrate.

Slice of Life - It's Day 28! - Writing by Hand or Computer

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, I am participating in the March Challenge by posting a slice daily.
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It's Day 28! I can't believe that this is my 28th Slice of Life post for the month.

In looking at my last several posts, I realized that they were a little heavier in mood.  So to celebrate four weeks of slicing, I am going with something more fun.

My question to everyone - Do you prefer to write with a pen? pencil? dictation? computer? The reason I bring it up is that I find that normally I do a lot of writing by computer keyboarding.  I like the ease.  You can delete, cut and paste, insert something and it still all looks neat.  However, I do have to say that there are times that I prefer to switch to longhand with pen and paper.

There is something to be said for engaging a different set of muscles.  With paper, I have a bit more freedom.  I can use a pencil or a pen or even switch to markers in different colors. I can use really bold lines or super-micro fine lines.  I can write from left to right, in circles, or I can continue a sentence that I started left to right and have it look like it went right over a cliff.  I can also include doodles or sketches or the real form of cut and paste (cutting something out of a magazine and pasting it into a journal). 

Just as I have freedom with the type of writing utensil, I also can have more freedom with the type of paper I use.  It can be different colors, or different sizes. I can adhere sticky notes on top of other pages.  I can use a spiral bound notebook, or a bound journal or loose-leaf notebook paper, or my favorite - large chart paper.

If you are feeling a bit stifled in your creativity, or just need to change up your routine, maybe it is time to engage more senses while you write and take a walk on the wild side.

Slice of Life - The One Where I Get on my Soapbox

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, I am participating in the March Challenge by posting a slice daily.
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Seldom have I felt completely comfortable in my skin or who I am. There are always insecurities that eat away at my self-confidence or my mood.  However, there are moments or situations that I find myself in and everything clicks. I question a lot of my abilities but one thing I never question is my ability to teach. I am a really good teacher.  True there may be some who are better or who can teach certain subjects better than I can, but I know I am a good teacher.  What makes me a good teacher may in part be natural abilities, but my desire to be a reflective teacher and to always improve is what really counts. And even when I might question other abilities, what I never question is that I am a teacher.

Recently on twitter there was a question posed by Sarah Mulhern Gross (@thereadingzone):

Is it unrealistic or unfair to expect teaching to be your passion? Can/should it be "just a job" or fallback? 

I was almost going to say I apologize in advance if I offend anyone, but this is my blog and my slice of life and I am not apologizing for my thoughts on this.

Teaching should never be seen as just a job. It better darn well be your passion or calling or the thing that you love more than anything. Teaching is hard. Teaching is often unappreciated. Everyone thinks they know how to do it better than you and freely offers their opinions of how it should be done even when they have never stepped in front of a roomful of children in their life.  There are very few careers where you are expected to have a high level of education and training and still not receive the respect that you deserve. And yet, it is the best career, if you are truly a teacher.

In high school, I read several books by teachers working with children with special needs.  This was after the time that P.L. 94-142 had just been passed.  These teachers were pioneers in the field of Special Education.  They portrayed stories that were not for the faint of heart. Despite how difficult it was, I was inspired by their stories. Maybe because I expected it to be challenging and at times hard that what I encountered instead seemed more exhilarating than tough?!

In my senior year of high school, I managed to locate the Special Day Class on my campus.  It was located in some hallway that I did not even know existed.  I asked the teacher in that class if I could give up my study hall to volunteer in her classroom as a peer tutor. She was thrilled.  Other than whatever pass she gave me to miss my study hall, I was given no extra credit, no community service hours, no special recognition. Sure, volunteering got me a letter of recommendation that I could use in my college application, but other than that I did it because I wanted to learn what it meant to be a teacher.

In my first year in college, I signed up for volunteer hours with one of the local elementary schools.  By the way, I went to college in New Hampshire. I had no car. I walked a mile to the school and a mile back to my dorm three days a week so that I could volunteer in two different classrooms. Unless there was a conflict with a class or an exam, I did not miss my days at the school.  Even though I had to walk there in all kinds of weather and we had a really snowy winter that year, I went every time I was scheduled to be there. By the time, I reached my junior and senior years, I had volunteer hours in a variety of classrooms working with children with all types of disabilities and also in all kinds of settings.  

