Slice of Life: Celebration! 3/31

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March. If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

I am so excited that I made it all the way through this month! I wasn't sure about taking on the challenge again this year, but here it is, the last day of March, and I made it! I wrote every day! 

Since it is a day in which I feel like celebrating, I thought I would take a minute to celebrate a few things here: (I missed the Celebration link-up on Saturday and I am definitely feeling it)

1. My students begged me to read Rump today. They are loving this read aloud and the time I spend reading is this excellent, quiet time in which we all enjoy reading and books. 

2. Two more days until Spring Break! 

3. My students are really understanding the fractions unit on which we are working. It is great to see their mathematical thinking. 

4. They are loving the Genius Hour time that we have in class. More than half of my class is learning to code and doing a great job at it. It is a great time of learning. 

Slice of Life: Author Visit with Jennifer Holland 3/29

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March. If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

This week, I was lucky enough to have another author visit at my school. Jennifer Holland came to speak to my students about her new book Unlikely Heroes as well as her other books and her magazine articles. Ms. Holland is a staff writer for National Geographic magazine and she travels the world learning about animals.  

I was so excited to have her visit our school and share all about her work.  The students were enthralled with the stories about the animal friendships and the animal heroes that she wrote about. When we had a chance for questions, the students all clamored for her attention and were super excited for her to answer their questions. 

I loved having Jennifer Holland visit our school. I am still so incredibly moved that I am able to have such great authors visit our school and give my students these experiences with great writers. 

Find out more about Jennifer Holland on her website here.

Slice of Life: Clean-up 3/28

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March. If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

Today at school, we had a clean sweep. Our principal arranged to have volunteers come in and help us clean out our school. There were piles and piles of things stored in coat rooms and closets. As many of you know, we teachers are packrats. It is hard to get rid of things that might be useful someday. However, the reality is that most of us forget about what we have stored and then the next teacher inherits that old junk. 

I was so happy to be able to go in today and organize things. There was a metal cabinet in my coat room that was full of "science" supplies going back at least 20 years. It was so nice to be able to have volunteers work in my classroom and clear out that cabinet. I was able to quickly sort through the junk that was in there and then throw away tons of stuff. A quick wipe down later and now I have a bunch more storage space and will be able to organize better. 

The best thing about today was that I learned about two great organizations in my community that I hadn't heard of before. The volunteer effort was organized by Blackboard Volunteer Corps. This group is a service group that is organizing volunteers to come into schools and help out. Our school was their second project. It was really amazing to see so many people from the community turn out to give us their time. The other group is an organization called NEWaukee. They are a group that is working to try to keep young talent in Milwaukee by helping young professionals with many things. One branch of their organization is a service branch. They like to set up projects with different organizations each month so that their members can try out different volunteer efforts and possibly find a group they want to help on a more regular basis. 

I was pleasantly surprised by how many people were at school today and volunteering their Saturday mornings to give us a hand. They were all so happy to be helping out and they were willing to do anything I needed them to do. My classroom is cleaner than it was and I got to learn about some great groups in my community.  

Slice of Life: Perplexed

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March. If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

Why is it so hard for some people to be nice? There is one particular person in my life that always seems to find the most unpleasant and confrontational way to deal with everything that rubs her the wrong way. I don't get it. I just don't understand why this person feels that she will be able to get things from people by having a rude and uncompromising tone with everything she does. I wonder if it gets her things with other people. How can it be a good life if everything you react to has points and sharp edges. The funny thing is that it is always small stuff that this person reacts to. Who cares if something cheap got lost? Is your family so saintly that they never do wrong? I think not. It is interesting that this same person who has this confrontational and rude way of interacting with people will then turn around and make excuses for everything. I wonder what her life would be like if she just took an honest look at herself and her family and realized that sometimes their s*** stinks too. Sometimes the best thing to do is to just follow the rules and play fair. Why is that so hard for some people?

Okay, rant over. Moral of the story: Choose to be kind to others and others will be kind to you.

Slice of Life: Thoughts on Tragedy 3/26

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March. If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

I am speechless and heartbroken thinking about the victims of the latest airplane crash in the French Alps. It breaks my heart to think about all of those people who died in the latest tragedy. Whenever something like this happens, it really makes me think about the way that life can take a turn for the worst at any moment. It was bad enough knowing that it was a horrible accident. 

