#sol17 Not Alone

I wrote every day
          Although I  didn't think I could
I remembered the power of writing
          Although I didn't think I had much to say
I learned that my words still matter
          Although I did not think they did
Thanks to my students

          Who think outside all the boxes

Thanks to my children
          Who send me precious slices of their lives
Thanks to my baby and toddlers

          Who are reshaping my perspective

Thanks to my nieces
          Who slither into my heart  
Thanks to my fellow slicers
          Who encourage and spur my thinking 
Thanks to this Daily Slice of Life Challenge
          Which has helped me to reflect
          Which has forced me to notice
          Which has spurred my own thinking
          Which has encouraged me to see what I was overlooking
          Which has reminded me: I am not alone
My words matter
          Although I had forgotten
I am a writer

#sol17 Day 30 To feel HOPE

It's been dark, gloomy 

In the evenings

When I get home

It's been dark. cloudy

In the morning,

As I head to work

For months

Then, yesterday

The light in my driveway

From the sky above

Called me to come out

To walk for a bit

To smell spring
To feel HOPE

Late in the day
I did.

Then today

I saw a peppermint pink sky

Wispy purple clouds

The golden sun
Calling me to notice
Spring
To feel HOPE
Early in the day
I did. 

#sol17 Day 29 City Mouse Country Mouse

I'm sure you  know the classic tale of City Mouse and Country Mouse.  My second graders are have been working on determining "central messages," and their take-aways from this Aesop fable made me smile!

"I think it's about how you should not say mean things to people.  Like in our morning message we promise to be nice to each other.  You shouldn't say you don't​ like someone's bed and you shouldn't say their bed is too hard or too soft or just right and fall asleep on it"

"You should be nice to people in the city and in the country, too.  You should be nice to people everywhere!!"

"I think the author means you should not try to sleep in places like barns because it might hurt.  And you should not sleep in the city where there are too many people and it's noisy. You should sleep in your own bed."  

"I think you should be happy.. You shouldn't want to live anywhere else but where you live."

I offered another perspective about how how a peaceful and happy life might be best based on how the City Mouse had to live in fear, paraphrasing, second grade style, Aesop's moral: Better beans and bacon in peace than cakes and ale in fear.  But I must admit their ideas are good messages too. 

#sol17 Day 28 Lost in my book

After a long day

of learning and play

After my bath

with boats and bubbles

After brushing my teeth

for a good 3 minutes

Snuggled into my chair

just my size

Under my blanket

just my size

Lost in my book

Bob the Builder

That's where I'll be

#sol17 Day 27 Our Last Match

I realized I could win in the middle of our last match.  He gritted his teeth again and again. When it was my turn, he didn't chide about how long I was taking; instead, he leaned back and shut his eyes. We'd been playing as distraction from pain and treatments for a few years as he battled a relentless foe and I had yet to win even though I had kept my long ago promise. That night, however, it was clear he was getting thinner and weaker and sicker.  I knew that someday soon, my Scrabble partner would be gone.

I watched him shut his eyes and the memories of lying on our tummies on the family room floor playing "no mercy" Scrabble came flooding back.  He made me promise to try to win even though he was a tween and I was in college. For a few years, I could win; but as the advantage of age disappeared, he would consistently whoop everyone!  He certainly had no mercy for anyone, even his big sister.  In time, I became the only person willing to play against a man who played Scrabble relentlessly against the computer!

Until that last night, I had not been in a position to win for decades. Yet as the tiles dwindled and my own victory was possible, I did not keep that promise.  I'm not sure if he knew that I had "given him the game," but neither of us said a word about it. He slowly headed off to bed and I headed home, wondering, but not sure this was our last game.

I'm sure he has been honing his skills since that last match with me; someday, we'll have a rematch or two or three and I will keep my promise.

Leah Jaques wrote a post on the Two Writing Teachers Challenge about playing board games that stirred all kinds of memories and changed my planned post for today!  She's MY mentor text for today. 

#sol17 Day 26 Signs of Hope

It was quiet, dreary

Clouds hanging low

Dampness filling the air

When I headed out to walk

Not sure if it was me

Or the weather

Hoping to clear my head 

Hoping to settle my heart

Hoping to remember

Hoping to forget.

So glad I went

In spite of the mist

The park was full 

Of people, pets, and

Good Mornings

Of birds chirping passionately

Of trees with a red aura

Of crocuses trying to come out

Of signs of hope.

