Mornings SOL#16

I love my mornings.  I'm up before anyone else in the house. My dog wakes me, walking back and forth on the bed. My cat slowly stretches out from being curled up next to me. I take them out, while the coffee is brewing. When the coffee is ready, I pour a cup, curl up in my chair, pulling out my computer, and I begin to read blogs I love, check email, and these days, write. I love reading through the posts linked on TWT for SOL#16. This has become my daily inspiration. I begin my writing, get my thoughts down, go back, reread and revise. Finally, I post. All this in the quiet of morning, before everyone is up and the day begins.

Home SOL#16

There's nothing like coming home.

Being away,
taveling in airplanes,
Being away,
driving in taxis,
Being away,
sleeping in hotels,
Being away,
interacting with new people,
Being away,
connecting with colleagues,
Being away,
talking with strangers,
Being away,
waiting in airports.

Being home,

There's nothing like coming home.

Disappointing PD SOL#16

I was super excited to go to professional development this week. My colleagues and I visited this school in the fall, and we were invited back to experience a "deeper dive". I have to say, we were all very disappointed yesterday. The five of us split up into different categories - preschool, elementary, and middle school, with the presenters focusing on those areas specifically. The last time we were here, we received a binder full of documents, samples, rubrics, etc. We had in-depth presentations about how projects were generated, planned and carried out. This time all we received was a folder with an agenda and a map. Not one of us heard something new yesterday. We're hoping today will be better. Unfortunately, I feel this way often with pd: disappointment. Ever the optimist though, I hope we are surprised today and get to that "deeper dive".

Busy, Chaotic Day SOL#16

Today was a teaching day and a traveling day. I began in a scurry - trying to get ready for the two days I will be gone from school.  I worked last night getting ready for the time I will be gone. I planned and planned and worried. Up at 3:00 in the morning worrying about how things will go when I'm gone. My students are so smart and work so hard. We just started our poetry unit. We've looked at figurative language. We've immersed ourselves in poetry. We noticed. We've taken note. I hate to leave my kiddos when we're just beginning the hard work. I hope what I've left will inspire them. I hope what they work on will bring forth their confidence and creativity. I am looking forward to returning on Monday - seeing what they've done while I'm gone.

If We Look Around #SOL16

I began my morning with a check in on the Two Writing Teachers' blog to see what is in store for today's Slice Challenge. There was a link to a blog post, "Power-less" by Michelle Haseltine at One Grateful Teacher. Reading her post made me think about the struggle my students face when they think they don't have anything to write about. As I face this Slice of Life monthly challenge, I am understanding their fear and feelings about this. I know that Lucy Calkins tells us to notice the every day, notice the little things - keep a writer's notebook and always jot what you see, think, feel into it. This, I do not do. I have never considered myself a writer, BUT I strive to be what my students need, therefore, a writer I must become. Michelle's post brought home the power (no pun intended) to notice what is around us...or what isn't there - in her case, power.  This is my goal - to notice and write.

I love that the Two Writing Teachers are introducing me to new blogs and colleagues to read and learn from.

Thank you Michelle for this morning's inspiration and TWT for pushing me out of my comfort zone!

Memories of Smells SOL#16

Memories of Smells

It lingers in the air.

It wraps around me like a blanket.

There is a tug in the depths of my memories, pulling, pulling, pulling.

It takes me back to when I was young.

The summers - every summer - the fresh scent of rain.

The evergreen of the trees.

The sweet smell of hydrangeas and wild flowers.

The smell wafts around me; envelopes me.

I only walked through it.

I'm transported back to childhood.

Good times, family, friends, picnics, the lake.




This is my first Slice of Life Challenge. Join us won't you?

A Work in Progress

My students work quite a bit on writing fiction, so I wanted to work on writing a bit of fiction with my students.

A Work in Progress:

The washing machine thundered as the clothes spun like a tornado. Curious, the kitten poked his head through the kitty door and slunk down the stairs into the laundry room. THUMP! BUMP! The kitten ducked his head and spread himself as flat as a pancake against the base of the stair. He was sure no one could see him. He felt like a lion camouflaged in the tall grass of the savannah. Keeping low to the floor, he slid over the edge of stair, moving slowly and precisely one stair at a time to the bottom of the steps. The washing machine's window showed clothes tumbling and suds bubbling. The kitten crouched below the window and watched. He waited. His whiskers pulled forward; his pupils grew, the black, opening wide. He continued watching, waiting for the right time. He squatted on his haunches, shook his rear, and pounced - BAM! He ran right into the glass. The kitten seemed dazed as he fell backwards. Shaking his head back and forth, he cleared his mind and refocused. Around and around - the clothes were beckoning him. He pounced again.