Fast forward a few years past college, I was trying to figure out where my career was going. I knew I was a teacher but where should I be. I heard a speaker in Amherst, Massachusetts talk about the needs of urban school districts. I literally do not remember who it was or whether it was at Amherst College or UMass.  What I remember was his challenge. He clearly stated that children in urban schools needed the best possible teachers.  At that moment, I made a commitment to urban education and to students who might not have access to the educational opportunities that students in more affluent communities would have.  Education and teaching had never been just a job to me but it was always more than a career. It was truly a calling.  One that took me 3000 miles from my family and to a community that was completely different than anything I had ever experienced. As a fully credentialed special education teacher, I was asked multiple times by people why I chose to work in an urban school district when I could work in another district with less challenges and for more pay. After awhile, I stopped trying to explain that I was exactly where I should be.  It made no sense to most people. I just knew that every student who walked through my door would receive the same quality of education as I could provide any child in one of those more affluent districts.

When I become frustrated with all of the crazy initiatives and idiotic decisions of those who think they know what they are doing I always ask myself what else would I do if I was not in education?! I literally become sick at the thought of not being in education and not working on the behalf of children. There is not a single other career that I can envision that would have the same meaning for me.  It isn't that I do not think myself capable of doing other jobs. I just cannot see myself receiving the same level of joy and fulfillment from those other jobs.

There may be teachers, administrators or parents who over the years did not always like me or the decisions I made, but one of the greatest insult anyone could make was that I was not an advocate for a child or concerned about children.    

So Sarah, my answer to your question is that anyone who chooses to step through the doors of a classroom and presume to be a teacher better darn well be passionate and willing to go the distance. The lives of every child who crosses the threshold of those doors depends on the teacher being someone who is passionate and capable. Just as I would not want an incompetent surgeon who was just showing up for a paycheck to perform surgery on me, I do not want an incompetent teacher who just wanted a paycheck showing up to teach children.  If someone just wants a paycheck, then they should find another job, teaching isn't for them.

Slice of Life - Writer's Block Poem

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, I am participating in the March Challenge by posting a slice daily.
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Thanks to all of the feedback and requests for another attempt at poetry...my writer's block has resulted in this...


As I try to write,

Words Swirl
Words Blur
Words Slip Away
 
Images Appear
Images Shimmer
Images Slip Away

Oh no!

No Words
No Images
Time Slips Away

Try Again Another Day!

Slice of Life - Finding My Writing Voice

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, I am participating in the March Challenge by posting a slice daily.
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At the beginning of the month, someone or maybe multiple someones suggested keeping a notebook with ideas for slice posts. I purchased a small notebook that I can put in the side pocket of the bag I carry around. I have jotted down a few ideas.  However, I think I actually have more "draft" slice posts in blogger than anywhere else.  They are the beginnings to slice posts, but I realized that I haven't figured out how to write them.  Several are opinion pieces, and not that I cannot own up to my personal opinions, but if I am going to do it then I want it to be well written.

I just saved to "draft" one of those posts.

Someday I will be bold enough to write about the things that drive me crazy or move me to tears.  Sometimes this has to do with decisions that non-educators make about educational programs and initiatives.  Other times it has to do with things that happen around me.

Though I work to stay pretty positive and tactful, I know I have a tendency to be very straightforward. Though I want to be authentic and honest, I also do not want to be harsh or cruel. Some posts are best to be deleted before they are ever finished, they are as some of my friends say "a hot mess".  Others are best to write and put away until they can be restated in a productive manner.

I suspect that before the month is over I will manage to find the words to write a slice about letters of recommendation. I am pretty certain that what I want to write about poverty and it's impact on children and learning will take much longer than this month to find the right words.  As for problem-solvers, Common Core State Standards, critical thinking, and crazy drivers, well those may happen now or in the future.