#sol17 Day 25 The

We had re-read familiar books and practiced this week's "featured" sounds (c,g,d,a) when my administrator pulled up a chair for my "unannounced" observation  "Hi," one of my readers, waved cheerfully, announcing her arrival
.

Inside, I sighed. Images of those third graders, earlier, who had spurred each other's thinking about words with multiple meanings ran through my head.  A glimpse of those second graders who had determined the central message in The Ugly Duckling tied to our building motto about "Kindness" flew across my mind. "Why not stop by for the story of Lizzy," I thought, "to see my first graders challenge whether or not chameleons really eat strawberries in real life"  

But, in real life, my lesson plan for this group, this day, was the word, the.  You can't make slices of real life up.  It was the.  For a moment, I did think about scrapping that plan and going with next week's story; however, the word the had been a stumbling block for these kindergarten students.

So I went on with the real life lesson of a high-frequency word you just need to remember.  We wrote the big.  We wrote the small.  We said the letters as we wrote it.  We found the in books.  We wrote the cat and the dog, the pig and we illustrated our writing.

At the end, My students might have been empowered to find the word again!  I'll follow up with some assessing, reteaching as needed, more writing to strengthen memory, and more word finding, and if need be, some sandpaper writing  to solidify the word the.

At the end, I realized I had to reflect deeply on my teaching of the word the!

Let me begin:  The is an essential building block of early reading and writing.  For most children, many exposures of shared reading at home and in kindergarten contribute to this word becoming an image, almost like an icon.  However, for a handful of children, there is a need for more direct teaching, and perhaps repeated direct teaching, using a multisensory approach ....................

#sol17 Day 24 Ugly or Uggly

Oh yes, my student-fashionista had me in stitches the other day as we talked about ugly, as in the Ugly Duckling.

First, we attacked the word.  "It's got a suffix," she said excitedly, "and a base word, too!  So, it says ug.ly!"

"Well, it does say ugly," I volunteered, "but in this word, ly is not a suffix because ug is not a word."

"Oh yes it is," she said assertively, "like in my boots!"
  
"Let's see your boots," I suggested, and we lo and behold Ugg boots, not Ug boots do exist!

"Oooh," she said, "I get it.  They are spelled differently.  And, Ugg boots are not Ugggly!" she laughed recognizing her joke.

"Well," she jumped into another thought as she is prone to do, "that is not a very nice thing to call the duckling just because he is gray and different because he is nice and friendly too!  And, I can prove it,"she offered," going back into the text and finding the proof she needed for each describing word.

We crafted sticky notes to hide the now offensive (perhaps even bully-like word) in the old title and continued with our guided reading of the text using some chunking, some finding base words, and some thinking about the meaning of words as we went along.

"We should rewrite this story," she offered as a suggestion to my planned teaching for the week as she skipped back to class.

Perhaps we will, I thought, my mind wandering just like hers to the teacher-accountability rubric that highly values student-led learning!  

#SOL17 Day 23 Turning 94

Spending this birthday in rehab,

That quagmire of post-hospital life

For those whose recovery may be prolonged

For those who need 10 days to recover

For each 1 day in the hospital

Been there for 9 weeks

There is no end is sight

Been strengthening her leg

Physical therapy twice a day

Been letting the femur heal

Waiting, hoping, praying

Been dealing with pain
Shingles, muscles, bones,

Been dealing with,
"I can't shift myself
In the wheelchair,"

Been missing her home

Her Hershey Kisses

Her breakfasts at noon,

Been missing her TV

Been missing her soap opera

Today she will be

Up early
Working out (PT, OT)
Drinking power shakes (Ensure)

Doing what she has to do
Turning 94

#sol17 Day 22 Free @ DQ?

Did you know that DQ and Rita's Soft Serve offer free ice cream cones to anyone on the first day of spring? They do!  It's too late for this year, but put it on your radar for next year!

The sun was warm and it felt springy even though the lingering snow piles and dangling icicles made one question going for ice cream!  We headed to Dairy Queen because everyone was home and everyone was still awake! The line really wasn't that bad!

