Forest Bathing: New Hampshire Woods

May 31, 2023 ~ wordancerblog ~ 5 Comments

This weekend, I took a much-needed respite from New Jersey, end-of-year school minutiae, and general modern angst. Normally, I don’t like to travel on Memorial Day, but my body and mind were yearning from green. While most of New Jersey headed for the shore this holiday weekend, my husband and I planned a four day get-away to Vermont. The traffic was non-existent. Everyone was headed in the opposite direction. We zipped up the New York State Thruway and onto the beautiful scenic backroads of Vermont.

Mountains rose up all around us, and I instantly felt at peace. This is where my mind and body belong – up among the green and growing – deep in the green valley protected by the tall mountains all around. I feel safe here. I feel like I can finally let down my defenses and lay down my cares. I meditate on one rolling mountain after another like giant green waves lulling me into a restful state. “Relax… breathe…rest,” is my mantra. I vow to let go this weekend, to not check social media, stay away from cellphones, laptops, and televisions. I just want to be present to nature.

One day of our adventure, we drove from the Green Mountains into the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Again, we took scenic backroads, past red barns, meadows of wildflowers and fields dotted with cows, sheep, horses, and goats. Little sleepy town greeted us with good coffee, farm-fresh food, and country hospitality. Spring in the mountains is opposite of the rush of New Jersey. I longed to stroll along the hiking paths of the Kancamagus Highway. We went to numerous favorite spots and arrived in the late afternoon at Sabbaday Falls. This is a mile hike to a gorgeous waterfall. I love this place. I once came face to face with a moose here. Everyone on the trail stood frozen in suspense. I looked up and saw this gorgeous creature and smiled, “ Oh, you are beautiful,” I told him quietly. Our eyes met, and I thought I saw an appreciative smile before he bent his enormous head down towards new-green leaves. I continued on my way, changed. I encountered one of God’s remarkable creations, saw him close-up in nature. What an honor! Having experiences like these in the wild, I believe, is essential to everyone’s health and well-being. As Richard Louv notes in his book, Last Child in the Woods, “Progress does not have to be patented to be worthwhile. Progress can also be measured by our interactions with nature and its preservation. Can we teach children to look at a flower and see all the things it represents: beauty, the health of an ecosystem, and the potential for healing? ”

All that go-and-do exhausts our senses, and we need to get back to the woods to regain our balance. Since I learned last year of the Japanese practice of “Forest Bathing” to reduce stress and maintain a strong relationship with nature, I have reminded myself of the importance that the natural world has on mankind. I am fortunate to live in an area with access to forests, swamps, farmland, and meadows. And I’m doubly fortunate to have the resources to travel periodically to beautiful wild places.

So as I walk along the riverside path, up and up and up to Sabbaday Falls, I soak in all I see: water cascading over river rocks, trees clinging to the side of steep cliffs, and above me a lush canopy of green. I am surrounded by beauty. It is easy to feel calm here. I float on this current of green. Listen to the thunder of the waterfall, the gurgle of the river, and the songbirds’ lilting tunes. I try to capture this moment of peace with my camera. I focus and shoot all along the path wrapping myself in the healing powers of the forest.

Sew Easy: Lessons in Perseverance

May 22, 2023 ~ wordancerblog ~ 2 Comments

There are three rites of passage in the Wonder Studio: using the hot glue gun, working a hack saw, and learning to sew. The joyful expressions on students’ faces as they learn these skills are salve for my weary teacher’s soul. These small accomplishments remind me of my original purpose when designing the Wonder Studio. Student agency was key. I want to provide a safe place in which to make mistakes and grow confidence. Sometimes, I get lulled into the belief that it’s just a messy place where kids spill paint, smear glue, and don’t adequately clean up. And then there are those moments when Susie uses the hacksaw for the first time and loudly proclaims, “I just use the hack saw! It was fun!” Beaming from ear to ear, she lifts up two pieces of wood to show everyone her handiwork.

Sometimes, success takes a while, sometimes we need to overcome our fears first. This was the case for Liv, who needed to hot glue small pieces for an intricate wooden spinning fidget that she was constructing. She was afraid of using the hot glue gun, so I offered to glue the pieces. Liv was not satisfied with the job I had done: too much glue and not quite in the exact perfect spot. My big hands couldn’t execute the results she had desired. Over the course of the next week, Liv got up the courage to use the hot glue gun herself. She put together her fidget just as she had imagined.

