This post is for Day 5 of the 2019 Slice of Life Challenge. Thanks to the Two Writing Teachers for bringing this community of writers together to share our writing in the month of March.
The evening descends.
The house awaits a celebration.
It's ready for
My husband's birthday.
As the family arrives
The house shifts
From a quiet, peaceful place
To a crazy mix
Of noise and hugs and chaos.
We circle around
As he opens his presents
And the handmade cards
From the grandchildren.
We gather at the table
For pizza, cake and ice cream.
The conversation wraps around us
Like a warm breeze.
Our family is together
Here in this house
Surrounded by laughter
And love.
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Monday, March 4, 2019
A Shift of Words
This post is for Day 4 of the 2019 Slice of Life Challenge. Thanks to the Two Writing Teachers for bringing this community of writers together to share our writing in the month of March.
Like many of you, I have been involved in countless conversations about education. Some of our conversations are about new instructional strategies or classroom environment. Some of them are about building relationships with our students and colleagues. Others focus on digital literacy or expanding our classroom libraries.
Among all those conversations that I have been part of, there was a time when a slight shift in words gave us a sharper focus as we talked about what happens in classrooms. I was fortunate to be part of a district that focused hard on improving teaching and learning. One day our Director of Education began to shift our thinking with a simple rearrangement of words. While it was a small and simple shift, it had a huge impact on our conversations and what we did in classrooms. This occurred several (maybe even many) years ago when the conversations about teaching focused on the how and what we as teachers did in our classrooms.
It was common in our district to frame our conversations around teaching and learning. One day, our director began shifting our conversations by flipping our focus to learning and teaching. It seemed simple enough. On the surface, one might not even notice the shift. But then, it began to change the way we thought about our classrooms, our schools, and our district. We began to pay attention to the learning before the teaching.
This simple shift put the focus on children and learning. It was no longer critical that we focus on what or how we taught each day although that was still an important part of our conversations. Observing students, listening to their responses to our classroom conversations, valuing them as individuals, paying attention to our informal assessments became our true vision. We saw with new eyes, we sought to understand what students were thinking and understanding, we taught in response to what we learned about our students. Looking back, I know it was a simple shift in words but now I can see what a huge impact it made.
Learning and teaching - paying attention to what comes first - our students.
Like many of you, I have been involved in countless conversations about education. Some of our conversations are about new instructional strategies or classroom environment. Some of them are about building relationships with our students and colleagues. Others focus on digital literacy or expanding our classroom libraries.
Among all those conversations that I have been part of, there was a time when a slight shift in words gave us a sharper focus as we talked about what happens in classrooms. I was fortunate to be part of a district that focused hard on improving teaching and learning. One day our Director of Education began to shift our thinking with a simple rearrangement of words. While it was a small and simple shift, it had a huge impact on our conversations and what we did in classrooms. This occurred several (maybe even many) years ago when the conversations about teaching focused on the how and what we as teachers did in our classrooms.
It was common in our district to frame our conversations around teaching and learning. One day, our director began shifting our conversations by flipping our focus to learning and teaching. It seemed simple enough. On the surface, one might not even notice the shift. But then, it began to change the way we thought about our classrooms, our schools, and our district. We began to pay attention to the learning before the teaching.
This simple shift put the focus on children and learning. It was no longer critical that we focus on what or how we taught each day although that was still an important part of our conversations. Observing students, listening to their responses to our classroom conversations, valuing them as individuals, paying attention to our informal assessments became our true vision. We saw with new eyes, we sought to understand what students were thinking and understanding, we taught in response to what we learned about our students. Looking back, I know it was a simple shift in words but now I can see what a huge impact it made.
Learning and teaching - paying attention to what comes first - our students.
Sunday, March 3, 2019
The story that grabs me my the hand...
This post is for Day 3 of the 2019 Slice of Life Challenge. Thanks to the Two Writing Teachers for bringing this community of writers together to share our writing in the month of March.
I'm reading a book right now that grabbed me by the hand in the first crafted words, tugged at my heart and compelled me to venture on a journey into the story.
The book is The Lost Girls by Heather Young
The story begins:
"I found this notebook in the desk yesterday. I didn't know I had any of them left, those books I bought at Framer's with their black-and-white marbled covers and their empty, lined pages waiting to be filled. When I opened it, the binding crackled in my hands and I had to sit down."