But now, they think that the co-pilot crashed the plane on purpose. Say what? I am without words for this. How could someone be so messed up that this is the decision they made? The pilot was trying to break back into the cockpit for goodness sakes. What must have been going through this person's head? The only thing I can think about is how this person must not have been right in the head. I wonder if he thought he was being told to do this horrible thing. 

We will probably never know what was going through this man's head during those moments. I just think that this makes the whole thing so much more tragic. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/27/world/europe/germanwings-crash.html

Slice of Life: Clutter 3/25

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March. If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

The state of my desk at work is approaching disaster level. I have so much clutter and so many papers and so many books and so little time. I find myself inspired by the insanity.

Buried
under mountains of copies,
the teacher editions
collide
with papers
awaiting grades,
awaiting files,
awaiting signatures.
Books are piled
haphazardly.
There is no end.
The papers and mess keep
piling up until
my sanity
starts to unravel.
I must organize,
I must clean,
I must tidy up.
But when?

Slice of Life: Book Club 3/24

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March. If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

Tomorrow after school I am hosting the first meeting of my staff book club at school. I am so excited to have this meeting. It is something I have been thinking about for years. I finally decided to put it out there and I am so happy about the response. I feel like the book culture at my school could use some help. It is great that other teachers love the idea of a book club. I am so happy that I decided to put it out there. 

The book club decided to read All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. I loved this book and am really looking forward to discussing it with others. I will be stopping by a neighborhood bakery in the morning to pick up some french pastries to share with my colleagues. I know I will love my time at book club and I hope that the other teachers do too. 

Slice of Life: Monday Poem 3/23

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March. If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

Thought I would try a poem tonight. I don't remember where I saw this idea, but I loved the playful form of two word lines. It was a challenge to stick to only two words for some lines. It is definitely something I will try again.


Monday

Bone Tired
Get up
Dress Well
Drink Coffee
Hurry up
Plan well
Make copies
Organize papers
Log in
Check mail
Greet students
Give directions
Repeat myself
Repeat myself
Repeat myself
Deliver lesson
Answer questions
Listen in
Blow whistle
Clap Hands
Line up
Eat lunch
Become genius
Read aloud
Confer quietly
Sort words
Remind students
Repeat myself
Repeat myself
Repeat myself
Line up
Find bathroom
Quick Meeting
Gym over
Walk back
Quiet writing
Homework directions
Line up
Say goodnight
Exhausted teacher
Yoga time
Clean more
Cook dinner
Read e-mail
Write blog
Must rest
Sweet dreams

Slice of Life: Serendipity 3/22

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March. If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

Sometimes things happen that seem to be more than coincidence, as if the universe were conspiring to send you a message. There are many books that I have read over the years that speak of some sort of force like an energy that brings you the things you need. Both The Celestine Prophecy and The Secret come to mind. Whether you believe in this sort of theory or not, it is hard not to read meaning into some coincidences. 

On Friday, my husband and I went to our favorite bar. It is a beer bar in our neighborhood and we are regulars there. We enjoy having a beer at happy hour on Fridays and talking to the bartenders and relaxing. This week, we happened to sit down next to two Spaniards. This was significant because my husband is also a Spaniard. We overheard them speaking Spanish and knew from the accent that these two people were from Spain. Now, over the years we have met many people from Spain who are living in Milwaukee. We have been friends with some of them, acquaintances with others, and we most recently have really drifted away from the group of friends we had. So when we run into people from Spain we are curious, but cautious. It does not necessarily follow that just because you are from the same country you will be friends. But Friday, we had a very pleasant conversation with the two men that we met. One of them was just visiting and the other is living here. It was nice to talk about the things that we miss about Spain and the things that we like about Milwaukee. We had a nice conversation and we exchanged numbers and we will see what else happens, but it was nice to meet him. 

The conversation with this Spaniard who we hadn't yet met turned to conversation about a few people from Spain that were mutual acquaintances. My husband and I have not really seen these people for about three years. We talked a little bit about possibly trying to contact a few people who were friends of ours to try to re-establish contact. I am happy about this because it has not been something my husband has been interested in doing for a while and I kind of miss these people. 