Then she quietly came up to me and said, “I am so proud of myself.”

“Yes, it is beautiful,” I said.

“Not for making it, Mrs. Emery. I’m proud that I overcame my fear of the glue gun.”

I chuckled and slapped her a high five, “Hooray for you!” I said.

The once hesitant, shy Liv is now master of the glue gun. This experience of playing and experimenting with materials is essential for building confidence and character.

This week, Allie sat down next to me and expressed her desire to learn to sew. I agreed to show her. Allie wanted to make a small drawstring pouch in which to collect pom-poms. Doesn’t everyone? I first traced a circle on a piece of colorful fabric. Then Allie cut out the circle. I outlined in pencil the track in which Lynne should sew. I threaded a needle and asked her to watch me. Allie became agitated. She started to recount all the reasons why she couldn’t learn how to sew. Tears formed in her eyes, and she abruptly stood up ready to flee. I motioned for her to sit back down.

“I can’t do it! You have to show me,” she said.

“Allie, listen. Take a deep breath. That’s what I’ve been doing,” I said calmly.

“You have to show me!” she demanded.

“Yes, but you have to look at me. Look at my hands. Watch what I’m doing,”

She began to relax and concentrate on my hands.

I began to verbalize my actions, “Up, pull through, down, pull though,” over and over again.

Then I handed the needle to Allie. She began one stitch, two stitches, then over the edge of the fabric. Oh, no – a mistake. Allie froze, she stood up, and tears well in her eyes again, “I can’t do it!” she yelled.

I reached out my hand, “It’s okay. It’s okay. That’s a very common mistake. I made that mistake a hundred times when I was learning to sew.”

She looked at me skeptically.

“You think that I never make mistakes?” I asked.

“Yes, you are perfect,” she declared seriously.

I laughed,” I make mistakes all the time. It may look like things are easy for me because I’m old. But I couldn’t learn anything if I didn’t make mistakes. Mistakes are opportunities to learn.”

I pulled out the floss, threaded the needle again, and handed it back to Allie. She sat down and began again. She sewed all the way around the circle. I clapped and smiled. She grinned from ear to ear. I pulled the drawstring and the circle magically became a pouch. Allie put in her selected pom-poms.

“Allie, I’m going to help Liv. Make sure that you don’t cut the ends of the floss,” I said and left her for a few minutes.”

When I returned the floss ends were cut short. I looked at Allie astonished, “Why did you cut the floss ends?”

“Because I didn’t want the long strings hanging,” she explained, adding that another girl told her to cut them. The other girl loudly denied it.

“I told you not to cut them, Allie. I don’t understand.”

“I didn’t know why you said that. I didn’t know what would happened,” she replied looking scared.

“It’s okay,” I said, pulling out the thread and hold up the fabric circle, “Now you have the needle track to guide you. It will be easier this time.”

Allie dried her eyes and took the circle from me. She began again and made no mistakes. When she was done, we refilled it with colorful pompoms. I showed Allie how to carefully put the drawstrings and tie them in a bow so she could easily open and close her precious pouch.

Allie did learn to sew last Thursday, but she leaned so much more. She learned to never give up, to always try again, and to persevere even when things got hard, especially when things got hard. And most of all, always push past your mistakes and push through your fear.

Later that day, I was walking down the hallway past Allie’s class. And there she was, colorful pom-pom pouch in hand showing it off to her admiring classmates like sewing was easy, like she had known how to sew all along. And this is why I continue to love teaching. These moments, these times with students, these small important lessons help them grow and make me proud that I continue to be a teacher.

Daughter, Mother – Spring, Summer

May 9, 2023 ~ wordancerblog ~ 9 Comments

As Mother’s Day approaches, I. have been thinking a lot about my mom, Vivian, who died at the age of 91, almost ten years ago. She was a dress designer, seamstress, artist, and teacher. What I didn’t know until this week, was that she was a poet. Poetry was my father’s realm, so I guess she kept her poetry writing private.

My cousin’s daughter has been doing research recently on our family, and she found a newspaper clipping of a poem of my mother’s that was published in her local newspaper in 1953. She was 31 years old at the time and had a one-year-old daughter, my sister Vivian. Ever since I read my mom’s poem, I’ve been imagining her as a young wife and mother and the hope she had which she imbued in her poem, “Summer’s Coming.” It comforts me now and gives me renewed hope.