What may be most difficult for me is being a judge of my own writing in those situations.  I do not always feel that I am as clear as I want to be. I also want to be succinct and not just drone on about a topic.

To borrow a couple of lines from author, Barry Lyga,

This is going to be long. Because apparently,..., in my desire to be brief, I left room for misinterpretation, which was certainly not my intention.

Those lines completely sum up my feelings about writing about difficult topics.  I can envision the scenario where I wrote something, offended someone, and then tried to clarify and then just dug a deeper and deeper hole.

I do understand that not everyone will agree with what I have to say or what I write. However, I know that unintentional words can still cut deeply and I prefer to chose my words with more care when it comes to difficult topics. I wish I was one of those people who could just spout off their thoughts and not give a darn what others said. Sadly, that is not me. Frankly, my skin isn't thick enough, and my concern for others runs too deep.

Someday those posts will find a voice and legs, but it isn't today.

Slice of Life - Clifford and Blue Hair

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, I am participating in the March Challenge by posting a slice daily.
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It is the first day back from Spring Break.  Amazing how quickly that really relaxed feeling can disappear.  I caught myself at one point in the day when I realized that I needed to start thinking about all of the things I could celebrate rather than let lots of little things distract me.  As I did this, I remembered seeing Clifford this morning. Yes, Clifford the Big Red Dog. 

This morning I had a meeting with the principal and some of the resource staff at one of our elementary schools.  For the past several years, the school has barely had a Library Coordinator (Library Tech or Library Aide as referred to in other districts).  This year, they has someone 4 days a week.  Not only do they have someone 4 days a week, but they have someone that is truly interested in seeing the school develop into a true reading community.  I have worked closely with this Library Coordinator for the past four years and we have discussed books, and reading and doing great things. 

Today, they were celebrating the success of their Scholastic Book Fair, which was held just before spring break.  If my memory serves me, they have not had consistent book fairs in the past couple of years.  To generate more enthusiasm about the fair and buying books, the librarian made a deal with the students that if they each bought a book then she would color her hair blue.  They did and she did.  And to top it off, Clifford also came to school today with blue hair.

Though I did not have a chance to see the librarian and Clifford visit classrooms, I imagine that it was an exciting moment in all of the classrooms.  And more exciting than just Clifford or blue hair is the evidence that I am seeing in other ways as this school slowly develops into a reading community.  Books are becoming meaningful to students. Reading is cool and it is also fun. For students who may not have experienced this enthusiasm over a book, it is happening now.

I look forward to more book adventures and celebrations with this school as we move through the next 10 weeks and into the next school year.

Slice of Life - The One Where I Attempt a Poem

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, I am participating in the March Challenge by posting a slice daily.
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It is the last day of my spring break.  Where did the week go? All good things are flying by too fast.  And my stay-cation was a very good thing.  I promised to do one poem during March as part of this challenge. This will likely be the one and only time I post a poem that I wrote on this blog. Though I have learned to appreciate poetry and to understand it more than I did, I am still not comfortable with this medium.

Here is my Cinquain to the week:

Spring Break

 Unbridled Time

Play Sleep Putz

Refilling the Energy Reserves

Vacation

Slice of Life - Celebrate This Week - 3/22/14

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, I am participating in the March Challenge by posting a slice daily.

This year, I am trying to increase my awareness of the many good things that happen, which are frequently overlooked by me.  To help me, I am joining Ruth Ayres' Celebrate This Week.

Here's what I am thankful for this week...

1.  Spring Break - Though it is almost over, it has really been a pretty perfect week.  I enjoyed hanging out and putzing around.  I could sleep in or stay up late and no need to dress up all week.

Homemade Poptart from Nickle Diner in Los Angeles

2. Hanging out with Friends - Last Sunday morning, I had a chance to visit with Teresa Bunner (@rdngteach) while she was in Los Angeles for the ASCD conference. We had breakfast at a little place in Los Angeles and even had homemade poptarts. Yum!  Additionally, I got to have lunch later in the week with some of my local teacher buddies that I do not see often enough.

