Opening Day SOL#1 SliceofLife2013

Soon it will be Opening Day for local fisherman who will arrive early at local streams sitting patiently beside the lingering chunks of ice hopeful some long suffering fish will forgot the pitfall of a worm floating lifelessly in the icy cold water, 

Soon it will also be an Opening Day where eager players and their fans will converge on chalk lined fields and ready-to-go courts. They will proudly don sparkling clean uniforms and arrive laden by bags filled with bats, mitts, balls, cleats and rackets.  They will stretch, swing, catch and warm up in hopes of soon catching hitting and kicking balls of various types and colors. 

Today, March 1st, it is Opening Day of another sort.  We're writing those first powerful posts the eve before and will be arriving at our computers early filled with anticipation and excitement just like those who sit beside cold streams and those who pop on brand new uniforms.  We've been thinking about it for weeks with a growing sense of nervous excitement.  We'll be spending a lot of time together during this writing season as we exercise our fingers, minds and our "writerly" eyes and share glimpses of our lives. 

Power up your mouse 'cause today is opening day - SOL 2013!     

T minus 72 hours #SOL 2013

With only hours to go until the SOL Challenge, I need to be very careful how many words I "spend" on this blog post!  If words are "capital" then every word saved is a little bit of "cash in the bank." 

While I have LOTS to say normally, knowing that I will have to write every day for the month of March raises my anxiety just a wee bit!  It also makes me KEENLY aware of the stress our students feel every day when we wind up that mini lesson and send them off to write for 30 minutes!  To be quite honest, it is a little bit like the anxiety and excitement we feel before the first day of school combined with the anxiety before running a marathon (not that these knees will ever know what that feels like)!  

I'm ready with a few topics "up my sleeve" and lots of English Breakfast tea!  More importantly I am preparing myself to see my life through my "writerly eyes."  I think I can handle the writerly angst if I see this as a challenge with huge rewards coming from hard work! 

Logos and Icons

February is drawing to a close; however, the month of "writing" as March is soon to be known is ready to take over!  If you are going to join me over at the Slice of Life 2013 Challenge with Two Writing Teachers http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/revealed-slice13/ then you should download the aquamarine logo to your own computer and link your daily slices over at http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/  If you link to the TWT you do NOT have to link to my blog! You will write at some point each day and link to TWT.  You will also need to read and comment on at least 3 other people's posts!

I hope you will consider this challenge as a chance to find out what your students feel when they are asked to write every day; however, if that is just more than you can handle at this point in your life, then the alternative is my own, Great Grad Writing Project with the cheery yellow happy face icon above!  If you choose to do this, you will agree to write about some small aspect of your life, teaching, dreams, family or hopes for at least 10 consecutive days!  You will use the cheery yellow logo on your post and link to MY blog http://drferreri.blogspot.com/ every day you write!  You will also need to try to read and comment on at least 2 other people's links. 

There will be prizes, big ones, over at TWT for people who make it through the gauntlet of writing every day.  There will also be prizes, little ones, for people who make it through the gauntlet of my mini writing challenge! 

No matter which you decide to do, TRY linking to this post to see how it works.  Consider it a "test."

What Teachers Do

I know that many people who do not live with, live next to, or associate regularly with teachers think that that we have a "cushy" job working 5 hours a day 38 weeks per year.  You hear it in their voices when they hear you are "a teacher."  You hear them sigh, "It must be nice to have so much time off."  You hear it in their  insincere comment, "I wish I had become a teacher!" 

 

Don't get me wrong.  It is the best job on earth and we do make a difference every single moment of every single day by what we do and say.  Yet, the job is not a "part time" job for certain.  It's a full time job with irregular hours and responsibilities that mirror many other professional jobs like accountants (think IRS season) and cardiac surgeons (who work extra hard during the March madness season).

 

This morning, a colleague posted this note on Facebook:

"I've been grading for 5 days already! Sigh- 30-40 minutes a paper x 75 papers! I want to finish sometime before they graduate!"

 

She has been grading in the evening, during duty "free" periods and for most of the weekend.  Sometimes, she admits to taking personal days to grade papers!  That's what teachers do so students will get real, meaningful, valuable feedback on their work. 