My little guy was perched on his dad's shoulders for a birds' eye view of the happenings. There were smiles and giggles and wiggles as we mingled and waited in a wide and scraggly line.  He had NO idea what lay ahead!  We found a tiny table and set his cone down.  He took both hands and batted it away as if it were an alien spacecraft! His father was in disbelief!  His mother wondered if he were switched at birth!  His father put the squirming toddler on his lap and modeled eating an ice cream cone. The little guy batted that now melting vanilla goodness away again. He put his fingers into the liquefying substance and instinctively went to his mouth. Then, as quickly as they went in, the fingers came out and the sticky whiteness went flying.  Swinging his head from side to side, the toddler told us all, he was not eating that foreign and perhaps dangerous substance.

Then, his mom deftly took a tiny ice cream spoon from her cup and placed a large spoonful inside his mouth, much like she had done about a year earlier with a glob of not-so-sweet rice cereal.  He swirled this new substance around, cement mixer style, and his face lit up with excitement.  Perhaps, he was realizing this was ICE cream not that old RICE stuff of his baby-days! He grabbed the spoon and you can imagine the rest of the story.

I'd personally like to thank Dairy Queen (and Rita's Soft Serve) for their free cones. I hope they met their goals of raising funds for worthy causes, like the Children's Miracle Network. I can assure them that this Grammy will be back and it is just possible that a new family tradition was born on the first day of spring.

#SOL17 Day 21 Spring

The sun was a brighter orange,

As it made its trip over the horizon.

I'm certain the snow pile was smaller

There was a spring in his step

As the early morning jogger ran past.

I wore my lighter jacket

And turned the heat up in the car.

It's a subtle change,

To be sure,

Yet this morning

I feel a lot like Frog 

In the Arnold Lobel classic

Frog and Toad are Friends!

I want to shout out loud:

"Wake up birds, little critters,
Flowers, grass, and trees,
Wake up you chipmunks and squirrels!

It's spring, for real this time!
The sun is shining, 
The snow is melting.
We'll walk through the park
and run through the neighborhood.
In the evenings, we will sit 
On the front porch and
Count the stars!"

*Thanks Arnold Lobel for your timeless tale.

#sol 17 Day 20 Chapters of My Life

One of the wonderful gifts of the SOL challenge is "meeting new people" and "learning" new writing formats.  On Sunday, Carrie @Carrie Writes  did a memoir format that I wanted to try. So, with respect to Carrie, here are some slices of my memoir:

I was in 2nd grade and my mom was picking me up from school. "Your mom is having a baby," the boy who sat next to me chided.  "No she's not," I countered.  But the next day, I had to go back and tell him he was right.  My baby brother had arrived and our one bedroom mobile home was filled to the brim with a family of 5 during that chapter.

I had just turned 11 and was eagerly awaiting the beginning of 7th grade when my parents called a family meeting.  "We're moving to Mississippi," they said. My mom was not happy about leaving her house, the one finally decorated the way  she wanted it. Moving where they talked, ate and lived very differently was a challenging chapter.    

I was in high school but was "bused" to SUNY Albany where I had an "inside" view of the growing unrest on college campuses.  I watched protesters stage sit-ins on the quad and read hand-outs challenging what our government was doing. I listened to the demonstrators and the songs of the protesters became my own. It was certainly a confusing and scary chapter of not just my story .

It was my last day of student teaching and the last day before the winter recess, when my principal asked if I would like to take over a 1st grade class for the rest of the year. We were standing in the hallway when this sort-of-interview-offer was delivered and as my heart rate inched into the dangerous zone, I accepted the job  So began a wonderful, challenging, many faceted chapter of my life.

It was a Sunday afternoon, many years later, and we were gathered around the fireplace when we shared the news that our family was growing. We'd been married for a while and the suggestions about a baby had pretty much stopped when we shared our news. "This is the best present," my niece squealed when she learned a baby cousin might share her birthday!  That certainly was a busy, happy, wonderful chapter of my story.

It was decades later, but again on a Sunday when my son arrived home with news. Excitedly, nervously and a little scared, he and his wife discussed plans for their next chapter. They referred to me as Grandma and we celebrated the beginning of a wonderful new chapter for me, too.

It was a Friday night and I was exhausted, but the end of the school year was in sight. "I'll bring home Chinese," he offered. It was my last shrimp and snow peas and our last dinner together. In an instant, a very different, alone, chapter of my life began.  I was too sad to write for a long while; but I'm trying hard to write that chapter now.

