Category: Champions

Here I Am!: Conferring with Student Writers

~ wordancerblog ~ 9 Comments

There are many things I love and enjoy about teaching – presenting concepts, sharing ideas, being witness to creativity and discovery, but the one thing that is most important to me is connection.  I know that connection is key to student understanding.  Without connection there are just untethered ideas.  And that is why I absolutely love the time I get to sit down with student writers and talk about their work.

Books as Breadcrumbs

~ wordancerblog ~ 8 Comments

Books as Breadcrumbs - This year, I work with both struggling and gifted readers and writers. The arc of my work keeps me on my toes and makes me reflect on what moves I make to push my students forward. What arrows or breadcrumbs am I laying down? The first thing I do when working with students is to listen to them and give them space for them to tell me who they are. As Parker J. Palmer says, “Teaching is a daily exercise in vulnerability.” Sharing my struggles and successes with students help them to open up and share what is easy and difficult for them. Then together we plan next steps to reach our goals. This is true for students who have learning differences and students who find academics easy and are searching for more and more challenges.

Writing Community

~ wordancerblog ~ 11 Comments

I have seen myself as a writer ever since I could hold a crayon.  I drew and wrote letters, telling stories to anyone who happened by. Usually, that person was my mother. She was a teacher and always encouraged me. She’d look at my scribbles and pictures and ask me to tell her about them.  … Continue reading Writing Community

Listen to Their Songs

~ wordancerblog ~ 6 Comments

As we drift into August, I am beginning to get weary of learning. I desperately need a respite before the tsunami of teaching in a pandemic begins to swell again. This latest webinar feature A.J. Juliani as the keynote. I have heard this dynamic speaker before, and I was eager to hear what he had to say. What I didn’t expect was his final words of encouragement to teachers in the form of a video from Clint Pulver, a motivational speaker. Clint is an author, musician, and employment retention expert. He helps companies and organizations retain, engage, and inspire their workers. Clint believes that a single moment is transformative, and he demonstrates this in a video about his school experience about his interactions with his teacher Mr. Jensen.

Every child needs a champion.

~ wordancerblog ~ 7 Comments

Ernest Hemingway famously wrote, "Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know." This is mine: Every child needs a champion. As the world seems to be spinning off its axis, this statement is especially true. Children need champions - people who help them feel safe, cultivate their curiosity, and instill hope. I became a teacher because I wanted to be a champion for young people. I have been blessed that I have been able to do this important work for the last forty-two years. So blessed.