This week, the Kindergarten students at my school are busy learning to recite a spring poem I wrote several years ago called “Awaken the Peas.” As I listened to the children recite my poem, I realized how similar it is to my mother’s summer poem.

There is so much my mother has given me, and I’m learning more and more about her after her death. I often refer to her as “my first teacher,” and she continues to leave me lessons. I hope she knows that I am listening and will continue to listen until my final winter comes.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

Inside the Wonder Studio: Marvelous Mess

May 1, 2023May 1, 2023 ~ wordancerblog ~ 1 Comment

Last week, the 4^th graders were in the midst of their third week of studio work. They have been inspired to try some new things. A few found old knitting needles and lots of colorful yarn, so they have been sitting together chatting and knitting, happy to be in each other’s company. Another group was fascinated by a paper-mâché sphere I created using a balloon as the base. As they worked, it was apparent that this was the first time they ever used paper-mâché. I stopped assuming they knew how to apply the newspaper and sat down with them to demonstrate the technique. They quickly caught on and sat contently applying layer after layer of newspaper. Patting down air bubbles and smoothing the surface of their spheres. I asked them what they were going to do with them, once they were done and each child responded the same, “I don’t know. I’m thinking.” So I left them to their thoughts and gooey application.

As I stopped to survey their work from my perch on the stairs, I noticed that we were teetering on the brink of capacity. The rest of the wonder crew were using balsa wood, cardboard, and hot glue to make various structures, signs, tine abodes for rock people, jewelry storage stands, and other imaginative gadgets. Every square inch of this small space was occupied. One student, who has been intent on making a large wooden box was busily gluing on the floor in my adjacent office. From this height, I also noticed what a great mess they were creating: balls of yarn rolled across the floor, bits of balsa wood scraps scattered over the rug, a trail of red paint crossed the room from table to garbage can. It was a good thing I bought two dozen craft aprons so at least the students could remain relatively clean. The paper-mâché crew were up to their elbows in white goo as they patted their stick spheres. I realized that this mess-making was making everyone happy. It created a calming atmosphere. Children need these sensory experiences. Curious, I asked the group, “How many of you have a place at home to make art and get messy?” Not one child raised her hand. I was not surprised, but it saddened me. It made me doubly aware of how much the children need this time and space to create and get messy. This realization made me more patient with spills and splatters. Learning is a messy process. Children need lots of practice getting messy, trying, failing, and trying again. So when Leah suddenly called out, and I see the glue solution has spilled all over her apron and down her legs, I smile, and I say, “It’s okay, go to the sink. It washes right out.”

When Libby has spread out a large, taped-together piece of paper and arranged little paint pots set in a semi-circle, I am so glad because her body has finally relaxed. Her shoulders aren’t up to her ears anymore. Her body flows, moving with her paint brush. I take a quick photo and send it to her mom with the subject title: “This Girl is an Artist.” So often, we are quick to label the natural trials and tribulations of childhood as a pathology of one type or another. We want to name every human quirk and eccentricity. Instead, maybe we just need more art. I know from personal experience the power art has to heal.

Finally, as I cajole the girls to clean up after our short time together. Callie dawdles. She is having trouble gettering her jacket on. “My arms are sticking inside my sleeves,” she declares. I touch her arms, “Callie, didn’t you wash your arms?” I exclaim. She assures me that she did. I guide her back to the sink to show her how to wash off the glue. She had just stuck her arms under the water the first time. Now, I show her how to rub the glue off with water, soap, and paper towel. Simple things, but not so evident to children. I laugh and help her dry off.

This messiness is all part of the charm of childhood. It is part of play, learning, and being together with one another. This messy space I manage is crucially important. Even though it’s just a small crowded hallway to most people, it is a special and magical messy space to the children and me.

Spread A Little Fairy Dust

April 23, 2023 ~ wordancerblog ~ 3 Comments

Last week and this coming week marks two weeks of standardized testing at my school. One week for the test and the following week for make-ups, for anyone who was sick or whose parents decided to take them on vacation. Yes, vacation. For some crazy twist in the universe, I am in charge of testing. At first I resented that someone would take their 3^rd, 4^th, or 5^th grader on vacation during testing week. I now admire the parents’ thinking: “The test can wait. It will still be there when we return.” What a commanding attitude. Fun, rest, leisure come first. Testing?