 

It looks different for every teacher as we work with children with vastly different skills and needs.  Teachers are working hard in kindergarten when they are planning for every nanosecond of every day and differentiating instruction for children learning "self help skills" and children who are reading and writing well above "grade level."   Teachers are also working hard when they are managing the weight room long after school hsa ended, serving as role models and motivators for safer sports seasons and lifelong healthier lifestyles. Teachers are making a difference when they are at school on Friday night of a "should be" vacation week at 5 pm planning for the next week.   Teachers are reading and writing about their "jobs" all year long and they are "working" when they spend days during the summer creating just-right textual environments for reading, writing and learning for their students. 

Our hours vary, but we never work "5 hours" a day.  Our school years vary, but it is never "just" 180 days.  We make a difference - but we work very hard to make that difference. 
 

Taylor Mali

1. ► 3:08► 3:08

   www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsOVK4syxUShare
   

    

 

 

Fluffy Bathrobes & English Breakfast Tea: That's What's Inside My Textual House

I put on my fluffy robe and furry slippers to stave off the early morning cold assured the storm outside would mean a slower than usual start to this Saturday morning and eager to "catch up " on blog reading and writing.  Just a few clicks of the mouse later, I found myself over at the "textual house" of the great writing guru, Ralph Fletcher.  It felt like he was talking to me as I sit wrapped in my fluffy pink bathrobe hugging my mug of English Breakfast tea.
http://livethewritinglife.blogspot.com/2013/02/helping-students-inhabit-textual-houses.html

It made me think of how we say, "Begin," and expect all 25 of our kids to be instantly engaged in writing texts of substance!  Further, we expect ALL of them to stay in that "textual world" and write vigorously until we tell them to, "Stop."

Yet, writers, even famous wonderful writing gurus like Ralph Fletcher, have routines and writing requirement!  Fletcher describes his own need for comfortable clothes and "a familiar place: my office, or certain airy and well-lighted public places."

As I read Fletcher's thoughts, I reflected back on my own most intense writing days trying to finish my dissertation while working full time, being a parent, preparing to move, selling my home (this means your house has to stay clean and neat), caring for my dad (who had broken neck his neck) and teaching grad school at night!  My writing times were carefully carved times every day where I had to make every moment count and thus, I developed my own routines that involved cold dry cereal, popcorn, and copious amounts of English Breakfast tea (decaf at nighttime). 

Fletcher's suggestions for us as teachers, with my own reflections, are noted below.  They are worthy of "bumper stickers" or "posters."

1) Environment  Some kids need water bottles and some kids will work best at a table.  Some might write best on a clipboard lying on their bellies while there might even be someone else out there who writes best when wrapped in a fluffy pink bathrobe!
2) Familiar texts.  Let our kids use the mentor texts they know and love!
3) Writer’s notebook If you have one (electronic or on paper) you will never have to "look at a blank piece of paper again!" 
4) Words Matter  Shelley Harwayne suggests we talk to each student as if the teacher’s words are being broadcast over the loudspeaker to the entire community!

I'm wondering if we need to think of switching into "writing sweaters" (think Mr. Roger's Neighborhood) and having Keurig in classrooms?   

Sacrifce or Service ?

Lots of people "give up" during the Lenten season hoping to serve by making a sacrifice.  I've tried but in recent years I've turned towards looking for ways to give service to others.  It's harder to do, and I suspect giving up vino for Lent might just be easier than thinking of HOW my life can incorporate more kindness and service.




                                                                   

                                                                       As Aesop said:

Strive to be happy

Desiderata Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be critical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. © Max Ehrmann 1927

It's Wonderful!