#SOL17 Day 19 Toddlers and Toys

Dear Parents and Grandparents of Toddlers, ,

     I must admit that I was a bit rusty on the parenting skills index when I became a Grammy 18 months ago. I had a relearn swaddling and somehow had forgotten that toddlers rarely play with toys.

     Babies will look and hold and study toys mostly because they are still immobile and do whatever their parents say.  But, toddlers, like those miracle 18 month-olds on my horizon, have emerging minds of their own and their goals are to do what their parents do.

      Seriously, I should have known better! Even if my own parenting memories of toddlers were lost to sleep deprivation and exhaustion, I've been an Auntie (and a Great Auntie) to nieces and nephews and their children for more than 4 decades! I have an advanced degree in Literacy, Language and Learning and many, many years of elementary teaching experience.  I've read Maria Montessori's ideas about children observing and their need for independence in a prepared environment.

    So here is the point of this letter: Skip the toddler toys.  Invest in a new set of pots and pans for you.  Buy a new vacuum, mop and broom. Perhaps, buy yourself a new cell phone and laptop! Save the empty boxes for the toddlers. And, let your toddler play cooking, bang pots, sweep, mop, dust and do what they see you do every day.

Sincerely,
One Life-Long Learning Grammy

 

#sol17 Day 18 Wearing of the Green

"That's not green, it's aqua-blue!" the little fashionista wearing shamrocks on her headband and sporting shamrocks on her cheeks reprimanded me,  "This is St. Patrick's Day green," she chided me pointing to her own multiple shades of green shirt, leggings and socks!

I was actually a little surprised that she considered my "green" sweater, the one I had been wearing for "Spirit Fridays" for months NOT to be green; but, recognizing my own color and fashion limitations, I smiled and listened.

"And you know spring starts next Monday?" she continued, "so, no more boots!" she said pointing to my (I thought) fashionable boots!  "Unless you are wearing Uggs," she said (and of course I do not have Uggs).

So I guess I have my walking papers from a second grader on this Spirit Friday, St. Patrick's Day, and the last school-day of winter. Even if huge snow piles fill the parking lot and  is too cold for outdoor recess, I'm going to need to get a new, real green, top and put away the boots if I want to be fashion-forward for the group that wears bouncing shamrocks in their hair!  

#sol17 Day 17 A Debate

"A debate is when two people 

Who want to be President 

Boast about how great they are 

And insult the other person," 

He volunteered confidently 

Using two of our recent "Words of the Day" 

In a meaningful context 

And smiling broadly. 

"Well, interestingly enough, debates are more than just something people do when they want to become President!" I offered attempting to broaden their thinking about debates! "Debates can happen whenever you have differing opinions.  We could debate the best ice cream flavor or the best breed of dog!"  

"It probably wouldn't be as interesting as debating about who would be the best President," another student offered!

"Let's look again at this title,  The Cat or Dog Debate, and focus on the debate in this short story," I countered knowing that I did not want to get into politics with third graders in the waning days before their state tests.  "Let's focus on the debate in this story!"

Meanwhile, inside my head, I am thinking we will need to broaden our thinking on what it means to debate a topic of one's passion - AFTER the ELA test is history.

PS Happy St Patrick's Day even if you debate the value of corned beef!
  

#sol17 Day 16 The Bill

On a cold, wintry snow-day that was also his one-month-old birthday, he nestled into the crook of my arm for a little while, looking at me and sucking on a substitute for food.  He looked right into my eyes as I sang, "I love you...a bushel and a peck...a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck," just like I sang to his brother not too long ago.

But then, he got fussy and my singing and nestling was no longer sufficient. "Let me try," my once child and now his father offered scooping the tiny being into his arms and swaying too and fro like he was born to care for newborns.  "He likes The Bill" he said referring to a sway that his cousin modeled after my mother's memorial service last year.

And with a scoop and a sway, this tiny being quieted and nestled onto his father's chest, where he was supposed to be.  Perhaps, dads of the 21st Century have perfected sways that comfort tiny beings? Perhaps, my mother provided an opportunity for cousins to pass on powerful dad-sways?

No matter what, I learned that my newest grandchild likes the "Bill."

PS sometimes I plan my writing the night before with a draft and other times I draft in the morning....rarely do I wait until the end  of the day....but sometimes I slice later by the skin of my pants too..

#SOL17 Happy Hour at Rehab?

"I'm trying," she said softly, "but PT (physical therapy) is very hard. Perhaps this is easier for people who jogged all their lives?  They expect me to be like Jack La Lane!"

