I am becoming more discerning of what I listen to. I want beautiful noise: great books, beautiful music, uplifting advice. To do this, first I had to get very, very quiet.
Category: Kindness
The Silver Lining
I could have focused on all the things that went wrong with this lesson, all the content I did not get to share, all the things I should have done. Instead, I reframed those thirty minutes as the room I made to show loving kindness and compassion. Something that is in increasing short supply in our world.
Your Own Best Mother
To spread some loving-kindness: to be a shoulder, an ear, a cup of tea – some sympathy. I had a world-class mother, and she taught me the first rule of mothering: “Be good to yourself.”
Spring Offering
Spring Offering - some flower and poetry to provide calm, peace, and renewal.
A Candle in the Darkness
All my life, it is teachers and writers who have lit my way to new and better understanding; opened my mind to possibilities and promise.
The Sure Thing: Be a Chef
This past month, I have learned that inspiration for teaching and life can come from many places: a photograph of a curled up Dachshund, a simple quote from Shakespeare, a 2nd grader’s writing assessment, or an educational email with the subject line: Are we preparing students to be chefs or cooks? This email came from … Continue reading The Sure Thing: Be a Chef
Oh, How I Love Thee: Let’s Shout it Out!
In the classroom, I turn to poetry and talk to the children about loving kindness, first to themselves and then to others. We make lots of lists of the things we love. These lists mostly revolve around family and food. We practice writing odes and shout outs to all the things we love and are grateful for.
Zen Toolbox Redux
According to some recent research, 66% of teachers want to leave education and 41.3% of new teachers leave teaching within the first five years on the job. Given those numbers, I feel quite successful. I must have a secret, some ancient wisdom I can bestow on my fellow teachers.
Sketchnoting II: Big Words
I thought that by teaching our 4th graders this strategy they might be able to focus, remember and understand better and more deeply. I hope it will become an integral part of their reading toolbox.
Signs of Fall – Listen, Look
I turn to nature for solace, observing the season’s steady change: her flamboyant turn from green to scarlet to amber to tangerine, and the final turn to gray and rusted brown. I seek beauty in the decay.
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 