#sol24 March 2 An Act of Love

Day 2 of the Two Writing Teacher Slice of Life Challenge

"Do you know Matilda?" she asked confident I would have no idea about the Roald Dahl classic.

"Matilda had just been published when I read it to your Mom," I said reflecting on that week, long ago, when Mono ravaged her Mom's body and I struggled to keep her Mom awake!  My mind wandered to a memory of that read-aloud. 

The little one continued talking about Matilda while my mind wandered to a long-ago after recess read aloud of Where the Caged Bird Sings in Ms. Huber's class. I caught glimpses of that read-aloud as I pushed into sixth grade for reading support; I had to borrow the book as I was as mesmerized as her students. '

I thought of that (last) read-aloud to my Dad, her great-grandfather, who was too weak to hold the newspaper (New York Times, Maureen Dowd). Then, as minds sometimes do, I thought about that last read-aloud to my brother, her great Uncle, who we knew would be gone before my article would be published (Including Matthew: Assessment Guided Instruction).

Those bittersweet read aloud memories were joined by a recent glimpse of a much loved newborn and her grandmother sharing a Madeline.  I could imagine the power of that read-aloud to plant seeds of love that will intermingle with roots from long ago, "...lived twelve little girls, in two straight lines..."

 

I thought about Kate DiCamillo who said something about reading aloud being an act of love.

“Reading aloud ushers us into a third place, a safe room, it’s a room where everyone involved, reader and the listener, can put down their defenses and lower their guard."

Ready to take on this world

I missed this week's 

Slice of Life

Because of him,

But that is OK with me.

He already nuzzles into my shoulder

As if it were an old favorite.

He already gazes into my eyes

As if we were old buddies.

I gaze at him and wonder,

How can I love him 

As much as I love his sister?
As much as I love 

His cousins?

Is he an old soul?

Yet, brand-new, 

Fresh from the oven

Ready to take on this world.

He's still so tiny,

Yet, he's melted my heart,

Rocked my world,

Filled my soul

With scent-of-miracle.

I wonder, as I hold

My miraculous grandchild,

If my Grandmothers felt this way

As they held their

Children's children?

Were they too

Filled with happy tears

As they nuzzled, long ago, 

Each of us?

Then, I smile

As I nuzzle, because

I already know the answer.

Your heart grows 

As they emerge

Ready to take on this world.

#sol2014 When you hold on tight

 

Long ago, when I Want to Hold Your Hand was the rage,

Before the The Long and Windy Road was clarified,

They took a leap of faith, 

Promising to love, honor, and respect

They could not imagine the piles of toys, 

Immense joys, 

The hills they would climb together,

The travels and travails they would share,

The breathtaking moments and 

Unimaginable heartaches, 

They would share.

They could not imagine the power of faith,

The love of family,

The guidance of friends

That would bridge the worry, 

Help them overcome their fears, 

Surround them in glorious moments

As well as the dark days of life. 

They could not have imagined

Holding each other more tightly now,

Than 50 years ago,

They could never have imagined 

Kenny Rogers would write their story,

Through all the good and bad

I knew how much we had...

I've always been so glad

To be with you...

As long as it's okay

I'll stay with you

Through the years

The Emotional Core

I first saw this image on Pinterest shared by ASCD and the image let me to this article http://www.6seconds.org/2013/05/29/healthy-classrooms-emotional-intelligence-and-brain-research/
In this age of CCS, we've been talking less about social-emotional intelligence; however, this image describes Robert Plutchik's research focusing on 8 basic emotions which may be at the CORE (pun intended) of what we do as teachers, learners, and life-long decision makers in families and relationships. There are 10 suggestions in the article and some may surprise you, such a the one where they suggest you create classroom / family stories that become integral to decision making (what would Grandma do now?).

  

 

(The article says the figure is reprinted by permission of American Scientist, magazine of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society.  It was pinned by ASCD.  I hope it is OK to share.  It is something we need to put on our classroom walls!)

#Celebrate this week: Filled with family

Ruth Ayres started this Celebrate each week to encourage thinking about the celebrations in every day life. This sure has been a week full!