What an amazing source of informational texts to use in our classrooms.

http://wonderopolis.org/



 









For example....an excerpt
"Did you know?
considered highly poisonous.
Mushrooms and toadstools are the same. There’s no scientific difference between them.Mushrooms and toadstools cannot be defined by or distinguished from one another by shape, color or appearance.Not all toadstools are poisonous and not all mushrooms are safe to eat.
So when should you call a mushroom a toadstool? It’s up to you. If it looks like a good spot for a toad to sit, then go ahead and call it a toadstool. No one will mind!"

why ice fishing? #SOL2013

It happens every winter, like clockwork.  They arrive out on the frozen ponds and reservoirs. They scatter over the frozen terrain and huddle over holes in hopes of catching something besides a cold.  They are out there, day and night while the wind howls and the snow swirls around their ankles.  Old toboggans piled high with supplies for fshing and sustenance bring the occasional fisherman to their own little spot on the ice.  Others, those that come every day, set up huts and tents, their own little spot in the world. 
I've wondered, "Why, oh why do they go ice fishing?" as I drive by.  Yet, the answer may be as simple as the answer to  "Why build a fort out of blankets!"  We are all looking for our own little space in the world! 

 

Finding a little space #SOL2013

It started out with a line of stuffed animals denoting where each of our "rooms" were to be; however, like generations of children before them, it quickly "escalated" to creating "forts" with blankets and pillows and seeking more clearly defined spaces with roofs over our heads.  In retrospect (hindsight is always clearer) I should have taken pictures of the events following the Ipad tea party (bet you didn't know they had a tea party app?) and a traditional tea party with real china tea set; however, I really was too busy playing to capture the moments of film.  When Dad arrived, out came the the PVC pipe fort maker adaptation and the fun continued.  While I am not sure the forts were ever really finished (are forts ever really finished?), I am sure that similar fort building has ensued all over the world throughout time.
We are all trying to find our own little space in the world.

 

Meeting the Needs of Our Students and Our Educators

http://inservice.ascd.org/teaching/meeting-the-needs-of-our-students-and-our-educators/

"We have no excuses not to meet the needs of our students, and in the same vein, we have no excuses not to meet the needs of the educators who support them."

ASCD talks!
 

Concern, Crumbs and Cleaning

 Angst, concern,

Wondering, hoping, praying,

Friends, family, loved ones.

Diverse, wide ranging

Difficulty days for many. 

Winter's dark, cold, and windy afternoons,

No long walks to the pond.

 

So, I cleaned spices and "Gladware,"

Organized the pantry and pots,

Cleaned crumbs from the silverware,

   Sorted old magazines.

 

Don't be too jealous,

My car is a mess,

The office could use a shovel,

Socks need matching and clothes need ironing.  

There are powerpoints to write

Case studies to review

 

Yet, I am busy tonight, too,

As I head towards my pillow,

People to hold close in my heart

Prayers to be said.

 

Professional Development: Whose Job Is It?

Professional Development: Whose Job Is It?

you can go back, but you will glimpse into the future

Last night, we went back in time,

Yet glimpsed the future. 

We went back to the places and spaces

We veiwed as everyday,

However, it was not quite the same. 

We saw pieces of our lives,

Found familiar names and faces,

However, there were inevitable changes.

 

You can go back

But you will likely glimpse the future.

 

 

Wanna Teach Some Syllables?

Haiku has been on my mind! 
We can all haiku!
It's a great way to reinforce multi syllabic words, too! 

http://www.creative-writing-now.com/how-to-write-a-haiku.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Haiku-Poem
http://www.gigglepoetry.com/poetryclass/haiku.html
http://www.poetry4kids.com/blog/lessons/how-to-write-a-haiku/
http://www.edu.pe.ca/stjean/playing%20with%20poetry/Hennessey/howtohaiku.htm

 How to Write a Haiku - ABCTeach

www.abcteach.com/free/h/howto_haiku.pdf

http://www.cc.matsuyama-u.ac.jp/~shiki/Start-Writing.html

Which is more important?

"Love yourself first and everything else falls into line." Lucille Ball

"Love yourself first and everything else falls into line." Lucille Ball

http://www.reading.org/annual-convention/2013/

Today's message from the IRA.  Sigh.  I realized they are hawking their convention that so many of us who work directly with students cannot attend because we must be in our rooms working to be as effective as we can....... Regardless of their motive or the financial and time limitations of teachers, their encouraging line makes SO much sense  While I cannot attend the convention, I will read all of the proceedings and know that the time I spent THINKING and reflecting on my professional practice is indeed a gift of love to myself and to my students!  I will also be nice to myself tomorrow, onValentine's Day.  Indeed, I already got myself a little something!    I don't feel quite so guilty now!  Thanks IRA! 

