Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education
Exploring Curiosity, Imagination, and Wonder
For our 30th anniversary five years ago, my husband and I returned to our honeymoon site - Montreal. Since that time, we make sure we return to Montreal every summer, sometimes twice a summer. My husband found a wonderful boutique hotel in Old Montreal - Georges Marciano's L'Hotel. Marciano, the founder and designer of Guess? … Continue reading The Art of Cookies
My travels in Old Montreal, finding peace and mindfulness
I used to take long walks in the woods and a poem would pop into my head effortlessly. The flow of my steps would jog something in my brain and images and ideas would come to me almost like magic. Lately, my life has been filled up with mundane things: weddings, newborn babies, elderly relatives … Continue reading Write the Poem
I recently attended a teacher's workshop presented by Penny Kittle at Rutgers University sponsored by Rutgers Center for Literacy Development. I've seen Penny many times. Usually, she talks to teachers about creating reading and writing workshop spaces in high school classes. Penny was a high school English teacher in New Hampshire and her mentor was … Continue reading Write What You Notice
I don't know whether it's because my mom was a teacher or because I became a teacher and have been doing this for the last forty years... but I LOVE apples. I keep an apple collection: marble, ceramic, crystal, brass - all kinds of apples to remind me that school has just started and like … Continue reading A Time for Apples
For the first couple of weeks of school this year, I stared my work day in the Junior Pre-K with a vivacious group of three-year-olds. Those morning were filled with joy. This is my 40th year of teaching. My first six years in this profession was happily spent in a cooperative nursery school whose mission … Continue reading A Great Way to Start the Day
Fall is here, and for me September and October mean it’s time for ELA assessments. The teachers, specialists, and I gear up to assess the reading, phonics, spelling, and writing skills of students to help support their learning throughout the year. It is an intensive rush to provide the best instruction possible. This year, as … Continue reading Mindful Assessment: Breathe, Lean in, & Listen
Follow me through a typical day and you will see me reading: reading microwave cooking directions on the side of a frozen food container, reading articles on travel or exercise or cures for wrinkles, scrolling through educational websites, and at the end of the day picking up a novel from a three-foot stack of books … Continue reading Reaching Reluctant Readers
Experts in literacy and child development have discovered that if children know eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they’re four years old, they’re usually among the best readers by the time they’re eight. – Mem Fox, Reading Magic, 2001 Poetry is near and dear to my heart. My love of poetry came from my father, who would read … Continue reading Poetry in Play
Last week, I was reminded about the importance of curiosity and imagination by a second grade girl at the school where I'm the ELA Curriculum Coordinator. At the end of the day, Chelsea came over to me a slipped a piece of paper in my coat pocket. I immediately took the paper out. It was … Continue reading Fostering Curiosity & Imagination
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 