Testing can wait but not for me and most of my students. We could not avoid being assessed, judged, and quantified. I am responsible for all the students with learning differences who require extended time. I remember what it was like to be a student taking those yearly spring exams. I’d get so nervous that I’d have butterflies in my stomach. I’d read passages and word problems and suddenly nothing made sense to me. I’d try to focus and reread what I just read. Test taking was a slow and painful process.

Last week, my students and I spent five mornings together taking an assortment of reading, writing, and math tests. I tried to make it less stressful. I tried to make it fun. I brought doughnuts! As we were about to begin, they asked me question after question: “How many questions are there? I long will it take? If I have to go to the bathroom, can you pause the test? Good, smart, practical questions. I answer every single one. Then I said, “I’m going to sprinkle fairy dust on you. This will give you good luck and the test will be easier.” I thought they would laugh and think I was being goofy. I’m sure they did, but also, to my surprise, each and every one of them called out wanting to make sure that I didn’t miss them. Some of them asked for another helping for fairy dust. We laughed loudly. We were now ready for the test.

Like all the years before, the students got through the testing week and were relieved and happy when Friday came. I know testing is necessary, but I think there is a way to quantify what they really now is a more creative, positive way. But of course, that would be labor intensive, take commitment and imagination, which we have a short supply of lately in education. As I compete my forty-second year of teaching and look forward to forty-three, I wrote a poem as a balm for testing week.

No Reason to Fear the Wind

April 16, 2023 ~ wordancerblog ~ 3 Comments

Spring is normally a busy time for me at school. I’m in charge of standardized testing, grade placement, and wrapping up all student support documents for the year. Everything in my entire being yearns to resist this regimentation. Rather, my body and mind desperately need to relax, refresh, and find things to celebrate. I have no desire to analyze test scores, manage student placement for fall, or organize all the hundreds of pages of documents that I am responsible for keeping current and filing away in the right places.

Instead, I want to relish warm weather and blue sky. I want to delight in bright colors and the air filled with the steady hum of bubble bees. I left school one day just a half-hour early to find my way to my local garden shop, Back to Nature. It is a place I revisit regularly to find my balance and connect with green and growing things.

As I park my car and enter the space, I immediately feel at ease. Yellow and purple pansies greet me. I take a deep breath. I consciously drop my shoulders and let go of all the stressors that have been accumulating throughout the day. They all mean nothing . What matters to me is beauty and flowers and the spiraling bees drunk on honey.

I let myself wander, taking photo after photo of spring colors in the form of flowers. I inhale their fragrance. I’m not at school any more. This is my small moment to enjoy.

For about a decade or more, I’ve been slowly growing my roots. Letting go of toxic people even when they are family and allowing myself to feel joy. Growing my roots was a hidden and slow process. I have always felt a little untethered, aimless, impulsive. Now, as I approach seventy, I want to slow down, consider the small wonders all around me, take them in, and sit in gratitude with them. I don’t want to rush around being anxious and fearful. I am cultivating faith and peace. I know I will need a steady supply of these as I age.

The garden sheds that in December were filled with holiday wreathes, flowers, and decorations are now transformed for spring. Bouquets of tulips and daises line the shelves. Statutes of bunnies, frogs, birds, and turtles hide in every corner. A large banner hangs in one shed proclaiming “When the root is deep, there is no reason to fear the wind.” I stop and smile at this garden wisdom. I know I need these moments for my roots to dig more firmly into the ground. I know that tending my inner garden is crucially important. Without these bits of respite. I would once again feel in flux, at the mercy of the slightest of breeze. Now, I have dug in deep, spread my strong and agile roots. Now, I can’t be easily toppled. Now I stand firm.

