I know to get good at anything, you must put time into it. “Practice makes permanent,” as the saying goes. Recently, I read David Sibley refer to his development in drawings birds as "putting in pencil miles.,” which is a term used by nature journalist to describe the practice that goes into honing their craft.
Category: Champions
Refill Your Cup: Finding Balance in Teaching
This week, my joyful moment came in the form of a little second-grade girl named Victoria. Victoria rarely smiles and usually speaks in a whisper. Her writing, however, is full of sophisticated humor. I know that there is a sparkly little girl inside her somewhere.
Let’s Play!: “You be the Granny!”
Play will help us think outside the box, work collaboratively with others, and spark new ways of doing ordinary things. I was given these gentle reminders several sweet and assertive Kindergarten girls during recess time one afternoon.
What Makes You Happy?
I know I must start every day with gratitude, blessed to work in a place with such lively spirits. So many times, it is the children who have shown me the way to happiness. So many times, their fresh way of seeing things has given me pause and made me laugh.
Earth Gratitude
I immediately started reading “Returning the Gift” by Robin Wall Kimmerer the author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. She is also a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Kimmerer noted that in today’s modern world we often miss Earth’s gifts and need to pay closer attention to truly feel part of her to adequately protect her.
Practice Makes Permanent
I was especially interested in how the brain retains information and how best to strengthen students’ working memory. We learned that if teachers use both visualization and auditory methods to teach new material, the better students will remember the material.
Cultivating a “Make Lemonade” Mindset
Cultivating a “Make Lemonade” mindset is very appealing to me. I work with children who have learning differences and developing this kind of mindset is essential to them keeping motivated and engaged. I want to provide them with a path that says, “Okay, it’s hard for you to do this one way. What other ways can you create to help yourself? What can you do with what you know to be successful?” Presenting children with a “Make Lemonade” path, is very empowering.
Sandcastle Summer
I would build sandcastles in my home state of New Jersey, but would also build them on our family vacations in California, Massachusetts, and Florida. The sand quality of each state was very different, ranging from sugar white to pebble-dense smoky gray. It didn’t matter the quality or color of the sand, I just loved to imagine and build.
What is Writing? – The Work of Lynda Barry
Knowledge is power, and reading is the main way to gain knowledge. This is something that was instilled in me from a young age. And though throughout my childhood, reading took hard work, I became an avid reader. I loved that reading took me away from my suburban life and transported me to so many different places and experiences. Reading made me a writer.
Mindfulness Mandala
There are moments that we will never forget in our lives, some are traumatically stamped there, and some, like this one, are placed indelibly as a mile marker of hope. As I age, I find myself searching my memory more and more for those hopeful mile markers.
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 