3. Movies and Friends - I seldom see movies in the theater and I even more seldom see them on release day or during the release weekend.  Last week, I kicked it off by going to see the Veronica Mars movie with some friends.  It was a blast to watch it with other folks who knew the characters and were just as eager to see it.  I finished the week with going to see Divergent with a different set of friends.  I love my book community and how we not only share favorite books but movies and more.

4. Skyping with Cathy Potter's students - Cathy Potter is a school librarian in Maine.  This past week, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet via Skype with some of her 5th graders to answer questions about the Schneider Family Book Award. What a great group of students and some really good questions. 

5. Cleaning and Sorting - Though I took my time with closet cleaning and other sorting projects, things are slowing shaping up.  I was excited to be able to pull together about 200 books that will be welcome additions to classrooms and libraries in my District. Additionally, I found a gift card that I had misplaced (yes, now I can get those new running shoes I wanted), and a sweater that I was looking for.  Sadly, I still seem to be missing a couple of pillowcases and a bunch of socks.  What is it about the dryer that seems to cause things to disappear?

What are you celebrating this week?

Slice of Life - The One Where I Get Personal

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, I am participating in the March Challenge by posting a slice daily.
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In reading the various slice posts, I am always struck by the diversity of this writing community. I am also struck by how I feel like I have gotten to really know certain individuals by what they have shared. My blog is typically the place where I share about books, and authors, and book related news and activities.  I limit how much personal stuff that I comfortably share. However, I am going to stretch myself with a slice that is a bit more personal.  Let's see if I actually hit "publish".

Several months ago, I hit a milestone birthday. Turning 50 was hard. It brought up a lot of issues for me. It has made me re-evaluate where I am in my personal and professional life. When I was in my twenties, I thought by the time I reached 50, I would be married, have a house, children, and be where I wanted to be in my career. Yes, the great American Dream.  Alas, I am single, no kids, I rent (my choice), and I am in an evaluation place with my career.  

Ruth Ayres shared one of her 40 Stories for Lent.  This one was called "Tiny Faith is Enough".  I have appreciated many of her very personal stories. Several have spoken more deeply to me than others.  But after reading her post, I still wonder.  It is much easier to have faith and hope, even a tiny bit, when things go the way you think they should.  Trust me when I say that God and I have gone the distance. Some days, weeks, months, God and I don't talk. It's too painful. It just ends in my tears and God's silence. 

Friends say God has a different plan. Frankly, I didn't and still don't want Plan B, C or D. Unfortunately, my Plan A will never be realized.  Consequently, my stubbornness and refusal to see or accept an alternate plan has resulted in Plan Holding Pattern. Not a pleasant place to be. And I am pretty confident that Plan Holding Pattern is not God's plan for me.

While I re-evaluate where my life is going, and to find even a tiny amount of faith to accept God's plan as an even better plan, I am thankful for much that I do have. I am thankful for friends who have acted as family and community for me over the years. They are precious. I am also thankful for how they have loaned me their children.  Though it may not have filled the void of not having my own, it has eased it at times. And I am thankful for much of my career and the way that I have been able to touch the lives of so many children and families and teachers.

Now, off to discover what Operation Tiny Faith will bring.

Slice of Life - Random Writing

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, I am participating in the March Challenge by posting a slice daily.
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I tried to write this post last night. No luck. Thought I would try first thing in the morning. Still no luck. Even tried brainstorming with a friend. Yeah, that wasn't happening either.  Decided to change locations.  Figuring that a new space with different energy might produce some creative ideas. Not sure this is working either.  My brain is functioning more like a dog's mind must work. "Squirrel. Squirrel." And off I go...but my squirrels look more like this...

There is an elderly woman and her daughter having brunch in the booth across from me.  The daughter's voice keeps drifting over to me. I have a feeling she is speaking louder so that her mother can hear her.  Unfortunately, my hearing is fine and I am eavesdropping without intention.

