Slice of Life Day 8: Fiction, Part 2

Yesterday, I posted a fictional story I crafted along with my students in the style of Leo Leonni.

I put myself in the hot seat and let the kids do a “table read” of my work. I sat to the side with and zipped my lip while they read and discussed my story.

Photo of students working on the floor as they read papers
It’s hard sometimes to get out of their way, but oh so worth it.

I wasn’t sure what sort of errors they’d find, or how they’d feel about picking apart a teacher’s work. But lo and behold, their conversation was as insightful and helpful as I’d expect them to be for each other. And boy oh boy, I have a deeper understanding of just how brave and trusting my students are when I ask them to share their work.

Photo of revised story draft
Just a *few* things to work on…

There’s a lot to work on here, but I’m heartened to know that some of my jokes and craft moves hit home.

Time to get revising!

Thanks, as always, for the Two Writing Teachers March Slice of Life Story Challenge. Check ’em out!

Slice of Life Day 7: Fiction, Finally

Fiction is not my favorite thing to write. In fact, I avoid it at all costs. But when the time comes for me to set an example for my fourth graders, I suppose it’s time to roll my pride into a ball and get on with it. Below is the story I drafted for their review.

Spoiler alert: the kids were not shy in their questions and suggestions. I’ll publish the revised version in the coming days.

————-

Once upon a time there was a family of squirrels living in the black walnut tree nestled at the corner of a back yard of the house on Sycamore Lane. Ralph, Mabel, and Josephine lived together in their squirrel nest without much bother. Of course, there were the blackbirds and bluejays who would sometimes tease them from the electrical wire, but usually they lived a life that was free and easy. 

One fall morning, Ralph looked down at the backyard and saw, to his surprise, that the oak tree on the other side of the lawn had dropped all of its acorns. Acorns! Big, juicy, sweet acorns – a squirrel’s favorite! 

Ralph shouted, “Mabel! Josephine! Acorns!” The three of them, excited for a delicious morning meal, scampered down the tree, but stopped short just before they got to the ground. 

“Woof! Woof!” They didn’t have to look to know it was Lilah and Winnie, the dogs who lived at the house. They had just been let out the back door and were barreling towards the squirrel trio. 

“Abort mission!” cried Josephine. “Get back up the tree!” They turned around and scurried up the tree just in time to escape the jaws of the barking dogs. “That was a close one ” sighed Ralph. 

The three squirrels huddled in their nest, hungry, scared, discouraged. They waited for what seemed like an eternity before the dogs lost interest and began sniffing their way around the yard and back inside. 

Josephine looked over the side of the nest and gave a deep sniff. “Well, the dogs are gone back inside. Looks like we’re safe to try again!” 

Ralph, Josephine, and Mabel made their way back down the black walnut, a bit more cautiously this time. and just as they were about to place their first little paws down on the ground, they heard the back door click open and a human shout, “Go get ‘em, Winnie! Go get ‘em, Lilah!”  

The dogs bounded off the deck and into the yard once again. The squirrels barely had enough time to turn around. They could feel the dogs’ hot breath on their tails as they scurried back up the tree once again. It took a while for their little hearts to stop beating so quickly, but eventually they calmed down.

 Ralph said, “Well, that was a fail.”

Josephine said, “Oh! I wish we could have those acorns! I can smell them from here.  I guess there’s just no way we’ll get those acorns with those dogs around.” 

“I suppose we’ll have to raid the bird feeder again, ” agreed Ralph.  

Just then, Mabel, who had been quiet through all of this, perked up. she said, “Maybe we can’t just have free run of the yard, but maybe there is a way we can get acorns after all.” 

“Really?” Ralph questioned doubtfully. 

“Maybe,” Mabel explained, “Maybe we have to beat the dogs at their own game.” 

The next few minutes were a series of whispers and giggles as Mabel explained her plan to the other squirrels. 

Later that morning, Ralph made his way to the fencepost along the side of the house. He wiggled his tail, he waggled his ears, and he hopped about back and forth. 

Lilah and Winnie, ever on watch, leapt to the side window and started barking furiously. Josephine and Mabel took advantage of the distraction to head into the back yard and grab as many acorns as they could carry back up to their nest. Back and forth they went for as long as they heard the dogs barking. 

By the time the house was quiet, and Ralph hopped his way back along the fencepost, the squirrel’s nest was full of rich, juicy, delicious acorns. 

“Mabel! Your thinking saved the day!” shouted Ralph and Josephine. 

“Aw, thanks,” beamed Mabel. “It was nothing. ” 

Slice of Life Day 6: My Favorite Failure

It’s no secret to a lot of folks out there: I’m…kind of a gym rat. My most recent love is Olympic Weightlifting. There’s really only two lifts involved. There’s the snatch, where you take a barbell from ground to overhead in one movement. And there’s the clean and jerk, where you hoist a barbell first to your shoulders before hiking it above your head.

