Every Tuesday morning, I start my day in writing workshop with 1st graders. This week, they have been composing narratives about fall. Almost everyone is on their final drafts. Almost everyone, but M., who hasn’t even yet begun. These are the kind of writers I have the privilege to support. I love this challenge. I love to figure what these small writers need and build a road map with them to set them off on their long writing journey.
Category: teaching
Crafting Kindness
Children need a strong, clear foundation of kindness and consideration, so they can appreciate other points of view and become fully functional, productive citizens. Slowing down, listening to students’ needs and concerns, and building in time for communication can make classrooms a model for a civil society.
Halloween Magical Read Alouds
This is one of my favorite times of year. The leaves burst into flaming colors, and the air has just a hint of chill in it. It is time for sweaters, warm drinks, apples, pumpkins, and Halloween.
Forest Bathing: Autumn Plunge
I could not wait to get into the woods, to surround myself with color, with the natural signs of the changing seasons. As I walked, I took photos and wrote poetry in my head. This is what my Autumn plunge created.
Small Wonder
Every day there is a new surprise. Every day, something I didn’t expect happens. This is sometimes positive and sometimes negative, and whichever it is – it is always a learning experience. My days are electric, and that’s how I like them. This is not to say my day are frenetic and haphazard. No, the electricity comes from learning alongside children. I get to see the world again through that childlike lens of wonder and discovery. It fills me with joy, and I am reminded how exciting learning something can be.
Reading in Wildness
I was walking by a favorite lily pond and happened upon this mother-daughter reading team lounging in a nearby meadow. The mother was reading with much gusto, taking on the voices of each character. I don’t know what book it was that she was reading, but her young daughter was totally entranced by the story. “Surely,” I thought to myself, “this child will grow up to be a fearless, wild reader.” They brought a smile to my face and joy to my old teacher heart.
Power in our Words
As I reflect on how I can become a positive voice in my school community, I have been reading Paula Denton’s book, The Power of Our Words. It gives concrete advice to teachers on how to reflect on how they speak to create a positive classroom climate.
Happy Ending – New Beginning
I had prayed for years that Henry would be safe and live happily ever after. My prayers have been answered. His story is both a happy-ending and a new beginning. I am ever-grateful.
Be the Flower
I went searching for solace this week. I went hunting for answers. I found them in the form of flowers and poetry. Once destroyed, lives cannot be put back together. Some things cannot be made whole again. But I believe that the solution for violence must be in a turn towards nature, towards beauty, towards the preciousness of life. Consider the flower.
Embracing the Process
The process is the learning, and they are totally engaged and in the flow of creating. The key is to embrace the process.