Object Connections: Janet Wong’s Poetry

March 6, 2023March 5, 2023 ~ wordancerblog ~ 5 Comments

Last week, I had an opportunity to attend a poetry workshop presented by Janet Wong and sponsored by Rutgers University Center for Literacy Development, which is directed by Dr. Lesley Morrow. Janet won the NCTE excellence in children’s Poetry Award in 2021. It is a lifetime achievement award, and one of the highest honors a children’s poet can receive. Before becoming a poet, Janet was a lawyer. Currently, she serves on the Yale Law School executive committee. However, decades ago she decided to change the direction of her life to become a children’s book author. She has published over forty books for children and teens on diverse subjects. This workshop was special to me because, as a member of the advisory board of RUCLD, I had been asked to help Janet throughout the day. I have always admired Janet, and now I got to spend the day with her.

Janet brought two large suitcase of props: flip-flops, popcorn, marshmallows, nori seaweed snacks, gummy worms, a rubber duck, a bunch of bananas, a bag of just-ripe avocados, a can of peas, an apple, an orange, an onion, a clove of garlic, and much more. As she read poems and told the stories behind the poems, Janet would give away objects as gifts to the audience members. This is where my job began. I put on my best “Vanna White” imitation – holding objects up in the air, smiling, and then racing around the conference space delivering the precious objects to participants.

One poem that Janet acted out for us and had participants act out in turn was “Noodle Soup.” It is a short, happy rhyming poem. From the repetition, alliteration, and whimsical rhyme, one would think it was just a funny kid poem. However, Janet told us the story behind this poem. When she was a child, she invited her best friend over for breakfast. Her mother made a steaming pot of wonton soup, Janet’s favorite. When her friend arrived late, she looked at the soup and said, “Don’t you eat ‘normal’ food for breakfast?” This hurt Janet immensely, but she never told her friend.

Another of Janet’s poems, “Waiting at the Railroad Café,” recounts a tense scene when Janet and her family were on vacation and went to restaurant to eat. When the family entered, it was like they were invisible. They weren’t greeted or taken to a seat. They weren’t given menus. They were completely ignored because they were Asian. That experience made a profound impact on Janet.

These two poems come from Good Luck Gold, which was the first book Janet published in 1994. Good Luck Gold & More was published in 2021 and took Janet’s original forty-two poem collection and added fifty more pages of prose explaining the backstory of each poem. I loved that Janet took everyday objects and connected them to times in her life. Out of that connection a poem was born. Many times we read poems but do not know the backstory. The backstory creates context and gives us a deeper understanding of the poem.

After her large group presentation, participants were able to attend a small group session with Janet. That session was designed to give participants a chance to write. Janet and I stacked copies of her various poems and spread a majority of the contents of her two large suitcases onto four long tables. As a warm-up, Janet asked us to match her poems with the objects that were displayed around the room. Then, Janet asked us to choose an object and write a poem about it. As we shared our poems, Janet gave away more objects to the poet-participants. It was clear that Janet has a generous spirit: she gave her time and knowledge freely. She enjoyed gifting people with the objects she had lugged from Seattle, Washington to Piscataway, New Jersey.

Below is the poem I wrote for my object – a small yellow rubber duck. The poem came to me as I remembered my friend, Arman, telling me how his son, Caram, did not like water and bath time at all. He would cry and cry. So I re-imagined how Caram could become in love with bath time.

As we packed up what was left of her belongings into now one suitcase, Janet encouraged me to keep writing and to join her summer initiative, Think Poetry, which will provide opportunities for teachers and librarians to publish their poems. As we departed, Janet stacked cookies, popcorn, and Nori seaweed snacks in my arms.

“Put them in your faculty room,” she said with a smile. “I couldn’t have had a more helpful partner today. We are a good team.”

I smiled, thanked her, and walked to my car juggling my teacher treats. Janet not only connected people to objects and experiences, she connected people to each other, and that is the true power of poetry.

Some Books by Janet Wong

Picture Books

Poetry Books

Anthologies Created with Sylvia Vardell

A Gift for Story

February 27, 2023February 27, 2023 ~ wordancerblog ~ 5 Comments

John Schu has a gift for story, and he wants to share it with EVERYONE he meets. This past week, I attended one of John’s professional development workshops sponsored by Rutgers University Center for Literacy Development directed by Dr. Lesley Morrow, my former professor and mentor at the Graduate School of Education. Throughout the hour, John drew us in and told us his story through the books he’s read. His mission is to connect readers to stories that will affect and change their lives.

John believes that stories save lives, and he proved it by telling us his life story, weaving events in his childhood to the books that helped him heal and grow. He was a shy boy, a boy who loved musical theater, a boy who loved to play school complete with his own grade and roll book, chalk, and red pens. With his imaginary class he could exert control and have some power over his world.

