What I Know About Myself as a Reader

Last year my friend, Franki Sibberson, wrote a post for the Scholastic On Our Minds blog about knowing yourself as a reader. (http://oomscholasticblog.com/post/franki-sibberson-knowing-yourself-reader)

Franki started her own list of 100 things she knew about herself as a reader and encouraged her students to do the same. I thought I would give it a try for today's Slice. So here's my first 25 things I know about myself as a reader. I hope to keep adding to the list. You should give it a try. I am still learning about myself as a reader.

1. I have never been able to quit a book - even if I am miserable reading it.
2. I am a fairly slow reader. I can't skip whole paragraphs even if they are tedious. I am just not a skimmer.
3. I am recently learned that I like reading stories in verse.
4. I rarely read a nonfiction book - but I do read a lot of nonfiction articles especially online.
5. I am fascinated by new words I find when I read and look them up in the dictionary.
6. I read the jacket flap and back cover to set myself up for reading and go back to them when I am confused.
7. I am not fond of reading e-books. I would much rather have the book in my hand.
8. I keep track of what I read on Good Reads.
9. I rely on the recommendations from friends.
10. I go back and read a page when I get lost and can't figure out what's going on in the story.
11. I want to read more poetry but have trouble choosing what to read.
12. I skip over technical words I don't know. Not a good idea!
13. I like books with short chapters.
14. I enjoy talking with other people about books.
15. I belong to a Brunch and Books group that meets once a month to talk about books.
16. I used to read the last few pages of the book before I would commit to reading it. I don't do that anymore!
17. I love going to the library and book store.
18. I don't like writing about the books I read - I like talking about them better.
19. I take notes to keep track of characters.
20. I always check the Best Seller Book List posted in the local newspaper.
21. I like to check out the staff recommendations at book stores.
22. I need to get better about checking books from the library instead of buying them. Much better!
23. I like to go back and reread my journals and notebooks.
24. I have favorite authors.
25. I read some books more than once (Love in the Time of Cholera, Crossing to Safety, Gone With the Wind).

I am participating in the 
March Slice of Life Challenge.
Each day we post our thoughts.
Thank you, Two Writing Teachers!

Day 17 - What I Know About Myself as a Reader 

Sunday Drives

When I was little, all the stores were closed on Sundays. My mom was a stay-at-home mom and didn't have her driver's license. Life was simpler then in so many ways. On Sundays we would all go for a ride in the car. It didn't cost much - just a bit of gasoline. My Mom would say, "Just to get out of the house."

My Dad and Mom, my two sisters, my brother and I would pile in the car. I remember hearing the arguments about who would sit in the middle. The seats by the windows were the best, of course. But I struggled with motion sickness when I was little. I remember my mom saying that we couldn't ride around the block without me getting sick. My misfortune gave me the seat in the front of the car with my Mom and Dad. Yes, it was the middle seat, but it was in the front where I could easily see the horizon and avoid motion sickness. I secretly celebrated that special seat in front with my Mom and Dad.

The Sunday rides were pretty uneventful but we usually headed out for the country. I think my mom enjoyed the open skies and the winding roads as though they were taking her away from her day-to-day routine. Sometimes, we would stop at a roadside farmer's stand and buy some fresh vegetables. I recall once we drove by some people flying radio-controlled airplanes and we stayed awhile to watch with wonder in our eyes. We gazed into the sky, our hands above our eyes to block the sun, and we would marvel at the planes dipping an diving.

Those were simpler days. No shopping on Sunday. No regular routines. Just a quiet drive out in the country waiting to see what we might discover along the way. As we all grew older there were fewer Sunday drives. We all got busy with our lives. Sometimes Mom and Dad still went for rides. It might have been those quiet Sunday drives that kept them in love and ready for any wonders they would find.

What I would give for a Sunday drive with my family. Mom, Dad and me in the front seat. My two sisters and brother in the back. Spending precious time together and discovering the wonders of a Sunday drive.

I am participating in the 
March Slice of Life Challenge.
Each day we post our thoughts.
Thank you, Two Writing Teachers!

Day 16 - Sunday Drives  

Gladiolas and Memories

 

Yesterday, my husband had a list of errands - buy some mulch for the garden, run to the grocery store for a few things, and stop at the craft store to pick up some supplies for his latest project. Sometimes when he goes on these marathon adventures, he brings me back little surprises - a bunch of fresh flowers, my favorite oatmeal raisin cookies. (He's a good man!) Yesterday, he came home with bags of gladiola bulbs. He had carefully chosen bulbs in my favorite colors. The bulbs immediately brought back vivid memories of my grandmother.

She was a gardener. Every year she would plant gladiolas - hundreds of them! We live in a climate that requires that the bulbs be dug up every fall, stored for the winter, and planted again in late spring. I remember being so eager to help her. For some reason, I am not exactly sure why, my grandma would soak the bulbs in concentrated Lysol before planting them. I imagine it was to keep bugs away but I regret never asking her why. She would dig the holes and I would pull each bulb out of the bucket of Lysol and place it in the ground. She would cover it with dirt and we would move onto the next one. These are such happy memories for me -  spending time with my grandmother in the warm days of late spring digging in the dirt and burying promises of tall, beautiful flowers. I can not begin to describe how that smell of Lysol transports me to the garden and my memories of planting gladiolas with my grandmother.

Sometimes special words or phrases take us back to another time long ago. Often, pictures can help us relive a special moment in our lives. But the smell of Lysol will always bring me back to the little me crouching next to my grandma planting those beautiful gladiolas.