Winter Woes #slice2013

While I have, in the past, reflected on winter's wonders,

Today, I'm focusing on its woes!

 

Have you glared at the slight incline ahead,

Watching cars fishtail on the icy slope?

Have you seen a tractor trailer,

Lying on its back, like a bug on an icy hill?

Have you seen a driver, throw caution to the wind, 

Passing inches from your mirror? 

Have you luged down the driveway,

Losing your shoes, earning a speed record?
Did you wonder if you would stop
If you would be able to stand up?

 

Have you ever ached from shoveling,
Numb fingers, twisted ankles, sore back?
Did you think about warm beaches,
Suntan lotion and cruises as you repositioned the snow?

Have you ever dreamed of outdoor recess

When children run, yell, play?
Spring training, opening day,
Hiking, biking, canoeing?

 Spring and summer vacations,
When the piles and slippery slopes will be distant memories?

 

I do! 

  

 

Mini courses of study vs. mini lessons

My grad students and I have been reading articles about small group guided reading and writing instruction.  While guided reading groups are more common that writing groups, both are essential components of helping students acquire the strategies of independent readers and writers. 

Below is a a repost from TWT.  Even if you are not one of my grad students, you should check it out.  The author compares taking a cooking class with becoming a chef!!! The connection with "gluten free" initally caught my eye; however, I am glad I took a deeper look as it is really a post about the need for connected small group instruction!

http://kateandmaggie.wordpress.com/2013/02/10/becoming-the-iron-chef-of-small-group-instruction/

The author propses that our small group instruction should focus on "mini-courses of study - 3-6 small group lessons, bundled together to provide kids enough practice on a larger concept so they can achieve growth." Bottom line: your mini lesson is like taking a cooking class.  It is NOT enough to make you a chef!

Faith, hope and love

It's imminent.

A flower infused, sugar coated holiday,

Roses, gourmet dinners, gifts, cards,

Public displays of affection.  

Bring joy and happiness,
Apprehension and sadness.

 

There are greater gifts,

Ones that sustain,

Through trials and tribulations,

Through the storms of life,

Faith, hope, love,
Intersect and interact. 

     

 

Faith in a power greater than us,

Hope for today and the future,

Love demonstrated through actions.
Intersecting and interacting.

 

 

Ever wondered what it might feel like to have a reading disability?

Before I head outside to play in, push around and pile up the snow that has settled in Stormville this morning, I took advantage of the "extra" time to follow up on a few Twitter PLN feeds. 
Now this might get a little confusing, but try to follow along:
One of the educators I "follow" is KevinHodgson@dogtrax. 

Kevin "retweeted" about a link that Larry Ferlazzo had posted about a link to a BBC site!  http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2013/02/07/try-being-me-is-an-interactive-dyslexia-experience/ … 

 

In the world of hyperlinked professional development, you never know where you will be and so by "following" the Twitter leads, I ended up at “Try Being Me” is an “interactive dyslexia experience”

which tries to show us how reading, writing and remembering might feel for those whose lives are  scrambled by reading and writing difficulties.  It is worth a stop over at: 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/20789777

 

Nemo's Haiku

Wind, snow, sleet outside

Top Gun, Flashdance, Monopoly

Nemo is with us

 

 

The other day, Stacy shared a wonderful Haiku book with us over at TWT.  Reading the review and thinking about what is ahead for my grad students this week, got me thinking about adding some Haiku to the mix!  Typically I focus on reading and writing free verse or found poems, but this year, I'm throwing in a haiku challenge, too!  

 

 

Still snow blankets us 

Plows, snow blowers, and shovels

Nemo's back at sea

Relax, it's only a test

My husband, who is NOT personally overwhelmed by the complex formula that will be used to evaluate teachers this year, does realize that "testing anxiety is a real, tangible factor in the lives of teachers and students today.  After all, he lives with me and KNOWS that on the days of the tests in April, I will be stressed.  He also knows that I await the release of those scores in August with baited breath!  So, as he read an article in last week's Time magazine on a snowy winter morning, he passed the journal over to me and said, "Your school psychologist should do a workshop on this!"
 