As he recounted his story, he gave vivid book talks about both current books and old favorites. His generosity is amazing, and he graciously gifted many books to his audience. John has developed what he coins as “the smell test,” because he loves the smell of books. He rates books using “the smell test,” and makes us laugh. Books that get high ratings on “the smell test,” have the capacity to touch one’s heart. Tiger Rising was that kind of book for John, and it led to a strong friendship with its author, Kate DiCamillo. John describes Kate as someone with a “capacious” heart, a term Kate used in her novel, Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventure to describe a person who is open-hearted, a person who can connect, empathize and heal. Periodically throughout the workshop, John had us chant Kate’s name. What a wonderful homage to a devoted friend. Good friends like good books are invaluable.

As we got to know John, he opened up more and more about why he became a teacher, a school librarian, then a school library ambassador, and then an author. He was funny and energetic and made us laugh; he was poignant and vulnerable and made us cry. What John conveyed in his workshop is what a book does every time a reader opens the cover and turns a page. Story is indeed important.

John had two teachers who served as reading role models. One was Dr. Mary Margaret Reed, who was his 5^th grade teacher. She was exuberant and eccentric and a reader. She knew how to entice children to read, especially a shy boy who needed some friends and some healing. John writes about Dr. Reed in The Creativity Project, which was edited by Colby Sharp. In the book, John wrote a letter to Dr. Reed expressing his admiration and confessing that he stole her copy of Matilda by Roald Dahl because he so greatly needed that book. He still has that copy of Matilda. Another reading role model came to John when he was in college. Her name was Dr. Penny Britton Kolloff. John was eager to become a teacher, and he worked so hard to do his best – maybe too hard. Dr. Kolloff recognized this, and she told John that to be a teacher one must learn self-care as she put a copy of A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech in his hands. John keeps a copy of the book displayed wherever he’s worked to remind him to keep in the forefront of his mind personal well-being.

At one point, John asked us our definition of story. I wrote: Story is like breathing in and out. I could not live without story. And when children tell me they hate reading, I remind them that they LOVE stories – and they agree. I remember when I was tutoring dyslexic children, and they would get discouraged because reading was so hard for them. It was such long, hard, and tedious work. They would tire and feel disappointed with themselves. I found ways to encourage them. I would empathize with them that reading was indeed difficult, but I would also remind them that they LOVED stories. They would nod their head and agree. Then, I would read aloud to them to help them energize and enter a story. After I read for a while, we would stop and share our thoughts and have deep conversations about characters, events, and make predictions about what might happen next. It was that anticipation that kept them going. They needed to know what was going to happen next.

John told us a great story about the anticipatory joy that reading brings. He recounted a time when he got a book in the mail and be became so absorbed in it that he spent the day taking the book with him to his living room chair, over to the refrigerator, back to the chair, then into the bathroom, then back to the chair and round and round again and again until he had only five pages left. That’s when a monumental decision loomed: finish the book or make it last a little longer. As avid readers we do not want the story to end. So John decided to go to sleep with the five pages unread. Of course, he tossed and turned in bed. He needed to know the ending of this now beloved story. He got up, went downstairs, sat in his comfy chair, and read the ending, tears flowing down his face. The story was complete. The book? The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. The story had changed him like all good stories do. John spent a lot of time telling everyone he could about The One and Only Ivan. It was a treasure he wanted to share. He even got a chance to meet Ivan and have Ivan autograph his copy of the book, by signing with his thumbprint in green.

This day with John was well spent. I now have a longer list of books to read, I have a box full of books from Amazon on their way, I have a renewed love of story, and I have found a kindred spirit and book whisperer extraordinaire.

Books by Mr. Schu

Connect with Mr. Schu

Some of the Books that Pass Mr. Schu’s Smell Test

Show Some Love

February 12, 2023 ~ wordancerblog ~ 4 Comments

This January to March time is always a rush of non-stop activity at school. The Northeast, dreary winter weather does nothing to help soothe the onslaught of stress. I get so wrapped up in the doing that I don’t even realize I’m hunching my shoulders and holding my breath most of the day. And I love what I do! I love helping children. The helping part is the easy, rewarding part for me. It’s the never-ending to-do list of faculty meetings, parent meetings, assessments, evaluations – check lists upon check lists. I am a very organized person, but the enormous amount of never-ending work has the potential to drown and discourage me. But I won’t let it!