I try to be a little bit sympathetic and a little bit the "stern" niece as I as encourage her to keep trying. "This would be hard for even Jack La Lane," I respond, pretty sure that La Lane was a chain of gyms back in my youth? 

"They all seem to forget that I had shingles and now I have shingles pain!  They say  that's the worst pain you can have.  I didn't believe that before, but now I do.  It's stabbing burning pain just like they say on TV."

I try to be a little bit sympathetic and a little bit the "stern" niece as I as encourage her to keep trying. "You have to ask for pain meds when you need them," I remind, "and you have to be stronger to go home."

"I keep missing Days of Our Lives,"  she says, this time smiling, but I'm pretty sure my life is a Soap Opera these days.  Maybe you should write a book about this?" 

I too smiled realizing that I cannot "fix" any of my Aunt's problems, but I can listen to them  I'm thinking that nonagenarians stuck in the rehab with a broken femur really just need to vent, just like we all do! Perhaps some sort of "happy hour" with music, fruity drinks and a chance to complain about the work would help?

#sol17 March 14 I Wish You More

I learned  Amy Rosenthal passed away this morning and so it is with great sadness and deep respect that I share this post drafted yesterday about her I Wish You More.

I found I Wish You More almost 2 years ago and I bought it to be a mentor text for my reluctant writers. It has. We've wished each other more hugs than hits, more snuggly puppies than barking dogs, more nice brothers than mean sisters, more nice baby sitters than mean ones, and more love than hate! It is a lesson that always prompts some interesting thoughts and some personally meaningful writing at home. I've given it more times than I can remember for baby showers and birthdays!!

I'm thinking of I Wish You More as I sit here on a snowy day morning that is impacting many of us in the Northeast and the juxtaposition within rings clearly this morning.

So with deep respect for this powerful format borrowed from a great mentor text by an author we will miss, here is my wish for those of us impacted by today's storm.

I wish you just enough to get a "snow day"

But not a dangerous snowfall.

I wish you a pot of hot tea and a good book

But not a power outage.

I wish you time to do puzzles or play Monopoly

But not to be snowbound for days.

I wish you the papers you need to do income tax 

(if you still need to do so, like me)

But not a day consumed by searching for missing papers!

I wish you more happy moments with those you love

Than stressful hours shoveling snow. 

I wish you the power of I Wish You More

To continue Amy Rosenthal's memeory
To notice the happy moments 

That sit next to the stressful ones each day.

#sol16 Day 13 I'll read to you

Just sit on the floor, Grammy,

I'll settle into my chair,

I'll read this  one to you,

I'll hold the book like this,

I'll turn the pages, like this

I'll look at the pictures, like this.

You can read to me, 

Later,

When I am tired

But right now,

I'll do it

All by myself.

I've been watching

I'll read to you.

#sol17 Day 12 Reading Milk Cartons

"You are not going to believe this," he yelled pointing to a small image on the side of the milk cartoon. "This is unbelievable! "I buy at least 4 cartons a week and I never noticed this?  I've been drinking milk long before I became a dad!" he continued, perhaps a bit puzzled about how he might have overlooked this image on the side of the carton for so long!

"I'd recognized that cow anywhere. We say goodnight to him and all his friends when we read about the hippos, each and every night!"  

I guess that is what happens when you start seeing the world through a Daddy (or a Mommy) Brain. You realize that Sandra Boyton does more than write and illustrate board books for toddlers.  She also creates icons for milk cartons.  

I wondered what else?  So I Googled.. She went to Yale.  Her dad founded Boyton/Cook Publishers and were on the front of the writing reform movement.   She started out designing cards, images for clothing, coffee mugs......  Her first book was Hippos Go Berserk (1977), my Jack's favorite!  She has also written more than 60 songs!

http://www.sandraboynton.com/sboynton/Introduction.html

#sol17 Day 11 Kiss Your Brain

"Did I knock your socks off?" he smiled as he finished reading his "show off" reading story. 

I'm sure I was smiling as this little guy was sort of "stuck" in that beginning reader, 1-2 sentence per page,Fountas and Pinnell Level C/D range just 2 months ago.  Now, he was working hard, but independently reading a text with  3-8 lines per page, like those found on a Fountas and Pinnell Level G!  I quickly computed his accuracy and realized his accuracy was 96%!