Then, on Saturday, we got a text from another couple who we had met in December. These people live in our neighborhood and also go to the beer bar frequently enough that the bartenders introduced us to each other. She is from Spain and he is from here and they didn't really know anyone else from Spain. My husband and I had tried to contact them a couple times since we met them, but it never worked out. Then, all of a sudden, on Saturday, they were interested in meeting up. It just seemed too serendipitous. I wonder if their ears were burning from the night before when we were talking about the people we knew that were living in Milwaukee but from Spain. 

I don't exactly know what the universe has in mind for us as a message from this weekend, but it definitely felt like a sign. If nothing else, we might have a few new friends. Now, I need to go make Paella because we are craving Spanish food. 

Slice of Life: Spring Equinox 3/21

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March. If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

Today, I am experimenting with poetry and with a digital design tool Canva. 

On Saturdays, I also participate in the Celebration link-up. If you would like to read my celebration post you can find it on my other blog here.

Slice of Life: In Mary's Garden 3/20

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March. If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

Today we had an author's visit at school. I love that I have hooked up with the local independent bookstore, Boswell Book Company. I am on their school contact list and I get the e-mails about the opportunities for author visits.

This morning, we had Tina and Carson Kugler visit our school. This married couple wrote and illustrated the book In Mary's Garden, which was released on Tuesday. What is so cool about this is that this book is about a local artist and pertains to a local bit of folklore. I absolutely enjoyed meeting the Kuglers as well as hearing about the work it took to make this picture book. It was so great to have our students learn about this really neat local attraction and possibly get them to ask their families to go visit.

Mary Nohl was a local Milwaukee artist who used found objects to build sculptures in her yard. She built an amazing space that was locally famous and many people came to visit it.

I really enjoyed hearing more about this interesting artist. I loved that the authors really focused on their own process. They worked hard to honor the artwork while also working to tell the story of this interesting woman. The video below talks about the artist. 

The authors were amazing and I am so excited that we were able to host this event at my school. This is a wonderful picture book and I think it is such an interesting story. I hope many people buy this book and share our fun story about the local artist who brought intrigue to the shores of Lake Michigan.




Then when doing some research, I realized that Mr. Schu did a blog post about this book. If this isn't an amazing recommendation for this picture book, I don't know what is. To find out more about the book visit Mr. Schu's blog here. 

I am so excited that I got to experience a little bit of the fun book release party for this spectacular picture book.

(of course, I forgot to take pictures, so you'll just have to take my word for it)

I love that I can provide this type of opportunity to my students.

Slice of Life: Upheaval at School 3/19

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

This year, our school has been put through the wringer. Our principal of 15 years decided to retire at the end of October. There was a plan in place and our assistant principal took over and we had a smooth transition. Just when we thought things were falling back into place, right before Christmas break, the district gave us the news that a person who was being demoted from Central Services would be placed at our school. It was a big upheaval. The administrator that was placed in our school had never been a principal and had very little experience in elementary schools. The situation was difficult for everyone, but we settled into our roles and sucked it up and it has been going well. The new principal took on the role very well. She worked hard to learn what she needed to learn about the way our school operates and she has been diligently trying to help our transition be smooth. 

Now that we finally seem to be settling into this and things are falling into place and working smoothly, the district decided to throw a wrench into our lives again. They are possibly messing with the assistant principal again and changing her role at our school. I can't believe the amount of ridiculousness that has been going on this year. And this woman has had to go through so many changes. Our principal said today at our staff meeting that she is pretty sure that this is happening because of her. It is awful that the powers that be are trying to make things difficult for our principal, but in the meantime they are losing sight of the purpose of education. Making things difficult for her will make things difficult for all of us. I am worried about the effects that all of this will cause in our school. I don't understand why they are choosing to put us through the wringer. I wish they would just let us be until the end of the school year. 

The reality of our situation as teachers is that we all have to bend to the whims of the political minds that run our district. It doesn't help that I work for a large urban district. I wish that the business of igniting young minds did not depend so much on political moves. But I will keep plugging away and hoping that we get some consistency soon. 

Slice of Life: Genius Hour 3/18

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

Two years ago, I attended EdCamp Milwaukee. It was an amazing experience and I had a wonderful day of learning. While I was there, I attended a session on Genius Hour. I had never heard of this idea but I was impressed by all the great ideas.