Thank goodness for mid-February. Mid-February is a reminder to breathe, slow down, and show myself some self-love. My wedding anniversary is February 10^th. Since our first anniversary 38 years ago, my husband and I have used the 10^th to herald in four days of celebration. For us, it is a time to reflect of what we are grateful for; a time to remember that we are each other’s best thing. The 10th also stands as a reminder for me to pause, take a step back and undo some of the knot of work projects. The work is important, but if I don’t take time for myself and show myself some love, the work will ultimately suffer.

Here are 14 ways I’m intentionally showing myself some love this February:

Smile – I notice that when I smile, I feel better. My mood lifts, and it’s contagious! People smile back and I feel connected. When I look in the mirror, I am learning to appreciate my lines, wrinkles, and spots. “This is me; this is my face. Hello! You are loved,” I say to myself and grin.

Laugh – I am a laugher. I cannot help it. I laugh all the time. I didn’t notice that I laugh a lot until friends brought it up. I find joy in many things. I think it is my laughter that keeps me sane, keeps everything in perspective when times are rough. When I’m having a hard time, I often seek out a funny movie to put me back on track. Laughter, as they say, is the best medicine.

Read and Rest – I love to read, but often choose working over reading. I have intentionally eked out some space in my day to read and rest, to read a bit and then ponder what the author is showing me. Words, images, ideas come flowing in, and I take a deep breath. I am connected now to my internal world and it makes me more curious and hopeful.

Peaceful Pen – I cannot seem to find the time during the week to write, so the weekends serve as my time to escape with my pen (or keyboard as the case may be). I wake up early each morning, look out the window past the meadow and woods, think about what is on my mind, and sit down to write for a few hours. I find that this time is essential for me. Without this writing time, I feel incomplete and unhappy. Writing is breathing to me.

Joy in Nature – Nature brings out the best in me. I am fortunate that I live in a place with nature all around: woods, farms, parks, and gardens. I regularly visit these places. When I’m in nature, beauty sinks into my skin, and I am reminded that I am a small part of this big, beautiful planet.

Beautiful Bouquet – I love flowers, all flowers. Okay, I admit tulips are my favorite. Yellow ones. I’m glad for that because roses are very expensive. Roses are beautiful too, but I like something more subtle, like wildflowers in the summer. In February, I stop off before work and buy myself a simple bouquet of tulips for my desk. They last over a week and every time I look at them, the remind me to pause and rest for a moment.

Café Life – I’ve been finding time before and after work stop by local cafes. I choose a different one throughout the week. It is like going on a little adventure. Most times, I have to take out and run, but when there is more time, I sit down and savor my favorite drink, cupping it in my hands and breathing in the aroma.

Sweet Indulgence – Chocolate. I love chocolate. I eat way too much chocolate. Instead of consuming lots of chocolate throughout the day (someone put a bowl of candy in the faculty room)! I’ve decided to show a little self-control and choose one sweet indulgence each week. This is not your run of the mill candy bar. This is a sumptuous, decadent dessert. It something planned, something to look forward to.

Meditate to Rejuvenate – I am learning to slow my monkey mind and meditate. It is not comfortable for me. I’ve been teaching a 4^th grader how to meditate to help calm her monkey mind. It wasn’t until meditating with her that I realized how important it is to take a few minutes out of the day to center oneself. After meditating for 5 minutes, my body felt suddenly relaxed, and my mind was refreshed. I didn’t feel overwhelmingly tired with the need for my afternoon coffee.

Step it up! I rush around all day and sit all night. I’ve decided to change my couch potato habit and get up and move. I may stretch, do tai chi, dance in my socks, or practice martial arts with my husband. But my daily activity is walking. I love to walk in the woods, but when I can’t do that, I walk in town to window shop and people gaze.

Artistic Spark – Drawing, painting, weaving, sewing, creating collages is something that has brought me joy since I was young. I don’t need to be the best artist. I just let the materials take me where they want me to go, and I find that as I move my hand, my whole body and mind relaxes. I get into the artistic flow and everything else disappears.

