Learning to read is difficult work. There are 26 letters, each having one or more sounds. Reading is blending the sounds into words to make meaning. It is a long and slow process. And I recall many faces filled with joy as they read their first words and sentences It was a complete light of satisfaction upon young faces.
Category: growth mindset
Overcoming Writer’s Block
I usually have no trouble writing. I just sit down and let my fingers do the thinking either on a keyword or with a pen in hand. I love writing. It is like breathing to me. It makes possible my thoughts in print. Only then do they become real and remembered.
Reading Aloud: Creating Connection & Joy
I’m a reader. But it wasn’t always that way. Learning to read was difficult for me. I sounded out all the letters like I was taught to do, and I’d blend the sounds into words as best I could. Reading was very slow and hard work. I didn’t read fluently and beautifully for a long … Continue reading Reading Aloud: Creating Connection & Joy
Start with Hope
Lately, I worry more and more about our children. They're growing up in a world that is increasingly violent & divided. Children have more worries & much more anxiety. That is why it's so important to offer hope and joy in small things.
Small in Your Presence
Recently, I've been reading Rilke, specifically Books of Hours: Love Poems to God, and as I was reading, this poem came into my mind. The small things, the things that sometimes seem inconsequential, often turn out to be essential to lifelong contentment.
Maine Meditation
As I wind down my summer travels and wind up for the school year, I am taking this time to return to Maine in photos and poetry. I hope these images inspire you to breathe, relax, and rejuvenate.
How I’d Like to be Remembered
As I grow older, I often think about how I want to be remembered: for the art I make, for the poems I write, for the work I’ve done for over four decades. Yes, all of that. But this past weekend I was reminded about what is most important to me.
Maine-ly Peaceful
July is our Maine escape. I can just be here in this incredibly beautiful place and take in all I see.
Safe Travels!
I love to drive probably stemming from the fact that I have a hard time sitting still. I love to move. I love traveling to new places and seeing this beautiful country.
Small Joy: Things to Look Forward to
But the truth is I’m mentally and physically exhausted. Where writing usually energizes me, I found it to be a daunting task. So I let myself take a break, and now I find it’s hard to get back into the flow. What do I write about? What uplifting story can I tell? I do not know.
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 