And it continues:
"The edges of the book's pages were yellow and curled, but their centers were white, and they shouted in the quiet of the parlor. Long ago, I filled these books with stories, simple things the children enjoyed, but this one demanded something else. It was as though it had lain beneath stacks of old Christmas cards and faded stationery until now, when my life has begun to wane with the millennium and my thoughts have turned more and more to the past."
The pull into the story was strong and I found I MUST read on.
What makes this pull so strong?
Is it the word selection?
Is it the author's craft?
Is it the promise of the unfolding story?
Is it the connection I find in those first few words?
Is it curiosity that makes me wonder about this character's life of writing?
Have your found books that impact you this way? What draws you in?
I wonder if students in our schools have a similar tug when reading books they have chosen to read?
What draws them in?
What keeps them there?
Can we know in the first few pages of a book that we will love the story?
I'm reading a book right now that grabbed me by the hand in the first crafted words, tugged at my heart and compelled me to venture on a journey into the story.
The book is The Lost Girls by Heather Young
The story begins:
"I found this notebook in the desk yesterday. I didn't know I had any of them left, those books I bought at Framer's with their black-and-white marbled covers and their empty, lined pages waiting to be filled. When I opened it, the binding crackled in my hands and I had to sit down."
And it continues:
"The edges of the book's pages were yellow and curled, but their centers were white, and they shouted in the quiet of the parlor. Long ago, I filled these books with stories, simple things the children enjoyed, but this one demanded something else. It was as though it had lain beneath stacks of old Christmas cards and faded stationery until now, when my life has begun to wane with the millennium and my thoughts have turned more and more to the past."
The pull into the story was strong and I found I MUST read on.
What makes this pull so strong?
Is it the word selection?
Is it the author's craft?
Is it the promise of the unfolding story?
Is it the connection I find in those first few words?
Is it curiosity that makes me wonder about this character's life of writing?
Have your found books that impact you this way? What draws you in?
I wonder if students in our schools have a similar tug when reading books they have chosen to read?
What draws them in?
What keeps them there?
Can we know in the first few pages of a book that we will love the story?
Saturday, March 2, 2019
Snow Visitors
This post is Day 2 in the 2019 Slice of Life Challenge. Thanks to the Two Writing Teachers for bringing this community of writers together to share our writing in the month of March.
A few weeks ago, I jotted some thoughts down in my journal after waking up to fresh snow on the ground. Today, I hope to expand my brief notes to a longer moment in time. I wonder what I will learn about writing, reflection and revision.
In the early morning hours, I step softly from my bedroom to greet the day. The house is quiet for now, resting in the slow muffled breathing of my family. In the hush of the early moments of my day, I glance out through the window and notice the soft, white snow that has fallen during the night. It's pure white flakes have blanketed the yard and covered the brown grass of winter. I love the brightness of this new-fallen snow. I strive to stretch those early morning quiet moments as long as I can. The peace. The quiet. The white. The calm.
I glance across the yard to see two rabbits darting through the snow. They leave the footprints that clearly mark their early morning dance.
And so the day begins. I am ready. I have seen beauty and felt peace in the beginning of a new day.
This is what I learned about writing, reflection and revision:
1. There are small gems of writing in my writing notebook that are invitations to revisit a moment in time and expand. They are starting points for more writing.
2. When revising, word choice can be an entertaining way to discover more words and enrich the writing piece. I played with a few words and the thesaurus as I recrafted this moment in time.
3. Revising is an opportunity to rethink something you've written. I read these words and tried to take a step back and think about how I could make it better.
4. Writing is never finished. On another day, I would enjoy working with this piece a bit more. Maybe I would make it longer. Maybe I would arrange it into a poem.
Friday, March 1, 2019
Blue Eyes
.
My father had blue eyes
They were the clear, deep blue of the lake.
They were the blue of the brightest summer sky.
I always wanted blue eyes.
Mine were brown.
I used to love it when he looked at me.
His smile was sort of impish.
The creases of his face framed his eyes
And etched the wisdom of the years.
My eyes were different than his
But I'd like to think our eyes saw
The same promise of each new day.
The good in others.
The magic of spring.
The love of family.