I went back to my school and immediately worked on a plan of how to incorporate Genius Hour into my day at school. Last year, I had my middle school ELA students work on individual projects. I loved the days that we worked on Genius hour and so did all of my students. This year, I have been trying to figure out how to incorporate this idea into my fourth grade classroom. I can't believe it took me this long to get it started, but now I am so excited to start.

Today we had our second brainstorming session for my students to come up with their ideas for genius time. I suggested learning to code as one of the suggestions. I was so impressed with how focused my students were. It was so fun to hear how excited some students got when they wrote code and were able to draw pictures on the computer. I loved how engaged my students were today. It really turned my whole mood around.

I am looking forward to learning all about the topics they picked.

Slice of Life: Corned Beef and Cabbage 3/17

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

There are so many things that can make me think about my grandma. She was one of the most influential people in my life. I was the oldest grandchild by five years and so I had the privilege of being the favorite and the one with the closest relationship with my grandparents. I used to spend most weekends with them. I would call my grandma and invite myself over to their house. Then I would spend the weekend with them. 

Around St. Patrick's Day, I think about my grandmother. Her mother was Irish, and the tradition was to find a meal with Corned Beef and Cabbage every March. Each year, I look for a traditional Irish meal around this holiday. If I don't find corned beef and cabbage, I look for a great Reuben sandwich. 

So, when I wear a button saying "Kiss me I'm Irish" it makes me nostalgic for a time when I could share a traditional Irish meal with my grandma. 

Slice of Life: Mondays 3/16

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.



I am not usually one of those people that gets down about things. I have a pretty positive outlook and I can usually find the silver lining. But this year, with this group of students, I hate Mondays. I. Hate. Mondays. Or should I call it might-as-well-not-have-bothered-with-lesson-plans-because-of-the-bouncing-off-of-the-walls day. This group of students is full of individuals that are sweet and want to do good, but they have one of those group personalities that makes my days very exhausting.

Mondays are full of reminders of the way we do things and redirections and giving my signal for quiet only to be ignored and struggling to get their attention. This group is making me dig all the way through my toolkit, which has been built up over 15 years of teaching.  I am almost at the end of my rope with them.

I know that tomorrow will be a little bit better and by Friday we will be right on track. Then, we will go home for the weekend and it will start all over. Oh, how I hate Mondays!

Does anybody else have this challenge this year? I would love to hear from you in the comments.

Slice of Life: Let's Go to the Movies 3/15

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.


For fifteen years, Ramon and I have loved watching and critiquing films together. We enjoy the kind of movies that really make you think and we love animated movies. For many years, we have not gone to the movie theater because of the prices. For some reason, we chose to believe that spending that much money on a ticket to a movie was just not worth it when we could watch films for very little money at home. In the last couple of months, my husband and I re-discovered the fun of going to the movies.

There were two major things that happened that got us interested in going to the theaters again. First, a beautiful cinema opened up in our neighborhood. A great business owner restored and remodeled a movie theater that had been closed for many years. The Avalon theater is so gorgeous inside.

There is a lounge and bar in the theater and waiters are there to serve you during the movie. The seats are extremely comfortable leather chairs with a nice tray table that you can use for your snacks. Going to this fabulous place made the money spent on movie tickets worthwhile. So right before Oscar time, we were able to watch both American Sniper and The Imitation Game. (I highly recommend the latter by the way) We watched the Academy Awards with so much more interest this year.

The second thing that happened was a gift card. My sister and her husband gave us a gift certificate to Marcus theaters. That was such a thoughtful gift because they knew that we don't often go to the theater anymore. This weekend, we went to our usual movie theater and discovered that they are remodeling and have beautiful leather reclining seats now too. I was so excited to see Kingsman. Colin Firth is my Hollywood crush and I was looking forward to seeing him in a different type of role. We loved the movie, although if you don't like violence or crude humor it is not for you. I think the movie was similar to a Quentin Tarentino film. The dark humor abounds. We had such a nice date night and will definitely be going back to see other movies in the future. (We might even get there on a Tuesday for $5 movie night)

Since we rekindled our love of cinema, we have been watching amazing movies at home too. My husband has been busy requesting DVDs from our public library and we also rent some movies. My favorites lately were A Hundred-Foot Journey, 12 Years a Slave, Whiplash, Big Hero 6 and The Theory of Everything. I have to say that I really agree that the actors who won Oscars deserved them, and the nominations were all well-deserved also.