"You really did a good job wrestling those words to the floor," I responded. "I loved when you said going here (cue pointing to the miscued word) and then after you read ahead, it didn't make sense so you went back and fixed that misread word to glasses. You self corrected there, buddy.  You also self corrected over on this page, when you realized the word really was eye.  You are really using your reading strategies.  Kiss that thinking brain of yours!"

I've made an effort to use a child friendly form of retrospective, miscue analysis for many years (thanks to Yetta Goodman who popularized this strategy in the '80s). 

I've made a focused effort to give specific praise with examples after doing a running record for many, many years (thanks to Peter Johnston and his Words Matter).  

In the past few years, however, I've added another very specific, child-friendly way to acknowledge good thinking, "Kiss your brain."  I did not attend a workshop nor did I read to learn about this strategy.  I was on a visit to observe a teacher in a neighboring school district when I observed this phrase and the specific impact on students. It was clearly a cue to say, "Good thinking."  I never got a chance to specifically acknowledge that learning and how it impacted my teaching, but I did do a little research and it may come from the work of Dr. Jean Feldman's song, Kiss Your Brain.   

I'm not sure where the "knock my socks off" words came from, but I make it clear that it is a silly way of saying "Wow!"  To be honest, most students don't really cue into it and very few use it.  But "B" really likes that expression and frequently asks about how my socks are holding up as he reads!

So this morning, I thank Yetta, Peter, Jean (and of course Irene and Gay Sue) for making sure that "show off reading" session was more than just a test or assessment for progress monitoring.  "B" left my room with a smile on his face and very specific feedback for his teacher when he returned to his room.  "I self corrected two times and knocked her socks off!" 

#sol17 Day 10 Today

Someday soon, 

Tiny crocuses

Like those poking their heads up yesterday,

Will be joined by graceful tulips

And bold daffodils

They will dance in the spring breeze

Under sun-shiny skies

Amid fresh blades of green, green grass,

To be adored by walkers, joggers and runners,

Bike-riders and squealing children.

But, today,

It is still winter.

The ground is covered 

With a "lovely" fresh, wet, white, blanket,

The still bare trees are decorated

With white sweaters and jackets.

Our sweaters, mittens, and boots,

Are back in service 

While visions of shoveling,

Snow people and snow angels,

Resurface.  

The tulips on my windowsill

Are sitting amid the late-winter-white

 Reminders to embrace and enjoy today

Reminders of what is ahead 

Someday, soon.

   

#sole17 Day 9 The Beast Sings Again

I liked the first, long-ago, animated, 90's, version so much I turned it (sort of) into a Parents as Reading Partners Kick Off Play, Beauty and the Book Beast.  The setting, of course, in a library!  The problem, of course, people were not borrowing the "boring old" books!

So when I began to see trailers for the new, soon to be released version, I got a bit excited.  There is something about the potential of a shameless love story. Then, I saw this movie trailer of Josh Groban singing Evermore pop up on Facebook, and I listened, and I cried as I know the heartbreak of losing someone you love.

Even as he/she runs away
He/she will still torment me
Call me, hurt m

Move me, come what may
Wasting in my lonely tower
Waiting by an open door
I'll fool myself,  he/she'll walk right in
And be with me for evermore

http://hellogiggles.com/josh-groban-beauty-beast-song/?utm_campaign=socialflowfacebook&utm_source=Social&utm_medium=Fac

#sol17 Day 8 Stay Home or Go To Work?

I heard about the International Women's Day initiative as I was sipping my coffee and finding my space on the interstate.  "Oops," I thought, learning I was supposed to be staying home, not shopping and wearing red!  "Strike 1,strike 2, strike 3,"I thought, sipping Mobil on the Run Coffee while driving to work and wearing a new pink sweater!

Then, the news story continued to say that some stations decided to play songs ONLY written and sung by women while OTHER stations interpreted this day in the opposite way.  THEY decided to play only songs written and sung by males!  I smiled realizing there would be many ways to interpret this initiative!

To be honest, even if I had known about the initiative, I probably would have had my black coffee and gone to work today,  While I respect the choices some of you may have made to support respect, I have to take off from work my family is sick.  I have to take off from work when family joys, like my newest grandchild, and family sorrows, like my Aunt's broken femur, come along!  Not that anyone on the International Women's Day asked me, but I'd prefer to spend a few minutes of the day sharing about the impact of women in our society and how life has changed for women in the last century.  If I had a choice, I's prefer to SHOP!  If I had a choice, I

Long ago, my grandmother had to quit teaching when she got married!  Sounds crazy in an era when we talk about more - even if not still enough - leave options for new moms and dads. Long ago, when I was in grade school, girls did not wear pants to school!  Sounds silly now, but it was true not THAT long ago!

