Author: wordancerblog

I am currently an ELA Curriculum Coordinator (JPK-5th grade) and have been an educator for 40 years. Over the years, I've worked with students in pre-school to 12th grade. The power of story, creativity, and curiosity have kept teaching and learning exciting and new. I'm always looking forward to the next chapter!

When All Else Fails – Finger Paint!

~ wordancerblog ~ 6 Comments

This happened to me last week, while I was reading Jordan Shapiro’s book, A New Childhood: Raising Kids to Thrive in a Connected World. He is such a fast thinker – going from one idea to the next, making connections at lightning speed – Greek philosophy, gaming, systems theory, divorce – they all go together in one wonderful coherent whole. How does he do that? He uses metaphors and makes images in readers’ minds so they remember concepts. He brilliantly persuades us that there is nothing to fear about our children’s obsession with technology.

Summer of Hummingbirds and Frogs

~ wordancerblog ~ 8 Comments

It is summer and I am vowing to play. Play with my colored pencils and play with my words. It is easy for me to play with words and share them. I've been doing that since I was four-years-old. It is warm and comfortable. It is more difficulty for me to play with drawing because I'm still at the beginner stage. Being a beginner takes boldness. Being a beginner one must cast away the trepidation and dive deep into play with abandon. Like the hummingbird it all starts with a flash of color, like the spring frogs - I've come out of hibernation and am ready to sing!

A Pause for Celebration

~ wordancerblog ~ 15 Comments

“Sorrow comes in great waves...but rolls over us, and though it may almost smother us, it leaves us. And we know that if it is strong, we are stronger, inasmuch as it passes and we remain.” - Henry James   After the events of the past weeks: the COVID pandemic, George Floyd’s murder, rioting and … Continue reading A Pause for Celebration

Simple Joy

~ wordancerblog ~ 7 Comments

Music, Poetry, Dance, Art, Nature, Food, Friends, Travel - all of these things have given me joy.  When Nature, Friends, and Travel were curtailed by COVID-19,  I turned to music, poetry, dance and art to keep me joyful in these past bleary months.  And so spring came, flowers blossomed, the sky returned to its blissful … Continue reading Simple Joy

Ascent: Sharing Our Stories

~ wordancerblog ~ 4 Comments

This week's Sharing Our Stories prompt from Ruth Ayres was "spreading your wings wider."  I thought about her words for a little while.  Lately, I've been spreading my wings a little wider each day even though we remain in quarantine.  It's funny how being physically inside has made me become more open and wandering within my mind and heart...

Getting Wild in the Wonder Lab

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  I don’t think I have a very wild life, but I do have a wild mind.  A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to be allowed to create a hands-on maker space in my school called the Wonder Lab.  It is a place where elementary students come to work on independent projects and … Continue reading Getting Wild in the Wonder Lab

Magic in the Middle

~ wordancerblog ~ 3 Comments

  I am in love with words.  I don’t know when it happened.  It might have started with “Mama.” Words held meaning, and I was eager from the beginning to express myself. Writing is like breathing to me – I cannot differentiate one from the other.  When I go long period without writing, it’s like … Continue reading Magic in the Middle