Super simple. Pick the bar up, put it down. Repeat.

Except.

The concept of weightlifting is super-simple, but lifts are difficult. The amount of skill, precision and technique that go into a lift is positively mind-boggling. Like golf, folks can spend years honing their abilities without ever achieving full mastery. I’ve been at this almost exclusively for two years and I consider myself (mostly) a novice. Luckily, I have a coach who is a genius about eyeing my form and giving me the teaching and cues I need to improve. Case in point…

Cut to Monday. The workout for that day involved heavy snatches, and this particular video shows my attempt to tie my personal record:

Gotta have the slap-skies to wake those muscles up! And yes, that’s my coach giving me cues in the background.

Yeah. I missed it. But this miss? I feel better about it than if I had made it.

Let me explain. Ever since I’ve been at this, a miss for me has been like so:
– I set up at the bar
– I start to pull it up
– As soon as I gain momentum, I chicken out and drop it

But here – right here – is what shows my progress. I actually got UNDER the bar before I lost it. Which means that I trusted myself enough to try. Which means that slowly (oh so slowly!) I’m getting better at this thing.

Let’s see…I’ve got something that’s challenging to learn, a coach who gives me the instruction I need, and the time to practice and improve.

(And folks wonder why weightlifting has made me a better teacher…)

Slice of Life Day 5: Called into Service

You know, there are moments when, as a parent of older children, I might feel like the time has passed to be of service, help, or support to my children. ​

I don’t have to tie shoes anymore, nor do I have to pack school lunches. I don’t have to drive anybody to outrageously early or painfully late sport practices, and I don’t have to do their laundry. 

Still, moments remind me that even though I might not be necessary for some of the basic things of life, I am still a needed person.

Picture of an upside down cap on top of a nightstand

You might not see it, but there is a little friend trapped underneath this shaving cream cap.

After all…without me, who would take care of the spiders in the bathroom? 

I might be the shortest of our bunch, and my kids might mercilessly tease me for all manner of things, but when push comes to shove, I know I have my purpose. 

Slice of Life Challenge Day 4: For Which It Stands

Today I had my students “translate” the Pledge of Allegiance into fifth-grade language. It was an exercise in:

-Using the online dictionary
-Simplifying words by thinking, “That’s a fancy way of saying ______”
-Learning how syntax (word order) affects the tone of writing
-The benefits of simple clear language

Text of the Pledge of Allegiance, original and simplified.

Oh. And.
-We’ve been saying this thing for how many years without understanding it?
-We’re saying it to a flag.
-Which symbolizes our nation.
-Freedom.
-Fairness.
-For ALL.

Slice of Life Story Challenge Day 3: Worse Things

There are worse things, she thought,
than her feet plugged firmly in the massager
while she listened to a fellow poet’s music
and watched her dogs tussle over
a tennis ball,
after a full day of teaching
that began with just the right mug of chai,
continued with kids snuggling, giggling over poetry,
and about twelve kid-redemptions of
a “free hugs” pin
hung on the lanyard,
topped off by a strong
(yet humbling as always)
day at the gym
and a favorite dish for dinner
to be topped off by
the Holy of Holies:
an early bedtime

Slice of Life Challenge Day 2: If Only

If only I hadn’t hung out in bed until wayyyy past 7:30 AM;

If only I hadn’t taken that extra 20 minutes to just. Sit. Down while I ate my breakfast;

If only I hadn’t wound my way through four grocery stores and still ended up short a couple of ingredients;

If only I hadn’t spent the entire afternoon feverishly prepping meals ahead of a time where I won’t have access to my kitchen;

If only I hadn’t sat down to a meal with my in-laws, prepared expertly by my son and husband; 

If only I hadn’t taken that phone call from my beautiful niece after dinner; 

If only Ihadn’t set myself up for tomorrow by laying out my clothes and packing my meals; 

If only I hadn’t taken extra time to stretch myself out and pet the dogs; 

Then maybe – just maybe – I might have come up with a deeper, pithier, more well-written post for today…

And maybe – just maybe – I would also have found some time to comment on the amazing, insightful, breathtaking writing I’ve had the chance to read. 

Guess there’s tomorrow, my friends. 

———

Thanks, as always, to the Slice of Life Story Challenge!

Slice of Life Challenge Day 1: Benchmarks

There are certain books in my life I call “Benchmark” books. I read them once in a blue moon, and not just because I like them. There are certain books that change in the reading because I’ve changed as a human. I might catch a new joke I missed in an earlier reading, feel new or resonating sadness in a character’s grief, or reflect on how my world view has evolved. A few examples:

–Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
–Native Son by Richard Wright
–The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

For me, the March Slice of Life Story Challenge is a benchmark. It’s simple: write every day during the month of March. The challenge is always the same.

But I am not.