I love that these few things happened to bring us back to something that we enjoy. Being an avid reader makes me love a good story and a good film can bring that story to life so well. Having a spouse who enjoys discussing films is priceless. I hope we will continue to go to the movies and that we won't forget how much we enjoy it ever again.

Slice of Life: Adventures in Kidney Stones 3/14

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

I woke up to my husband screaming for me from the bathroom. I ran to the bathroom and found him huddled over the sink, trying to support himself, and going through dry heaves. My dog and I watched helplessly for a minute or so, and then I ran downstairs to get the phone. As soon as I got back upstairs, my husband collapsed down onto all fours. He kept heaving and pointed to a spot on his lower back that was blinding pain. I called 9-1-1. After a couple minutes, he was able to stand back up and by the time the ambulance got here, he was able to walk out to the vehicle and was not experiencing the same level of pain. I hopped into the ambulance with him (which in hindsight was sort of foolish) and we were transported to the Emergency Room. 

Once there, it was obvious that everyone thought it was a kidney stone. There were a couple tests and the diagnosis was confirmed. A couple hours in the ER, some medicine, some IV fluids, a lot of water, and he was ready to be discharged. We then had to call a cab to get home. 

Once home, I ushered my husband off to bed, and grabbed my phone and keys and the handful of prescriptions and headed off to the 24-hour Walgreen's nearby. Walgreen's at 3am is a really weird place. Of course, there was a ridiculous customer taking up the pharmacist's time and attention. I waited about ten minutes before that man finally stopped asking stupid questions and complaining to the pharmacist about another pharmacist who had told him that he wouldn't fill the prescription before 4am. Finally, the man left and I gave the pharmacist the prescriptions. As luck would have it, my husband hasn't ever used Walgreen's for prescriptions. The pharmacist had to enter all his information and then his computer froze in the middle of the process and he had to start all over again. Once he had the information in, he set about getting the prescription ready and was done quickly. 

I finally drove back home and went to bed at 4am. I am so relieved that my husband is okay. I never want to wake up this way again. The night brought back vivid memories of my father's heart-attacks. I am glad I react well to situations like this without panic, but I don't want to be this worried about people I love ever again. 

Slice of Life: Fish Fry 3/13

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

Tonight my husband and I went out to enjoy a fish fry. There were many years in my life that I didn't know that this is a Wisconsin thing. Those of you from other states will maybe not know that in Wisconsin, every restaurant has a Friday Fish Fry. People go looking for the best one. Tonight, we went back to a place we had not been for a few years. We enjoyed fried fish, coleslaw, potatoes, and soup. There is also usually a baked option. I love this little slice of Wisconsin life and I love that I now know that it is something special and not found everywhere. It is so neat that each place has these small customs that set it apart from other places. What is your custom?

Slice of Life: Mind Over Matter 3/12

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

It is day 19 of a weird sickness that is affecting my stomach and digestive system and wiping me out. I have come home immediately from school every day this week and promptly fallen asleep on my couch for an after school nap. This is not usual behavior for me. I was absent the whole week last week and now I really don't know what is wrong with me. I decided tonight that enough is enough. It is time to bring out the brain's superpowers and suck it up and start feeling better.

I went with my husband tonight to our favorite Mexican restaurant. I am pretty sure I will pay for that decision later tonight, but I am glad I decided to do so. I need to be healthy now. I am going to decide to be healthy. No more letting things get me down.

Positive thinking is going to make me better. Mind over matter. I will feel better soon. I must.

Slice of Life: Fairy Tales 3/11

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

I don't really know what to write about. I can definitely relate to my students who sometimes cannot come up with an idea during writing time. So, you will get the mostly boring ideas that are tumbling around in my head right now. Forgive my lack of creativity.

Fairy tales are not my favorite genre. However, I love teaching them and working with students on fractured tales. Today, I started a fairy tale unit that will mostly focus on Cinderella. I want to look at versions of the Cinderella story from around the world and have my students do some analyzing. I would love to take the students on a field trip to see Disney's new version of Cinderella, but I am not sure I will be able to work that out.

