I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. My students are brave and inspiring and amazing – in writing AND in life. So I’m dedicating May to them. I’ve been thinking a lot about how much it takes for them to write, without complaint, WHATEVER it is we throw their way. Every genre, everyContinue reading “May Writing Challenge”
Tag Archives: writing workshop
Slice of Life 2021 Day 4: Kid Wisdom
Today marks Day 4 of the Slice of Life challenge. Join me as I work to write every day in March – and maybe beyond! As I alluded to in yesterday’s post, I used my own writing as a mentor text for my fourth graders. The goal is to use student writing as the literatureContinue reading “Slice of Life 2021 Day 4: Kid Wisdom”
Thought Bubble, Speech Bubble
Guess what brave things I did today?a) I got out of my bedb) I committed to working out – and didc) I announced that I wasn’t cooking dinner tonightd) All of the above Of course, there was something I didn’t do today, and I’m not sure if it’s because I’m wise, or because I wasContinue reading “Thought Bubble, Speech Bubble”
This is Not a Paper Clip
this post is dedicated to A.H., whose cleverness and sincerity make me deeply proud to know such wonderful people I’m easy to please. Which is good, because as a teacher and as a mom, I can’t wait for big grand gestures to bring me a sense of satisfaction or well-being. I’d be here all day.Continue reading “This is Not a Paper Clip”
Different, Different, Same
“But here’s what’s at the heart of things. Here’s what makes me confident that we’ll be okay this year despite everything being turned upside down.” #D30Learns #WhyITeach
On First Days
This. This photo. It sums things up. Every year since my older guy started kindergarten, I’ve brought my kids to the local breakfast place for a traditional first-day breakfast. Over the years, we’ve toggled it a bit. For a while, I worked in the same district they attended, and our annual ritual celebrated a beginningContinue reading “On First Days”
Putting a Pin In It
*this post is dedicated to J.O., who never ceases to inspire me, and who also reminds me how important it is to be the best version of myself* Here I am, back after what is way too long a hiatus from writing. What’s kept me? Inertia, pure and simple. I wasn’t in a space orContinue reading “Putting a Pin In It”
Who’s Going to Win?
Sometimes I wrestleWith which side of me will winMy full attention Is it the cynic,Fatigued with unrequitedEffort, time and heart? Or the optimist,Ever on the lookout forSimple signs of joy: Letters from students:The real live ones, right from theReal live true mailbox; A dog, so loyalShe insists on herding meTo my couch corner So sheContinue reading “Who’s Going to Win?”
Tug-of-War
Right now, I’m wrestling. I’ve gotten such a good thing going with posting online, with writing every day, with cultivating a writing community around me. It’s made me a better writer. It’s made me more confident. It’s allowed me to shed the yoke of perfectionism that keeps me from putting my work out into theContinue reading “Tug-of-War”
Send-Off
Because I do not knowhow to leave well enough alone Because the shedding of one obligationoften just meansit is time to don another And because there will neverevereverbe a timewhen I feel I havedone enoughwhen I feel I am enoughfor my students I have begunanother venture:offering to be pen palsto thosewho cravehumaninteractionthrough REAL LIVE LETTERSinContinue reading “Send-Off”
Soapbox: The Way I see Things 