This month, my dear friend, colleague, and school librarian, Deborah, invited me into her 4th and 5th-grade classes to mix library and poetry skills. I thought Book Spine Poetry would be the best vehicle for this foray into found poetry. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the term, book spine poetry is a form of found poetry where the poet takes another person's words (in this case, book titles) and forms their own poem. The beauty of book spine poetry is that it is a low-stakes way to introduce poetry writing. The poet becomes an editor of sorts, a connoisseur of the best titles that fit together to form a clever poetic message.
Category: Learning Differences
Working in the Wonder Studio: Crochet Student
Last week, a small group of 5th graders decided they were going to teach me to crochet. I bought crochet hooks and yarn, and tried to remember this skill that I had learned in high school. High school was a very long time ago for me. I remembered nothing. I realized my hands aren't as dexterous as they once were. This crochet adventure was going to be an uphill climb. I needed a good teacher.
Three Pillars of Teaching: Heart, Creativity, and Connection
This week, I was reminded that sometimes good things come in 3’s, and that connecting with students remains my main joy in life. There are three quotations at the end of each email I send. They sum up my philosophy of teaching perfectly: Educating the mind without educating the heart, is no education at all – Aristotle, Creativity is intelligence having fun – often attributed to Einstein but is not confirmed, and Difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations – Zig Ziglar, a motivational speaker. I realize that these three pillars have been the foundation of how and why I continue to teach.
The Road to our Imagination
I have worked with many students who have been diagnosed with ADHD, and they respond well to me because I have shared with them that I have a similar kind of mind and that it is a special, wonderful gift. I don't excuse them. They still need to learn to be organized and hand in homework, but I also celebrate their wild wonderings. I encourage them to question and think. No idea is too ridiculous. All are welcome in the broadest sense.
Working in the Wonder Studio: A Tale of Two Bunnies
Four years ago, as we lived through COVID restrictions, I continued to work in the Wonder Studio with students, and crafting became our safe haven. I had considered abandoning for a year, but the children would stop me in the hallway or during classes and ask, “When is Wonder Studio starting again? You need to get it up and running!” I could not disappoint them. I have been privileged to work alongside some of the bravest and most brilliant little girls who would not take “NO!” for an answer. So, I kept offering times throughout that COVID year, stopping occasionally when restrictions prevented us from meeting.
Champions of the Testing Season
As a Learning Specialist, my job is to monitor and support learning in early childhood through fifth-grade classes. This is the place of my ultimate joy and satisfaction - seeing children grow, witnessing their struggles, and their hard-fought accomplishments. The daily struggles seem like small roadblocks to adults, but to children, struggles loom large. And if you have a learning difference, struggles can seem overwhelming. We do all in our power to motivate and encourage the young minds in our charge. Sometimes these efforts work right away, sometimes it takes a long time to see the fruits of our labor.
Working in the Wonder Studio: Setting the Stage
This month, it is the 3rd grade’s turn in the Wonder Studio. I usually have a packed crowd waiting to create, but this group is a little reticent, and I have had only 3 to 6 students come to form. However, what they lack in volume, they make up for in collaborative creativity.
Joy to Writers: Lessons from 2nd Grade
This week, I had the great pleasure of working with our 2nd grade students. I did a short, guided listening activity in which I gave them multi-step directions and then they drew from memory. The object they were creating was a girl, a simple shape by shape little girl with a party hat on her head and a present in one hand. They all followed the directions perfectly. Then I asked them: What is the girl’s name? Who is the present for? What happened at the party? Then on the back of their paper, they were asked to tell a story. It is still amazing to me what young children can do with a simple prompt.
Put Learning in Their Hands
I’m at a point in my life when I look back and reflect on my decisions, I think about all the steps (and missteps) I’ve made that brought me this far. The one thing that stands out for me is how working with my hands has been a major theme throughout my childhood, teenage years, and all the decades of my adult life.
Revisiting a Young Writer’s Practice
As a child, I loved to write. The pencil was an extension of my hand and mind. I found that all the stories in my head could be released onto beautiful blank white paper. This revelation was exciting to me. I couldn’t wait to jot down my stories. It took me some time to realize that not everyone in the world finds writing fun and adventurous. It wasn’t until I became a teacher that I learned that there are children who have trouble getting their stories down on paper.
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 