We started today with our new read aloud chapter book that I will also incorporate into the fairly tale unit. I am so excited to read Rump with my students. I hope they will love it. The best sound in the world is the giggles from a group of students when they are entertained by a funny moment in a good book.

I am also excited to see what kind of creative ideas my students will come up with for fractured fairly tales.

Slice of Life: Searching for answers 3/10

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.


Have you ever had one of those situations that seems like it will never get resolved? That is my experience during the last several weeks. I thought that I was having another episode of Diverticulitis. It felt exactly like it did this summer. I went to my doctor and got antibiotics. I spent a week taking the meds and did not feel any better. So I went back to my doctor and then to urgent care. After a battery of tests and a switch of medication, I went to the gastroenterologist. I found out that my CT scan was normal and I do not have Diverticulitis. Although this is good news, I still don't have an explanation for what is wrong with me.

On Monday, I called the neurologist because I thought that it might be a flare up of Multiple Sclerosis. The nurses there were pretty sure that this type of symptom would not be related to the MS. So, I am back to the drawing board.

I am so fatigued and worn out and it is so hard to get through the day at school, much less all the extra paperwork we are expected to do.

I am just hoping for an answer soon. (Or for the symptoms to stop so that I feel healthy again)

Slice of Life: Spring Ahead 3/9

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

The last few days have been sunny in Wisconsin. The snow is melting and the temperatures are approaching 50. That means ridiculously happy people. All of a sudden, there are crowds out and people taking walks.

I love living in a place where relatively cold weather can bring so much joy. I know that the days this week in the 50s will be days in which I will see shorts and short skirts. I love that we can find so much joy in what some people would say is cold, wintery weather.

This sunshine is a balm for our moods. Smile and be happy! I hope this nice weather trend will continue...but I know that we are probably not done with winter yet. Bring on the Spring!

Slice of Life: Summer Travels 3/8

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

When my husband became a teacher, we were excited that we would finally have the summer off together. We were hoping to spend extended time in Spain with his family most summers. Our plan this year was to go to Spain together to spend a month at the beach with his parents. We have done this in the past and it has always been amazing. 

Yesterday, we made the decision to have just my husband go for this time to visit with his family. It is just too expensive for both of us to go and to find someone to care for our dog while we are away. I am disappointed that this is what we had to do. We were hoping that lower fuel prices would bring airline tickets down in price, but no such luck. 

I know there are many things that I will be able to do this summer while my husband is gone, not the least of which is going to my sister's house in California to help her care for my niece Lena and the niece that will be making an appearance at the end of June. However, I am sad that I will not be going to Spain with Ramon. The time there is always energizing, if a little bit annoying to be staying with in-laws. 

I do not like this adult responsibility of having to be aware of budget constraints. Sometimes I wish I were still in the carefree stage of reckless abandon and freedom to spend money on travels because I didn't have to pay for house, food, car, etc. 

Its time to start a travel fund jar. You would think after 15 years of this we would already have done so. Oh, well. Better late than never.  Here's to hoping that next summer we both can spend some quality time in sunny southern Spain. 

Slice of Life: Waiting Rooms 3/7

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.


In the last few weeks, I have found myself in waiting rooms a LOT. Most of the time, I think ahead and am prepared for a wait with a book. This morning, for some reason, I was caught without a book. As I sat there, trying not to make eye contact with the other people waiting for the labs, I started really wishing I had my notebook with me. Of course, I had also recently switched purses and the notebook I usually have was not there. I am going to try to recreate some of the wait here.

We sit in an awkward silence, with just a couple of people braving whispers in the heavy hush of the room. Every once in awhile, someones voice breaks this precarious silence. "Young lady," booms the deep voice of an older gentleman, then he points. The girl looks at him in confusion until the man with him says, "You dropped your ring," and points to the ground in front of her. The room falls back into the hushed silence of people waiting and slightly annoyed at the longer-than-usual wait. I stare at the ugly mustard color on the wall, feeling slightly nauseated and wondering why they would have painted this color on the wall. The harsh fluorescent light does not forgive anything. We all watch people coming and going. The ones who are finally finished with the lab leave with relieved smiles and we sit here waiting. Then the man next to me whispers, "Oh, they're finally on clipboard number 2." It all makes sense then. I thought it was weird that there were only five or six names on the list when there were so many people waiting. Now, I get it. I start to think about books or movies I know of in which a group of strangers is thrown together in some sort of crisis. Which one of these people would step up and be the hero in our story? When the man next to me gets called, he yells out, "One hour and seventeen minutes waiting!" It is as if he has won a prize. We all chuckle slightly. Then, suddenly, the list seems to go faster and the last of us are called in. I did not have to wait nearly as long as that man, but my 40 minutes was enough.