Each March I come to the Slice of Life the same, and different. Each March serves as a record of who I am, where I’m coming from, and what life brings me. There’s my first year, full of bright and early explorations in my writing. There’s the COVID year, with its anxiety and uncertainty. There’s my unfinished year, where supporting my mother through her health challenges became too much to balance with writing every day.

Where will this month take me? What will it teach me? That, my friends, is what I’m here to find out.

Happy writing!

Slice of Life: Just Playing

Today, I decided to make my Slice of Life through a different strategy. Stacey Shubitz had sent me this gift article about journaling on the phone. I was intrigued! So intrigued, that I shared the link on today’s post, and decided to give this strategy a go.

I was going through my living room, and I just saw this again, on the mantel. It felt like the first time I was looking at it. I couldn’t remember at first who gave it to me, or when I got it. It took me a few days to remember that this framed paper cutting sat in my mother’s office, and I took it with me as a memento when we cleaned out her apartment. She had an affinity for Winnie-ther-Pooh, and so do I. I think my students would enjoy seeing this, as we’re reading Winnie the Pooh right now…

I just got this oh-so-sincere “thank you” magazine in the mail. As someone whose name is chronically misspelled, I can quickly see the irony. I could probably fill a whole post with times and places folks have gotten my name wrong. Here’s a hint: travel down to Champaign, Illinois and visit University of Illinois’s College of Education. There’s a strong chance there’s a still plaque with my name on it, spelled incorrectly. I think my gravestone might have the same fate…

Speaking of giving things a go, I recently started this strategy with my students. We’re identifying strong uses of craft, then giving it a spin to see where it leads us. With one group, I worked on word choice to create imagery. And with the next, I was looking to create a mood. It was more an experiment in sentence length, but I was pretty pleased.

I was not pleased, however, with the way I introduced the activity to my second group. Many of them, instead of giving a particular skill a try, just listed the things they wanted to try. And that, my friends, is entirely mine. Maybe I didn’t explain it well enough. Maybe I didn’t model it the way I should have. But when most kids miss the mark, it’s almost always because there’s a place my teaching fell short.

Luckily, my students are highly forgiving creatures.
Luckily, we’ll have lots of chances to do it again.

So…how did I enjoy journaling on my phone? Honestly, the jury is still out. I used the “notes” app on my phone because I didn’t want to have to download yet another app. Unfortunately, “Notes” was clunky to use. I may try to download a better app to see if it’s easier or more enjoyable to use. I’ll keep you posted!

One Little Word for 2025

Before I can share my One Little Word, I have to tell a story that seems unrelated. I promise it connects, though, because if anyone knows anything about me, it’s that I can take literally (!) anything and turn it into a metaphor. If you’re lucky, I might also make you giggle here and there.

You’re welcome.

————-

There I sat in my chiropractor’s office. I hadn’t been in forever, but it was long overdue. Here’s a general run-down of how it went:

Me: Hey, it’s been a minute!

Doc: Yes, it has. What brings you in?

Me: Well, that’s the thing. There are a few things niggling at me – knees, hips, ankles, back -, but if you’ve taught me anything, it’s that everything’s all connected. I’m hoping for a general assessment so I know what to work on first.

Doc: Wow, that’s great! I have taught you something! (OK, so I’m exercising artistic license here. Sue me.)

Doc: (proceeds to flip me like a pancake and flop my limbs like a puppet)

Me: Well?

Doc: Well, there are exercises you can do, but there’s an elephant in the room.

(The suspenseful music doesn’t actually start playing here, but you’re welcome to fill in your own if that helps you through the narrative.)

Doc: You’re not breathing right, and your body has compensated by twisting itself all around. I’m going to give you some breath work to do. (His explanation was much more sciencey-sounding, but you get the idea).

———

Yes, my friends, you’ve read that right. I. Haven’t. Been. Breathing.

I mean, my lungs have been working and all, just not…well. Not deeply. Not fully.

It’s not a surprise; I even told the chiropractor that. So often in the last six months, I’ve caught myself holding my breath, bracing, steeling myself for traumas large and small, real or imagined. More often than not, I’ve held myself in suspended animation to get through each hour, each day, each week. I’ve caught myself holding my breath four times just in the writing of this post.

So. My One Little Word? It’s BREATHE. I’ll be working on it – literally – in the coming days. I’ve got my exercises to do, and like the B+ student I plan to be, I’ll complete them daily.

And as for that metaphor as promised, my One Little Word serves as a reminder throughout my life. I need to fully take things in. I need to provide myself with what I need physically, emotionally, spiritually. I need to create space for my thoughts and feelings.

Hopefully, that figurative exercise will look cooler on me than the literal one:

Sitting on back with feet on wall, exercise ball between bent knees
The crookedy-ish legs? That’s part of the set-up. Remember the whole twisty-turny part above? Yeah.

And you? Do you have an intention you’re setting for yourself? I’d love to hear.

Thanks to the Slice of Life community over at Two Writing Teachers. Check ‘em out!