I began recreating the poem silently in my head as I drove. It was had three stanzas maybe four. I couldn’t remember the exact words, but as I recited it my head, I got closer and closer to the original poem. The rhythm of the road helped me to remember.
Something to Believe In
She will not give up her belief in Santa. I think this is because he represents generosity, hope, and magical thinking. Why would anyone want to give up that? Those are qualities that will bolster us as we make our way on this long journey. There is no need to toss Santa out, instead let’s celebrate him!
Writing to Surprise
Kelly Gallagher's expertise is teaching high school writing, which has no direct connection to me in my present role. I figured I would relax and listen and not worry about learning something. But of course, I was totally surprised!
The Secret Recipe for Short Stories
I was tasked this week to introduce the concept of “short story” to our 4th graders, and I was thrilled because that meant I would get to share the work of Cynthia Rylant. I realize I have been teaching a long time because all my favorite authors from my classroom teaching days are now considered … Continue reading The Secret Recipe for Short Stories
A Gathering of Birds: Poems for Autumn
This time of year is a time for celebration, a time to bring friends and family together, a time to reflect for all we are grateful for. And still I feel a sense of sadness. A loss for the green and growing. A loss for summer's promise and spring's renewal. I await the winter mornings with trepidation. But her icy fingers beckon. and I know I must follow. Everything has a season.
Working in the Wonder Studio
This fall, Wonder Studio is operating full stream. Small is certainly beautiful. I have invited small groups of children each week to work on small projects. I keep small and tidy supplies on hand. Tidy has been a challenge, but I keep working at it.
Living a Life in Verse
It isn’t my ability to read accurately and fluently; it isn’t my proficiency in finding the main idea or making an inference, it is my love of and connection to the characters in the story. I want to crawl into their lives for a while and live their experiences. That way I become more them and less me. I am able to take on different points of view; I am able to grow in my thinking and being.
Thank a Veteran
Only then, did I start to put the traumatic pieces together and how his trauma became my trauma, not on the beaches of Okinawa, but in the suburbs of New Jersey. When my father was a soldier, PTSD was not a known disorder, and there was no help or treatment for World War II veterans.
Harvesting Pumpkin Time
Gold, red, and orange abound to cheer up the dreary chilly days in the northeast. They offer solace to the bare branches and the November wind.
Poet’s Notebook: White Mountain Color
I started thinking about how to capture what I saw with my camera and how to put words to the beauty I was witnessing. I focused on color and played with ways to express the fall foliage in a new way.
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 