Slice of Life: What to do? 3/6

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

After missing work all week, except for going in to do parent conferences on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, I feel a little stir-crazy and guilty.  "I should be doing something," my mind screams at me. "I am in pain and so exhausted," my body shouts back. So, I compromised. I started planning and trying to decide what my mind will be doing this summer. I have a lot of options. I am trying now to narrow down the options to what I can afford and what I can feasibly do.  I do need to renew my license and therefore need to choose some things to do for credits. 

I have these ideas on my mind:

1. Go to a local conference on innovative ideas in education. Summer Spark sounds excellent, with Dave Burgess as the keynote speaker. We can learn to teach like a pirate, matey. Arrgghh!

2. I am seriously considering driving to AllWrite. The line-up is amazing! I think it is wonderful that they are able to offer speakers with that calibre for a super reasonable price. Plus, there are so many people that I have "met" online that I would really like to meet in person. 

3. There are two local universities that offer a short NWP project. I have experienced the one already and really loved it. The other is more intense, but that might be just what I need this summer. I always welcome the chance to give myself the push into writing more and revitalizing my writing instruction. 

4. I am considering starting the process for National Board certification. I wish I would have looked closer at it earlier this year, because it has changed a lot. I think it looks like I would not be able to get this process completely finished during the 2015-2016 school year, but my state has an option for getting an extension on your license while you finish this process. 

Of course, all of these options include fees, some more expensive than others, which also means that I will have to pick and choose and consider which things will give me the most bang for the buck. I hope I will be able to find something that will energize my mind and transform some parts of my practice.  

Slice of Life: Dog Snuggles 3/5

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

This morning, my dog was extra cuddly. I have been home sick from school for 4 days now, and she seems to know that I am still not feeling well. I love how pets are so intuitive about how you are feeling. Carmela draped herself over me and snuggled right up to me all day.  It made me feel so much more positive.

I love having a dog. Even though there are sometimes situations like this:

It is worth the extra clean up to have the doggie snuggles every day.

Slice of Life: Visits 3/4

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.


Tonight was night two of conferences. I love the conversations, I love the opportunity to connect with parents and highlight the individuality of my students. I love the self-reflection that the conversations cause, even when they cause me to question my practices. But most of all, I love the visits.

Every year, without fail, Rigo comes to visit. This young man, who is now an adult, is one of the reasons I keep teaching. When he was in my fifth grade class, I worked hard with him. He was struggling to keep up, he needed encouragement and he needed to strengthen his skills. We worked hard and he knew I cared about his success. The class that he was in was one of those active and challenging groups of kids. I had recently moved up to fifth grade from first grade, and some of those kids sure made me work hard. Rigo played around a bit, but always tried to remove himself from those shenanigans. He had better things to do. He wanted to get an education. He knew that I was going to do everything that I could do to help every one of those students succeed and he worked hard. Then they all moved on to other schools for middle school. For many of my students, this is where my story with them ended. Not so with Rigo.

I look forward each year to checking in with this young man. He started visiting right away in sixth grade. He came to report how he was and what was happening with him. I have heard reports all through middle school and high school, until he graduated last year. It helped that his younger siblings have continued to go to my school so he has come along each year to come say hi. He makes a point to seek me out and say hello.

Tonight, I spoke for fifteen minutes with a kind and polite young man who is working part-time as a security guard and going to community college. He is planning to transfer to a local university and to study criminal justice. He wants to be a firefighter or a police officer. I am so proud of the young man that Rigo has become, and I am happy that he continues to want to share this with me.

I hope every teacher has at least one Rigo in her life to help her remember why she became a teacher.