So next year, I would like a little more Facebook or Twitter publicity the day before so I can at least wear the color of the day and join in sharing the many juicy quotes about and by women! This year and next year as well, I hope we can all be respectful of the many challenging decisions women (and men) make every day to support their families, communities and careers.  Whether we stay out of the work and financial world in order for others to see our impact OR if we choose to make an impact by being visible at work, in our families and in our communities, in the words of an old commercial, "We've come a long way."

A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men." - Gloria Steinem

"The education and empowerment of women throughout the world cannot fail to result in a more caring, tolerant, just and peaceful life for all." -Aung San Suu Kyi

"There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish." - Michelle Obama
 

"In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders." - Sheryl Sandberg                           

“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” Nora Ephron

#SOL17 Comments

"When I comment during this SOL Challenge, I always remember my first time.  It was March 1, 2012, and I was trying to figure out why I was feeling compelled to be write for people who would never read my words.....But I had a new tablet and wrote about it..

Late that first night,  Wendi Richert said, "your post really grabbed me! I love how you described messing with your new tablet and reluctantly putting it away to cook dinner."  

Then, a few minutes later, Elsie, who still writes and still inspires me connected with my fears and told me about how she had joined the SOL community the year before.  She assured me that this challenge, "Does change one- in a good way."

Then, when I had fallen asleep but was already thinking about my next post, Ruth Ayers thanked me for joining the community! 

I was so excited the next morning as I read their comments on my blog, I responded to THEIR comments, adding, "NOW I REALLY get how the kids feel when I respond to THEIR writing!"

There are a LOT of new slicers this year and having the community grow to over 300 makes responding to all the newbies challenging....but then I remember that this is part of MY challenge to PASS some encouragement FORWARD.   Certainly, our verbal and written comments can inspire ALL readers, writers, and in fact everyone we meet, each and every day! 

As a former assistant principal used to say every day, "Make it a good day!"  I really do hope it is a good day for you. 

  

#sol17 Day 6 Shoos and Gam Mees

"Ma ma," she said and pointed to her mom.
"Bi bi," she smiled and pointed to herself.
"Nooz," she continued, proudly pointing to her nose.
"Eeer," she continued on naming another body part because when you are just figuring out this talking thing, you can't practice too much.
"Ow si," she continue proudly pointing to the door and thinking someone once took her outside when she uttered those sounds.  It just might happen again..
"Shoo," she said proudly, just in case we forgot that you learned to walk so you could get sparkly zebra print shoes.
"Gam mee," she continued.  I wasn't sure what this meant without a video of what she was pointing to, so I didn't respond right away.

"That's right," her mom said proudly,"Grammy is on the phone. Where are you going," her mom wondered aloud as she toddled off waving good-bye?

But, Bi bi knew she had done her "job" for the moment.  She had added a word to her vocabulary and made her Gam mee's heart beat just a bit faster!

SOL17 The Beast

I liked the first, long-ago, animated, 90's, version so much I turned it (sort of) into a Parents as Reading Partners Kick Off Play, Beauty and the Book Beast.  The setting, of course, in a library!  The problem, of course, people were not borrowing the "boring old" books!

So when I began to see trailers for the new, soon to be released version, I got a bit excited.  There is something about the potential of a shameless love story. Then, I saw this movie trailer of Josh Groban singing Evermore pop up on Facebook, and I listened, and I cried as I know the heartbreak of losing someone you love.

Even as he/she runs away
He/she will still torment me
Call me, hurt m

Move me, come what may
Wasting in my lonely tower
Waiting by an open door
I'll fool myself,  he/she'll walk right in
And be with me for evermore

http://hellogiggles.com/josh-groban-beauty-beast-song/?utm_campaign=socialflowfacebook&utm_source=Social&utm_medium=Facebook

#SOL17 Day 5 Kindess at the Depot

As I wandered up and down the aisles looking for a very specific piece of hardware, my mind wandered to the possibility that a small service-oriented-I-will-get-it-for-you hardware store might still exist somewhere?