I am anxious to get my gladiola bulbs in the ground. I need to wait a few weeks to be sure the weather will stay warm enough. As I place each bulb in the ground, I will think of those special moments with my grandmother. I will watch and wait patiently until late summer, when they will bring me the beautiful spikes of colors and memories. Wonderful memories.
 
I am participating in the 
March Slice of Life Challenge.
Each day we post our thoughts.
Thank you, Two Writing Teachers!

Day 15 - Gladiolas and Memories       

Collective Wisdom - Collective Energy

I have always felt it was critical to consider what we believe about learning and teaching. It's important to take some time to think about our beliefs, even write them down. Then, every decision we make rests on what we believe is right. Our beliefs clearly define who we are as teachers and learners. Most importantly, they guide our interactions with the children.

There was a time when I would have measured the success of a teacher by how closely his/her teaching practices, instructional routines and classroom environment were most like my own. But I have learned some things along the way.

First, I learned that there are many ways to teach effectively, wisely and well.

Second, there are many ways to set up a classroom for authentic learning and thoughtful conversations.

Third, how we teach and what we teach aren't nearly as important as our relationships with the children in our classrooms and our schools.

Fourth, our relationships with colleagues should never be defined by the differences in our styles but by the similarities in our beliefs about children and the experiences we share.

No longer does anyone stand alone in education. Our work is too complex and demanding to be doing it alone. No one has all the answers. I believe strongly in collective wisdom and a collective energy that gets things done. 

I am participating in the 
March Slice of Life Challenge.
Each day we post our thoughts.
Thank you, Two Writing Teachers!

Day 14 - Collective Wisdom - Collective Energy       

Sunday Rain

This morning
I heard the pounding rain
Long before I opened my sleepy eyes.
A steady beat waking me from my rest.
I was unwilling to start the day
But it's tapping at my window
Brought me
From deep inside my dreams
To start the day.

The rain sings to me.
A rhythm of sadness.
That drops from the grey skies
and urges me to be brave
and push the sadness away.

A rhythm of promise
Especially in these early days of spring.
Dreams of buds shooting toward the sky
And the warm sun and blue skies
That come after the rain.

There were rainy days I loved
Early on when I first began to write.
Sitting in the chair by the window
My pencil poised to tap away gently at the page.
In time, the words would come faster
And pour themselves onto the page.
A rain of words telling their tale.

The rain and the rhythm and the words.

          I am participating in the  
          March Slice of Life Challenge. 
          Each day we post our thoughts. 
          Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! 

          Day 13 - Sunday Rain

Courage

Teaching is Courage

When I first became a principal, I received an inspiring gift from a teacher. It was a Cowardly Lion Doll. Yes, a doll of the famous lion in the Wizard of Oz. Along with it came a note that said, "So you have the courage to make all the right decisions."

And so I began my life as a principal with the hope that I would always have the courage to do what's right.

I am thinking that so many educators approach each day with courage.  

Courage to wake up in the early morning hours
     flooded with thoughts of the day 
     and struggling to figure out what they can do 
     for those students who need them the most.

Courage to learn more about their student's lives outside of school 
     even though what they find out often breaks their heart.

Courage to have the hardest conversations 
     with children, parents and our colleagues.

Courage to see the world 
     through the eyes of their students.

Courage to walk into school with a smile 
     even though they know their day will be difficult.

Courage to push their students 
     to new understandings.

Courage to know 
     when one of their students needs a hug 
     more than any instruction they could offer.

Teaching is Courage 

          I am participating in the  
          March Slice of Life Challenge. 
          Each day we post our thoughts. 
          Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! 

          Day 12 - Courage

Help That One Child Standing Right in Front of You

          I am participating in the  
          March Slice of Life Challenge. 
          Each day we post our thoughts. 
          Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! 

          Day 11 - Help That One Child   
          Standing Right in Front of You

Years ago when I was a principal, a young teacher came to me overwhelmed.
He was obviously shaken. He was an exceptional teacher who needed some support.
He was feeling helpless and unable to meet the needs of all the children in his care.
My first thought was that it was something we all face as young teachers.
But then, as I considered his situation, I realized that we often feel incapable of doing it all.

Our conversation went something like this.

"How can I help all these kids?
 What am I doing wrong?
 There's not enough time to do it all.
 How am I going to help ALL these kids?"

I sensed his frustration and understood his state of mind. 
As a teacher, there were days upon days, I felt like there wasn't enough of me to spread around.
Some days I went home completely spent. Empty.
I knew exactly how he felt. 
What I admired was that he wasn't giving up.
His heart drove his practice. 
He was there to help children and that's exactly what he was going to do.
But like all of us, he was feeling like he couldn't really reach any of them.

I calmed him down as best I could.
Praised him for all that he was doing.
Let him know how much I admired his love for children.

And I told him,
"Focus on that child right in front of you.
For a moment just stop.
Think about that child and what he needs.
Help that one child who is standing right in front of you.
He will teach you, You just need to
pause and listen, 
observe and encourage, 
scaffold and release.
What you learn from him will help when you work with others.
And one child at a time, you will help them all."

He walked away ready for the challenge and I hoped I had done some good.
I hoped I had reassured him that what he was feeling something we all felt sometimes.
I hope I left him with some advice that would calm his fears and frustration.
Later that day he thanked me. He said that our conversation had helped.

It was several years later, when he reminded me of our conversation and how much it meant to him.

He was able to continue helping all his children 
by helping the one child standing right in front of him.