Slice of Life: Conferences 3/3

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

     Tonight, I had parent teacher conferences. It was really weird for me because I have been out sick from school most of the last two weeks. I will be out again tomorrow. I just made it there for conferences today and will make it there for conferences tomorrow. I don't love it that my students are having to deal with having a substitute for so much time, but I can't help it. I hope I will get better soon. Most people are understanding about it. I try not to go into too much detail, but I am straightforward if they ask what is wrong.
     I like this time of year because I like talking to parents about their child. I love every one of my students and I like the chance to celebrate each of their accomplishments and to share strategies with parents. I like building relationships with families.
     This year, now that I am home from a first night of successful conversations, I am finding myself reflecting on the incredibly ridiculous workload that we face in this era of education. I had some great conversations tonight, but they are tinged with a few questions that make me feel like I need to defend myself. There are so many things that we could be doing right and so many things that most likely need improvement. There are so many people that we answer to and so much that we have to prove. When something has to give, where does that happen? Is it the visible things that matter most or the invisible ones?
     Am I doing a perfect job with this group of students this year? No, I am human. But I can promise that I am doing the best job that I can and giving the most of myself that I can give. I think that should be enough. Shouldn't it?

Slice of Life: Sick Teacher 3/2

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.


I am sick.
I feel unwell.
I miss my students.
I just want to lie here.
I want the medicine to work.
I have to do lesson plans.
I don't want to give the sub too much to do.
I can't believe my (un)luck.
I need to rest.
I need to drink plenty of fluids.
I might need surgery.
I wish the antibiotics had kicked it last week.
I am tired all the time.
I have parent conferences this week.
I just want the world to stop for a few days.
I wish I had never heard of Diverticulitis.
I want to whine for a few moments more.
When will it get better?

As I was writing this list, which is shaped like a poem, but not really poetry, I had to smile. It made me think of the poem "Sick" by Shel Silverstein from my all-time favorite poetry anthology, Where the Sidewalk Ends. How I wish it were in that whimsical spirit that I were writing. "What's that you say? You say today is Saturday? Goodbye, I'm going out to play." If only.

Slice of Life: Positive Thinking

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.


It has been a long while since I have written on this blog.  Coming back here to get started with my Slice of Life challenge, I stumbled across the beginning of a post that was started in August and never finished. It seems appropriate to revise my words and add my perspective at this point in the school year. I am glad for the reminder to celebrate!


     I forgot what it feels like to be excited about my job. I have spent the last few years working to make the best of my situation rather than working to have an awesome situation. I worked hard in the last two years to find fun and engaging activities and to inspire readers and writers. I think I did okay at it. I can think of at least five students who started the year hating reading and writing and ended the year loving both. That is success when you are talking about changing mindsets of 8th grade students. The majority of the students became better readers and realized that reading can be fun. My students all wrote novels for NaNoWriMo and maintained blogs. They all figured out how to write better and how to find enjoyment in that writing. These were also successes.
      However, I didn't take the time to celebrate these things. I focused on the negative. The students who continued to fake read and barely write. I let them get to me. I went against my nature and fell down the rabbit hole of excuses for their behaviors. I let myself be influenced into complaining about that which I could not change and not focusing on the good things happening and the ways that I could change some things. This had to do with internal and external factors alike: some toxic influences, a negative pattern in my thoughts, a boss who tended to be negative, etc.
   
     This year, I am surrounded by positive thinking and good attitudes. I am conscious of the need to find celebrations even in the weeks that seem impossible to get through. I have changed my perspective and I enjoy my work again. Part of the issue is the ability to work with the age group that I most enjoy working with. After working at many different levels, I am convinced that every teacher has an age group that is the most natural fit for him/her. Mine is middle grades. I am so much more myself when working with 4th graders than I was when working with 1st graders or with 8th graders. I can be myself and love my students and get hugs and drawings and notes that make me smile. There is so much more energy in my step, and I have so much more energy to give.
     Does that make my workplace perfect? No. I still struggle this year with students who are incredibly chatty and some that are just not very nice to their peers. I still have a few students who choose not to be convinced that reading is a good thing to do. I have a lot of students who don't really know how to be polite...they need my guidance to help them learn what is respectful and what is not. I have a hard time getting through my whole lesson because there is little impulse control in this group and I get interrupted. Every. Single. Lesson. However, my ability to continue to plug away and to try to make this year a great one for my class is directly related to my change in attitude. I have lifted a weight of negativity off my shoulders and this makes it easier to persevere.

The power of positive thinking is mind-blowing and I am so glad I have rediscovered this power.