I was about ready to give up when I heard, "Can I help you?" An orange vest appeared and someone wanted to help,adding a whole new wrinkle to my dilemma and a renewed understanding of my students who struggle with academic language.  How do you ask for something when you do not know what it is that you you want?

"So, I have an old wooden storm door," I began, "and I need a hinge of some sort to secure the door does not open when it is pushed."  The words were not even out of my mouth and I knew I had not clarified my need, so I continued."See, when you are inside, you really have to fiddle with the handle to make sure it stays shut.  Right now, there is no way to lock it.   I want to put on something with a little bar to make sure it stays shut."


"I'm not quite sure what you want," he said looking as if I spoke another language.  "Maybe you could draw me a picture of what you want?  So I did and he smiled as he took me to the next aisle where there was a "top mounted door latch," just like in my mind! "How about this?"

I really was relieved, but my eyes filled with tears, as they do sometimes do when I am overwhelmed with how-to-take the next step on my new journey, one for which I did not study nor did I prepare. "Will this be hard to install," I asked my new orange-vested friend?

"I'm pretty sure we could find you a You Tube video," he smiled as he took out his I pad!  He pointed out a few critical steps in the tutorial and assured me I could do this one with a drill and a screw driver.  

On the way home to my storm door, I thought about the impact of acts of kindness and the power of those who go beyond the demands of their jobs to provide those of us who are outside our comfort zone.

So, today, I celebrate the small kindness of a random orange-vested gentleman who watched a 2 minute video with a teary customer.  He'll never need to know that my tears were not just because I was overwhelmed with installing a door latch; rather I have been overwhelmed with events in my life which I could not control and my stress-tear-thresh-hold is rather low.   Our paths are not likely to cross again, but I'm reminded of the potential of our actions and words to impact everyone we meet.

#sol17 Day 4 Slime

The Oxford Dictionary says slime is a moist, soft, and slippery substance, typically regarded as repulsive.  It claims synonyms should be ooze and muck.  I must respectfully disagree with this definition!
Science teachers might describe slime as a polymer, composed of very large chains of molecules that are composed of repeating units known as monomers. A single polymer molecule may comprise hundreds of thousands of monomers. The monomers may be identical, or they may vary. 
The In the past few months, since SLIME became the rage among the upper elementary set, I've used slime to teach reading and writing the "How To" genre to students who  were excited enough to show up two periods early for "reading club."  
I've used slime to encourage focus, persistence, and dedication as it really takes a long, long time to make some really great slime.  I've had students who avoid writing as if it were the plague, excitedly copy recipes and bring in suggestions for making it again!.  In fact, I thought, foolishly, that I as a bit of an expert of SLIME, formerly known to me as made-at-home-play-dough.
But, thanks to You-Tube video clips, I now know that you can make edible/inedible slime, slime with/without Borax, slime with/without cornstarch, slime with/without shaving cream, slime with/without shampoo.......  I now know that the possibilities for slime are endless.  I now know that slime has taken over the internet and may just be the most wonderful Friday night date imaginable!
My definition for slime would be: a magical substance that is messy and takes a lot longer than those You Tube videos suggest to make.  Slime makes kids of all ages happy and it's magical polymers are engaging and powerful.  Synonyms: fun, happy, magical.  Antonyms: repulsive.  Sorry Oxford dictionary; however, I must disagree with you on this one. 
Google: How to make slime or check out these resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVU9u8GNtH4
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjH0ojn_7zSAhWB6YMKHSJxAwUQtwIIHTAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DSATp0cgFoKU&usg=AFQjCNFh4PZmwIFxq1_is2oheMMZuGHUdg&sig2=T5zj-7wO_RWWD6DEdIrNLA&bvm=bv.148747831,d.eWE
https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/articlesbytopic/solidsliquidsgases/chemmatters-dec2004-slime.pdf
https://www.reference.com/hobbies-games/make-slime-borax-abc489bbae1e810?qo=cdpArticles
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A0LEViknxrpYgDMA46MPxQt.;_ylu=X3oDMTByMjB0aG5zBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=How+To+Make+Slime+Youtube&fr=yhs-adk-adk_sbnt&hspart=adk&hsimp=yhs-adk_sbnt
https://www.reference.com/hobbies-games/make-green-slime-used-nickelodeon-game-shows-cd8af24e4e9ca711?qo=contentSimilarQuestions