It's been the longest winter break I can ever remember (16 days) and that alone should be (and is) sixteen (16)  reasons to celebrate.

The days have been filled with cooking, eating and celebrating with family, including the cousins and friends (4) who will soon return to college.  There were also cousins (2) who will soon be back to basketball, winter track (1), coaching (1) or to work (12).  They all made time to gather and celebrate New Year's Day with the family.

In total, there were twenty eight (28) people who gathered around the counter at some point on New year's Day to watch cousins (2) prepare a fresh octopus salad.  Like paparazzi, they took photos of the preparation before they devoured every tentacle (8)!     

  

The days and evenings of this long winter break have been filled with visitors who were willing to step out of their day to day lives to spend some time on our mountain.  There have been some wonderful dinners, great conversations, and some game-playing  including John Deere Monopoly and Scrabble.  I've lost a few rounds of Scrabble (2), but I've won a few (2), too!  Amazingly, Twister, that old classic from the '60's was the "hit" of the season with participants of all ages (5 to 50)! 

I've eaten too much, slept plenty, enjoyed the banter, and begun this New Year with joy in my heart.  When you stop to think about your life, there sure is a lot to celebrate!  

Family Writing Night

Oh my, I WANT to do this!
http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/family-literacy-night-writing-together/#comment-61205

PLN: Common Core Skills Through Happy Birthday

Today's post is from Pinterest via Twitter found while relaying birthday wishes on Twitter and Facebook.  While I have long used the Happy Birthday song to suggest the length of a good hand wash, I am TOTALLY SURE that I  NEVER (along with NONE of my teachers) imagined a little PLN thrown into my morning as I wished Happy Birthday to THREE friends today! 



 

If you write down the stories, we'll remember them.

This is Wilbert the Worm of Wormville who was found living in a soft patch of soil near a carrot patch.  As you might already know, he is soft and smooth.  Amazingly, he was also the source of an afternoon of intense observation in his school-house flower pot (on the right of his teacher).

He is also the main character in a series of bedtime stories, The Adventures of Wilbert.  He is a wise and wonderful worm who leads his cousins in some pretty strange underground and above ground adventures!  In a recent episode, his wisdom and patience were celebrated by worms from miles away when finally, after months of waiting and rerouting around the growing orange carrot barriers, the ground opened up softer, moister, and more filled with air than anyone could ever remember! Finally, exercise, food, exploration, and visits from friends were possible and Wilbert, who advocated for patience rather than a revolution, was the hero!

While I could regale you with wise words from Wilbert, the real wisdom came from Grace, a brave worm finder and experienced book reader.  As she snuggled down for, I suspect, Wilbert-filled dreams she said sleepily, " I have an idea. If you write down the stories, we'll remember them."

Yes, Grace, that's why we write. 
  

 

PS. You too can make your own "poster" on Quozio. (thanks Amy and Michelle for the link)

Faded Photos: Back to School Edition

As I stared at this faded photo, my mind wandered to the story(ies) around the one room schoolhouse of which my grandfather (far left) was Trustee (think Principal, Curriculum Supervisor, Superintendent and Board of Education rolled into one) and my Aunt (top left - I think) was the Teacher (think K-12 differentiated teaching at its finest) .

While I will never know the whole story behind this photo....

I suspect surmise that my Grandmother (top right) might have been pretty happy (even though she doesn't appear to be smiling) because all of her 10 children were old enough to attend school!  I am guessing she went home after this photo and poured herself a well deserved cup of coffee and took a short break for the first time in 27+ years!

I am sure that some of my Aunts and Uncles had already flown the coop so to speak, but there were enough little ones in the area to fill up the schoolhouse on Kaisertown Road.   Did the teacher (my Aunt) go in early to arrange the desks and decorate the room so that it would be inviting?  Did she wonder if this might be her last year (at 21) of teaching and that she too might want to fly the coop! 