In my state, like in most others, teachers will be "evaluated" based on several factors including HOW their students perform on standardized tests given by the state.  It's scary and unfamiliar territory for most of us and the anxiety in most teachers is palpable!  It is also true, that no matter HOW much we TRY to KEEP all this stress from passing to the children, some of it DOES make its way down to even our littlest students!  
It's try that KIDS really are evaluated based on HOW they do on that test too!  Sometimes, as they take that first big test in third grade, affectionately known in NYS as the ELA, they get a little anxious or a little over confident or even a little scared.  It's so big and official and the adults around them put so much emphasis on "the test" that everyone knows it is important.

So, while we cannot make testing go away, reducing stress around testing is something we can focus on doing.  One of the suggestions in the Times article is a form of relaxation breathing that even little kids could learn to do in our classroom as a means of managing stress that is presented in the Journal of School Counseling (2010).

Yes, Ray,  I will talk to my school psychologist about this! 

Read more about this here: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2135124,00.html#ixzz2KKCtYlrxhttp://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2135124,00.html

Where will you go during winter break?

This poster, from the NYC library, has been circulating through Pinterest and Facebook.  I sent for a copy to get some of us through the dark days in February when SOME of us (who did not make non-refundable plans to go away) will spend cold winter days with those kids whose parents did not make non-refundable plans to go away!  Yes, I will be one of the teachers working while some of our students and some of our colleagues are on the beach, in a plane, over in Europe, or flying with Dumbo!
So, while the snow swirls around me this morning, let me share my plans for those "give back days" thanks to Sandy:

• I'll be having a "beach" party theme in my little reading room. 
• A tiny sandbox to write in will grace one corner of the room.
• Some lovely leis will be available to wear during reading times.
• I will get some sandpaper and us it to "border" or reflections and writing about the effect of Sandy, the storm, on our lives and our winter recess. 
• I'll be wearing a NEW pair of "flip flops" (and maybe a pedicure!) 
• We'll be "traveling" to some exciting places thanks to some great texts I found and adapted for my students featuring the the elevator at the Eiffel Tower, surfing in Sandy Hook, NJ (hard hit by the storm), eating pineapple in  Hawaii, and sailing around the world! 

It'll be my way to "get away" without going any place while thanking "Sandy" for those extra days in our school month!  

Creating a Graphic Organizer from Larry Ferlazzo's Ideas that Charlotte Danielson Would Love

In the October 2012 (70, 2) Educational Leadership, there was an article titled, Students Who Challenge Us: eight Things Skilled Teachers Think, Say and Do by Larry Ferlazzo
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/oct12/vol70/num02/Eight-Things-Skilled-Teachers-Think,-Say,-and-Do.aspxtudents   Somehow, I missed it until now!  While there are MANY powerful suggestions that I have OUTLINED BELOW (see linked article for details) one of Ferlazzo's points comes right out of Danielson's framework for teaching, http://www.danielsongroup.org/article.aspx?page=frameworkforteaching: Having students do more reflecting on their own learning.  It's an eye-opening focus! 

In this article, Ferlazzo suggests:
1. Remember that authoritative ...through listening and explaining.
2. Believe that everyone can grow.
3. Understand that power isn't finite...Give students choices.
4. Give positive messages.
5. Apologize..Teachers are human, and we make plenty of mistakes.
6. Be flexible...Help them get started...Help postpone tempting distractions...Acknowledge stress.
7. Set the right climate.
8. Teach life lessons...Including reflection on how things are going!

SO, I made myself a little graphic organizer (putting Ferlazzo's words into my own) to pop into my planbook as a reminder of effective teaching tips! 

 

 

Sharing the LOVE of Books

On Twitter THIS morning, I read about an interesting way to "share the love" for books on February 14th.   http://sharpread.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/international-book-giving-day-blog-hop/

Colby Sharp share the linnk to the International Book Giving Day Blog.  I am sharing their icon because it is adorable along with the idea of passing along books in any way you wish on International Book GIving Day! 



We invite those of you with blogs to share stories of how you celebrate International Book Giving Day via our International Book Giving Day blog hop!