Soak Away Stress – You know those luxurious bathrooms with the deep marble tubs or the beautiful jacuzzi looking over the sea? No – I don’t have either one. But I have a deep need to soak away stress, so I bought myself a little footbath and some fragrant bath salts for my tired feet. At least once a week, I fill up the footbath with warm water, sprinkle in the bath salts, and breathe in lavender and sage.In a few minutes, my feet feel loved.

Make Time for Music – Even though I have not one ounce of musical talent, I love music. I listen, I sing along, I hum throughout the day. The world needs more music. I remember going to a Broadway musical with my mother and refusing to leave when the show was over because I wanted life to be a musical. I was twenty-three at the time! I just don’t understand why we can’t just break out into song. And so – music accompanies me everywhere I go. It helps me think, and it allows me to relax.

Random Act of Kindness – The best way I know to feel joy and love is to spread it to others. Each day, I conscientiously make sure I perform an act of Kindness for someone else. It doesn’t have to be a grand, bold gesture. It can be as simple as a smile!

A More Beautiful Question Revisited

February 5, 2023 ~ wordancerblog ~ Leave a comment

Almost a decade after reading Warren Berger’s A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas, I decided to re-read it, since it is such a thought-provoking book. I’m reading it in little pieces now, savoring each idea! One nugget I read this week was about the amount of questions children ask. Young children begin asking “WHY?” and they don’t stop! Why is the sky blue? Why can you see the moon during the day? Why do rabbits’ teeth keep growing? The world is a large place, and little children want to know all about it. That’s why I became an early childhood teacher 42 years ago. That’s what I love about visiting the early childhood and elementary classrooms: children keep asking questions, more and more questions.! Of course, that can be exhausting, and you may run out of patience, but that process of asking questions is what separates us from all other species on Earth! And you know what happens as children get older? Yes – you are right – they stop asking questions!

Berger noted that questioning “falls off a cliff” as kids become older. A Gallup Poll revealed that as students’ progress through the grades, their questioning plummets (76% in elementary school to 44% in high school). Instead of wondering, older students are busy gathering information and spitting it back in a rote manner. This leads to massive disengagement from learning. I was not very surprised by this information, but it did lead me to think and question the classroom practices I observe each week:

How do we use student questions to spark interest in a topic?
Can the “parking lot” technique be used to display student questions and be a springboard for discussion?
Can we have students generate questions from our essential questions?
Do adults feel like they need to know the answers to all student questions?
What do teachers do when they don’t know the answer?
How comfortable are we as adults to ask questions?

I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

By honoring students’ questions, teachers facilitate learning, which is relevant and motivates students to question further and seek out possibilities pertaining to any subject. To be curious and to question is intrinsic to learning. Berger quotes research scientist, John Seely Brown who explains that “…if you’re comfortable questioning, experimenting, connecting things – then change is something that becomes an adventure. And if you can see it as an adventure, then you’re off and running.”

This adventurous spirit reminds me of a time when one of my young three-year-old students was outside playing. He suddenly looked up at the sky and was enthralled by the presence of the moon. He could not take his eyes off the moon and wondered why it was out in the daytime. In his experience, the moon only came out at night, and now all that he had come to know was in question. That was an important moment for him as a learner, and it was an important moment for me as a young teacher. I could have patted his head, given him a cursory answer, and brought his attention back to something tangible like the sandbox. Instead, I listened and encouraged his questions and helped him to better understand the workings of the universe. Indeed, this young boy’s curiosity sparked weeks of learning about the nature of the sky for all his classmates. We read countless books about the moon, created a moon surface, made a mural of the phases of the moon, and even built our own lunar explorer.

Teaching is at its most effective when it promotes risk-taking and relentless experimentation, which is the true heart of constructivist teaching. When teachers and students start asking open-ended questions such as: What do we want to learn? Why do we want to learn it? How will we go about learning it? How will we show what we’ve learned? – They are constructing curiosity, which will become a lifelong process. This approach affords multiple avenues for learning, giving teachers and students freedom to learn in a personal, creative, and active way.

Did I piqued your curiosity? Do you ave more questions? You might want to read and investigate a little further.

Books by Warren Berger

A More Beautiful Question

Beautiful Questions in the Classroom

The Book of Beautiful Questions

Visit Warren’s Blog:

Want to inspire more curiosity and inquiry in kids?