The promise of tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
#cyberPD - Week One
I appreciate the opportunity to read Being the Change by Sara K. Ahmed and connect with others who are
doing the same in the #cyberPD community. I love the collective voices of this
community as we journey through our learning together.
I read the intro and Chapters 1 & 2 slowly because I wanted to take in the deeper meaning nestled among the words on the page. I kept trying to step back from focusing on the words to create a broader image of my understanding and the impact this book could make in classrooms and schools. I think sometimes when we read professional books we grab ideas from the surface of our understanding and think about how we can implement them in our classrooms. But slowing down and thinking about the larger landscape of Sarah’s words helps us understand more deeply the subtle changes we can make in our classrooms and how the shape of our words in conversations can create a larger and lasting legacy in our classrooms and schools.
Step back and think beyond the page to a wider perspective of what Sara is trying to say to us. Like Peter Johnston in Choice Words, it’s the words we choose, the way we say them, and when we interject ourselves into classroom conversations that makes all the difference in the world. Sara champions the voices of children as she shares her collaborations with students and encourages us all to make room for the identity of each child.
Sara says that kindness, compassion and empathy have become buzzwords on posters in our schools. This conversation that Sara is having with us in Being the Change is much more than that. We need to guard against homogenizing these ideas and hold fast to a deeper understanding and more thoughtful collaborations with students. Sustaining this deeper understanding will take a little more energy than hanging posters on the walls. It will take a consistent state of reflection as we build communities that can make a difference in the world.
Where do we find the courage and commitment to step forward in building relationships that matter. Right here in #cyberPD. It's the place to begin. Our conversations with each other will plant the seeds of deeper understanding and create a passion for what we can accomplish in our classrooms and schools. I feel energized when I read the posts from others in the group. I am looking forward to the conversations throughout July and I can feel an energy building that will recognize and value the identities of students who come together to make a difference in the world.
I read the intro and Chapters 1 & 2 slowly because I wanted to take in the deeper meaning nestled among the words on the page. I kept trying to step back from focusing on the words to create a broader image of my understanding and the impact this book could make in classrooms and schools. I think sometimes when we read professional books we grab ideas from the surface of our understanding and think about how we can implement them in our classrooms. But slowing down and thinking about the larger landscape of Sarah’s words helps us understand more deeply the subtle changes we can make in our classrooms and how the shape of our words in conversations can create a larger and lasting legacy in our classrooms and schools.
Step back and think beyond the page to a wider perspective of what Sara is trying to say to us. Like Peter Johnston in Choice Words, it’s the words we choose, the way we say them, and when we interject ourselves into classroom conversations that makes all the difference in the world. Sara champions the voices of children as she shares her collaborations with students and encourages us all to make room for the identity of each child.
Sara says that kindness, compassion and empathy have become buzzwords on posters in our schools. This conversation that Sara is having with us in Being the Change is much more than that. We need to guard against homogenizing these ideas and hold fast to a deeper understanding and more thoughtful collaborations with students. Sustaining this deeper understanding will take a little more energy than hanging posters on the walls. It will take a consistent state of reflection as we build communities that can make a difference in the world.
Where do we find the courage and commitment to step forward in building relationships that matter. Right here in #cyberPD. It's the place to begin. Our conversations with each other will plant the seeds of deeper understanding and create a passion for what we can accomplish in our classrooms and schools. I feel energized when I read the posts from others in the group. I am looking forward to the conversations throughout July and I can feel an energy building that will recognize and value the identities of students who come together to make a difference in the world.
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Old Man Winter
Old Man Winter dropped by for a visit
I was unaware he was stopping by and
surprised by the gift he left outside my door.
Snow had dusted heavily on the bushes and trees
and my car was wearing a deep cap of wet snow.
I glanced at the forsythia
in all its yellow glory and was reminded
"Three snows after the forsythia blooms"
Throughout the day
the temperatures warmed.
The sun swept high in the sky and
melted the snowy blanket that had covered the land.
I could see the green blades of grass
uncovered by the melting snow.
Old Man Winter may visit another day, but
the purple and yellow crocuses are still poking through the snow.
The daffodil buds are huddling tightly together
until their day to open comes.
Soon, Old Man Winter will take his rest
and spring will bring us sunshine and flowers.
I wait patiently and hope for spring to visit with me soon.
She's just around the corner.
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