I wonder if the temperature soared on that first day and what they each did?  There was no need to talk about your summer vacation as everyone already knew everybody's business!  They had played and worked in the fields and each had a sun-tanned face to prove it.  There would certainly have been no writer's notebooks to decorate and no leveled bins to explore!   Did they get right to work copying in neat handwriting and memorizing stories? 

I sure would love to know what happened to that smiling girl dab smack in the middle of the photo.  Was she an avid reader and writer who could not wait to get back to school? Did she grow up to be a teacher of teachers or a writer of best sellers ?  What about that smiling eager face in the lower right hand corner of the photo?  Did he grow up to be a professor of history or a doctor of medicine?  What about that tall boy with the overalls?  Did he finish the year or drop out to work on the farm?  Why are there so many more girls than boys in the photo? 

One thing I am sure of is that my Grandmother (and perhaps even my Grandfather who had only a little bit of formal schooling) valued school and learning.  All of their children, boys and girls, graduated from high school and most attended college (or normal school - teacher college). 

Wouldn't if have been great if they had blogged about their lives? 

Faded Photos: Cocktail Edition

I'd been deep in days of cleaning, clearing, de-cluttering, and closet organizing (that's why I am posting this SOL a day late) when I came upon some priceless, fading photos of ladies, who blazed trails and broke through glass ceilings long before women's liberation was conceived.  While I will never know the whole story behind this photo....

I can surmise that my Aunt and her friends are very pleased with themselves, sitting on purple velvet, sipping martinis, setting the stage, perhaps, for an evening in the city. 

I suspect that life circumstances, personal drive, and strong backbones helped each of them forge professional careers in worlds dominated by men. 

I wonder why are they drinking (and smoking) in what appears to be a library?

I am pretty confident that only one of my blog-readers will recognize only one of these ladies!

Wouldn't if have been great if they had blogged about the slices of their lives? 

PS This is a day-late-slice-of-my-life!

Reading at home

Yesterday, Reading Today posted an article by Kathryn Starke
http://www.reading.org/general/Publications/blog/engage/engage-single-post/engage/2013/07/16/practice-makes-perfect-especially-in-reading,

Practice Makes Perfect, Especially in Reading

Starks talks about the importance of reading at home as well as in school and strongly suggests providing encouragement but not consequences to nightly reading through Read Aloud,
Echo reading, Choral reading, and Speed Reading.  

Check it out!

#sliceof life 2013 #21 of 31 Imagine The Dogwood Tree

Imagine, you "work from home" because you have tree surgeons taking down some very old (over a hundred years old) and very large (over 70 feet tall) trees that were damaged in the hurricane and now lean over your neighbor's yard.   

The trucks arrive and a crew of Spidermen-like beings with ropes, cranes, chain saws, and devices for climbing take over your backyard.  You post on Twitter, "Let the tree-wars begin."  You're working, but it's hard not to watch them do what every child in the world wants to do at one point or another: climb trees effortlessly like a squirrel.  You take another picture and get back to work! 

You hear chain saws starting and stopping, starting and stopping, again, and again.  Finally, you realize the incessant sawing noises coming from the backyard have halted.  You get up to check on the progress assuming the first tree has come down, thinking these Spidermen are pros at what they do.

You quickly realize the entire crew is standing around looking up at the first tree, still standing in all its glory, still leaning over the neighbor's house just like it was before the Spidermen arrived. You decide it's time to head outside and ask the first Spiderman  you see, "What's happening?" just as you notice that three (3) chain saws are laying broken on your lawn.  You're wondering if the Spidermen are going to ask for another swipe of your credit card? 

The boss of the Spidermen comes to you, shaking his head.  "I've heard of this," he says in a bit of disbelief, "but in all my years on the job I have never seen this."  Imagine, you are standing there, still wondering about what "this" is as you watch the entire crew of Spidermen shaking their heads and talking excitedly!

"The concrete inside is killing our blades," the boss Spiderman says in a way that indicates he's a bit excited to see tree history but also thinking about additional charges.  You shake your head, what else can you do?  Then, you take another picture, for Twitter, of the concrete falling from the tree as its trunk is lifted out to become a piece of tree history. You can feel the credit card move in your wallet as the tree moves past.  