My mind keeps wondering what happened to some of my clothes.  I know all about happily matched socks going into the drier and coming out swinging singles, but I have a running list of missing clothes, a pair of sweats, a black v-neck t-shirt, a maroon sweater.  The list keeps growing as I think about an article of clothing that I want to wear and then cannot find. Since they are all dark, I am assuming that they must be together.  But after sorting drawers and closets yesterday, where can they be hiding out? Note to self: Stop by Target to pick up a new black v-neck t-shirt. 

I look down at my jeans.  These are a new pair of jeans that I decided to wear today.  I chuckle to myself because I am just in the in-between height for pant length.  I am not really the petite height for pant length, but neither do I fit average length.  So as I look down at this ankle length pants in average, I realize that they are closer to the correct length for me if I was looking for full length.

As I realize that today is Thursday, I need to take a look at my vacation "to-do" list and see what is still left and what I will or won't get to finish. I always list more than I can really accomplish in a week.  I also need to think about what I am going to need to do to prep for going back to work. Out comes my notepad so that I can jot down stray thoughts.

While writing things down, I realize I need to play more with my new camera.  I have been wanting a digital SLR camera for a couple of years now but they can be expensive. Finally, I gave in and used a little of my tax refund to treat myself to one.  I am looking forward to learning more about the features and trying it out.

Hey, have you heard about this place called Wine & Canvas?  A friend mentioned it to me this morning.  Some other friends took her there for her birthday.  I guess you drink wine, chat with friends and get a painting lesson.  Now, I have little to no artistic ability, but I love the idea of Wine and Writing? Can I set up some place where a group of friends can go, share some wine, and maybe tapas, and write with friends? That would be super cool. I could easily make that a monthly habit.

Okay, my random writing is coming to an end. I really do have to get to Target for that t-shirt and then meet up with friends for lunch.

Slice of Life - Piles, Oh how I love you.

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, I am participating in the March Challenge by posting a slice daily.
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Raise your hand if you are a "piler"? Okay, I am going to pretend some of you raised your hands so that I feel like I am in great company.

Organizing papers and belongings is a funny thing. Everyone has their preferences and what works for them.  I love those who say you should touch a paper only once and then do something with it immediately.  I say those people were never teachers and principals.  They must also have a team of clerical staff to delegate tasks.  As a principal, dozens of papers would cross my desk daily. While I was reading them, I would be interrupted with a someone stopping by my office or a child in need or some other daily school occurrence.  I would put it down and have to pick it up again later. When I finally got to read it, I would inevitably need to find the information or hold a meeting or do about ten more steps before I could get rid of the paper.  Delegate? And exactly who do you delegate to when everyone is just as busy as you are?   

I became a "piler" years ago. I fully admit that this is my organizational system. What is piling you ask? I make piles. Organized piles. On my desk or the floor around my desk or on top of the bookcase.  I know what is in these piles. I know exactly where that paper is when you come into my space and want it. Yes, it may look messy but I know exactly where it is. And as soon as I move the paper from the pile into a file cabinet, it is gone. Out of sight or better out of pile and it is definitely out of mind.  In a pile means that I still need to do something with it.  In a file cabinet means I am done and won't be touching it again.

It is also easier to throw things away that are in piles.  If you leave a pile long enough, you have either done something with what is there and can now file it or decided it wasn't worth your time and effort and can now throw it away guilt free.

Now, pilers need to not be bullied by those who think they have better ways of organizing things or feel that your office would look better if you took all those papers and put them in a file cabinet or notebook or some other system.  Don't cave.  It only ruins the system.  Sure my office would look great if I didn't have piles.  However, I am also lost without my piles and likely will forget to do something. This especially happens when you throw piles into a box to stash under your desk or in some corner when there are visitors. Remember what I said about out of sight meaning out of mind? A pile in a box is just as bad as organized files.  Maybe even worse.

Sadly, piles do need attention or they grow to heights that are scary. You need to schedule regular time every few months to tame them and let them know who is boss, or well, at least make you think that you are in control of them.  It's that time.  The time to tame the piles that have been growing for the past couple of months. Armed with trash bags, recycling bins, and a shredder off I go to remind them who is boss.