"We are inviting people to celebrate International Book Giving Day on February 14th by 1. giving a book to a friend or family member, 2. leaving a book in a waiting room for children to read, or 3. donating a gently used book to a local library, hospital or shelter or to an organization that distributes used books to children in need internationally."
 

Twitter Powered Teaching

Over on Ed Week, Peter DeWitt wrote quite an argument for Twitter!  http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2013/02/are_educators_really_listening_to_each_another_on_twitter.html?cmp=SOC-SHR-TW

While Peter is 1.5 years into the Twitter revolution, I'm 8 months along the journey and still enjoying the SHARING but PETER who is a bit ahead of me on this journey is now concerned with "too much sharing and not always a lot of talking."

Peter suggests, "The way we engage with each other on Twitter has ramifications for our students."  He goes on to question, "Do we listen to our student's ideas? Do we listen to our colleagues? Or do we share our knowledge and walk away?"

YIKES, Peter, you got me thinking and questioning my own patterns on Twitter.  I usually comment WHEN I share -like today -  but not always.  I usually think and reflect a bit before passing on - case in point - but no talways.  I really appreciate the energy and information shared through Twitter.  It is an outlet and a forum that has enlarged my own PD and offered me insight into the thinking of others who are not publishing in Reading Teacher or NCTE journals! 

I will take your thoughts into consideration and not just pass on - without reflecting and commenting - unless I am in a real hurry!  Sometimes that happens you know, these are busy days for teachers!  Twitter might just be all we have time for this year! 

Safer Internet Day

Yesterday was Safer Internet Day.  I am sure I would not have heard about this except for my Professional Learning Network through twitter.  So, I am passing the information along and thinking, today, even if it is a day late, about how Google and others are helping to make this wild and crazy Internet highway safer for kids and for us, too!  nehttp://googleforstudents.blogspot.com/2013/02/safer-internet-day-how-we-help-you-stay.html#!/2013/02/safer-internet-day-how-we-help-you-stay.html
http://www.google.com/goodtoknow/
 

Winter Wonders

While driving home,

I was thinking about the raw winter wind
 howling around my car

The seemingly endless darkness,  

The temperatures below freezing
for days

The commute would be unbearable
Without my heated seats!   

Yet, as I drove by White Pond,

my spirits lifted. 

There, in the shadow of a sliver of moon,

out on a scraped surface of the pond,

were hockey players who had found a way

 to add joy and excitement to this cold winter day.  

I suspect they were wrapping up their game

Most standing around, leaning on sticks,

 They seemed happy and satisfied

with the wonders of a winter evening! 

As I stopped to take in the sight,

I realized that beyond them were others

who realized the evening was just perfect for fishing. 

In fact, the pond was alive and happy,

 just as exciting as on those hot August nights!

I'm reminded that while winter is long, cold and dark,

there are wonders if we just stop to notice. 

I'm glad I did.

I finished my commute

Made my way home

With a smile

 Reflecting Winter's Wonders!   

 

Pass the Paper, Laptops, and Tablets, Please

I used to write on yellow legal pads, drafting, crossing out, connecting new thoughts to old ones before typing and yet now, the thought of such as laborious process makes me cringe. I still drool over the brightly colored notepads that fill shelves at the end of summer.  I still use them, at times, for recording anecdotal observations and taking notes; however, most of the time I'm planning, recording and note-taking on a laptop or tablet.  It's likely our students will never know the angst of drafting on yellow legal pads or the challenge of getting 42 minutes of plans into a tiny box; however, they will likely write more than any previous generation! 

Which brings me to my argument for increased use of laptops, tablets, blogs, twitters, wikis, electronic writing (not just typing) in multiple formats,at every grade level - even kindergarten!  It's not that I do not value paper, pencils, and pens; I very much respect the need to learn to write notes, draft quick written responses and out our ideas down on paper; however, that is not the future of "writing" or sharing ideas as noted in so many readings, including the book edited by Herrington, Hodgson and Moran, Teaching the New Writing: Technology, Change, and Assessment in the 21st-Century Classroom.  http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/books/teachingnewwriting 

Not only do our students need to write electronically, from the earliest of ages, they need to know how to read critically and share safely on socially open media.  Even kindergarten students should learn not to write "hate-mail" or post one's anger over something they might just change their mind about at some time in the future! While Facebook has opened the doors for so many of us adults to connect with our old college roommates, our children need to know about how to write carefully, how much to share, and when to argue in private formats! 

