Today was hard. It was long, and it felt heavy in my hand and in my heart. It was full of colleagues, and students, and friends, and family members, who are struggling in one direction or another, and who needed time and love and attention and compassion. And I gave it, in one direction orContinue reading “Long Day”
Tag Archives: education
Joy in the Time of COVID
So many moments of wonder,Of joyTo hold high and to honor – A real live letter from a student pen palColleagues who find strength in one anotherThe college son who just feels like a chatBlue skies, uninterruptedA new recipe that worksWalks with friendsWatching people you love do what they love All these moments of wonder,OfContinue reading “Joy in the Time of COVID”
#SOL20 Day 3: Story Stand-Off
Day 3 of the Slice of Life story challenge. Here goes: “Go ahead. You can do it,” she urged. Lainie drew a breath, huffed it out and rubbed her face with her hands. “But I don’t actually want to,” she whined. “Can’t I just…you know…write some poetry or personal narrative? I’m sure it will turnContinue reading “#SOL20 Day 3: Story Stand-Off”
#SOL20 Day 2: The Find
There it was, glistening like a coin dropped to the bottom of a pool. She glanced down and shrugged her shoulders – probably not worth the effort to pick up. I mean, she thought, after all, she considered, what on earth, she pondered, would I even do with it? She thought a moment at thisContinue reading “#SOL20 Day 2: The Find”
#SOL20 Day 1: On Carrying Stories
Today begins a commitment to thirty-one days of writing. Thirty-one days of stories from my life, from school, that I am putting out into the world. It makes me think about stories, and how very much I talk and think about them. I carry them with me, and I encourage my students to do theContinue reading “#SOL20 Day 1: On Carrying Stories”
So Much for a Soft Landing
I meant to take it easy on my kiddos today. I really did. They’re just coming back from break, and I was fully prepared for a slow start to ease them back into big ideas, big thinking. It all started when I realized we needed to finish up our conversation about Dr. Seuss’s allegory YertleContinue reading “So Much for a Soft Landing”
On Gathering Moss
Elementary teachers have a solid reputation as pack rats. And for good reason. The sheer amount of STUFF it takes to teach elementary school is mind-boggling. Here’s the tip of the iceberg:-books for reading-curricular materials-office supplies-student supplies-teacher files-games, puzzles, activities, art supplies, writing supplies, room decor… …and that’s only for one grade level. Those ofContinue reading “On Gathering Moss”
Steering My Craft: Short Sentences, Revisited
This blog post is part of an effort to refine my own work as a writer, and to strengthen my practice as a writing teacher. For each exercise, I’ll provide the directions, my effort, and a short reflection. The Assignment: I’ll get real here. I wasn’t a huge fan of how things turned out for my shortContinue reading “Steering My Craft: Short Sentences, Revisited”
Steering My Craft: Long Sentences
This blog post is part of an effort to refine my own work as a writer, and to strengthen my practice as a writing teacher. For each exercise, I’ll provide the directions, my effort, and a short reflection. The Assignment: Craft a passage (up to 350 words) within a single sentence. Punctuation and complex clauses are welcome! SheContinue reading “Steering My Craft: Long Sentences”
Steering My Craft: Short Sentences
This blog post is part of an effort to refine my own work as a writer, and to strengthen my practice as a writing teacher. For each exercise, I’ll provide the directions, my effort, and a short reflection. The Assignment: Craft a paragraph using short sentences (maximum 7 words each). No sentence fragments are allowed! FIRST ATTEMPTAmong itContinue reading “Steering My Craft: Short Sentences”
Soapbox: The Way I see Things 