As noted in Teaching the New Writing, it's not enough to foster classrooms where students write and respond to blogs.  We also need to teach how to read and respond argumentatively in persuasive yet responsible modes.  It's faster, more efficient and editing is far easier than with the old legal pad; however, the role of teacher is not lessened by the electronic format.  There are both greater rewards and greater risks in a world where the audience for our children's wriitng is far larger than "Grandma, Grandpa, and teacher."  In fact, there may be a far greater role of the teacher as an overseer and facilitator as we move into a world where the teacher might just be saying to the student designated to be the paper passer, "Pass the paper, laptops and tablets, please!"  

Embrace Kindness, Practice Compassion

Stacey got me thinking the other day with a post about "hitting the reset button."
http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/resetting/  Sometimes, the words jump off the page and into our hearts and this is just what happened! 

I might have been predisposed to thinking about "patience" this week as I resumed my busy life after a knock-you-off-your-feet-illness.  I guess I was already gearing myself up to "listening with my whole heart" as I watched my mother's "full body angst" as she turned the calendar to February and saw only sadness. 

So as I read the post, I felt like Stacey was talking right to me, reminding me that we can and should remember our human ability start anew on any morning in our lives (not just on January first!).  Sadness will happen and people will disappoint us; we will disagree with decisions and face challenging choices.  Life will never be perfect; however, "today is a new day." 
 
 

learning from your students

Did you know there are speakers you can attach to your IPad in order to share videos with the world? There are......and thanks to my grad students, now I know too.

hair, pear, wear and tear

I'm trying something new: a blog post from my phone. I'm learning this phone has skills I could have never dreamed of just a few years ago. I guess it really is possible to write on your phone while you are getting your hair done (refreshing its color)  and writing a shopping list while simultaneously reflecting on what I am going to wear and how long it will take for me to tear myself away from writing. Sigh. Just saying you can write from anywhere.
 

The Night I Took A Swig From My Flask

I am aware that the word flask has several definitions:

 

1. A small container, such as a bottle, having a narrow neck and usually a cap, especially:

a. A flat, relatively thin container for liquor.

b. A container or case for carrying gunpowder or shot.

c. A vial or round long-necked vessel for laboratory use.

2. A frame for holding a sand mold in a foundry.

Yet, from my perspective, the word conjures up a single, very clear image of my parents and other adults sipping on "adult beverages" to "keep warm." Let me try to explain:

 

My dad, a proud Columbia University graduate, took the family on an annual pilgrimage to a football game on what always seemed to be a freezing cold, rainy, windy Saturday when the icy gusts coming off the Hudson would chill you to the bones in minutes.  Columbia always seemed to lose, badly, and the "half time" show consisted of a bunch of former HS band students walking around the field playing some semblance of music.  I never understood or liked football as a child (I do understand the game now, thanks to Football for Dummies).  It was always a long day.  It was always a cold day.  My mother, who proudly embraced my dad's Alma matre as her own (claiming she earned her Mrs. there) passed the time by sipping from and passing around her "flask."  The vessel was always polished for the event and was monogrammed with her name.   

I have never consumed nor wanted to consume "adult beverages" from a flask at a football game or at any other event - perhaps I am not yet that grown up?  Yet, on Thursday night, as my lingering cough consumed my exhausted body, I did reach over to my purse, grab my ever present bottle of Mucinex Severe Cough syrup, efficiently squeezed and pushed the child proof top off, and as quickly as possible, took a "swig" a mouthful of the sweet, gluey substance that I hoped would quiet my cough for the next hour or so!    I was desperate for some relief and the cough drops were not working, but miraculously, the Mucinex helped just enough to get me through class! 

As we were leaving and reflecting on our writing this week, I did admit my own writing had been limited and that my still that "fighting" this pneumonia was taking its toll on my energy and ideas.  Quietly, one of my students volunteered, "You should write about how you took a swig from your flask to get through class tonight!"  Yikes, I guess I did!