"What a day." you mutter as you head back to Google "concrete inside of trees" and find that back in the early years of the 20th Century, back when your house was a young-un and belonged to someone else, someone "saved" the trees from decay, squirrels and other varmits by filling them with concrete!  (As noted in the linked article, this is not something that is considered "best practice" in tree surgery today.) 

Over time, the trees grew, majestically shading children at play and families oblivious to what was hiding inside. The concrete, once near the base of the trees, had become one with the tree.  They had grown strong withstanding hurricanes, destroying chain saws, and surprising Spidermen.   "It's time for some landscaping," you mutter, grateful those trees stood the test of time, but looking forward to new lives, in a new century, safely under a new Dogwood tree.      

Thanks for the Memories

Today, I am thankful for my Uncle, a  generous and spirited soul who loved good food, wine and his family.  While his 90+ years were a good long run, he will be missed, that is for sure.  Thoughts of  my cousins, and him, flood my mind this day as I reflect on his legacy.  The French berets, the hand carved chests, trinkets from travels, will be part of his tangible legacy.  His loving reminder that we could always move to the beautiful West Coast (in spite of the risk it would sink into the sea) and his references to the ubiquitous, Herman, (a coping device so as to not worry about remembering names) will help us to remember his spirit. 
 

I Wonder

I wonder if

He knows we are thinking of him,
He is playing golf on verdant pastures,

He grins when I have "book talks" with mom,

He smiles when I "re-tweet" a NY Times article, 

He uses guardian angel powers to protect us,

He knows we are buying houses, forging futures,
Earning degrees, inventing, creating,
Learning, reflecting, adjusting,
Sharing our lives, getting married, having babies,
Reading the NY Times on Kindles,
He is proud of the way we are carrying for each other,
In his absence,
He will continue guiding us through the days ahead.

With Sadness, With Joy, With Hope

I have been participating in a Teachers Write "virtual" writing group.  I wanted to increase my own writing and maybe "finish" one of the many stories that are churning in my head; however, I also wanted to "practice what I preach" and conduct a little "action research" about writing.  One thing I have observed is that poetry is a means to express what we think.  Sometimes, poems emerge as we are trying to write about other things! 



With Sadness,

I remember sharing, laughing, living,
Clueless as to what was ahead.
I remember tears, angst, pain,
From life-changing words,
I remember saying good-bye,
Wondering what lay ahead.

With Joy,
 I remember gatherings,
Too many people, too few plates,
Too much food, too much laughter,
I remember pop-ins that lasted for hours,
Drop-ins just in time for dinner,
I remember having so much to do,
Lives filled with activity and anticipation.

With Hope
I remember people are capable
Of loving more than once,
Of endless caring,
Of forgiveness,
  I remember that what lies ahead,
Is potential for peace and happiness,
I remember we can and do change our course,
Many times within each life.
"With a new day comes new strength
and new thoughts." (E. Roosevelt)

Neiman Marcus vs T. J. Maxx

I still hear her voice echoing in my head as I shop and even when I just "pretend" to shop.  Again and again she implored, "You need to buy yourself something nice now and then." I remember her excitement when Filenes opened a store nearby, even if it was a place you only "visited" and dreamed about clothes.  I remember how she was beside herself with joy when Macy's moved into our "shopping zone" and she would regal me with tales of long-ago journeys into Manhattan to visit the mammoth flagship store.   
I also remember how she loved to share her latest "find" from "her store," Marshalls.  My mother-in-law visited that store every week and watched those sale racks closely scoring some pretty amazing finds over the years.  There were the red patent leather shoes with a price tag of $1 (admittedly that was  few years ago) and a fancy (real velvet she pointed out) suit jacket purchased just days before her final trip into the hospital.  While her heart was at Macy's, she realized she could get more shopping pleasure at Marshalls. 
I was thinking she would have been proud of me as I strolled through Nordstroms and Neiman Marcus thinking maybe I would try on a "new" dress for an upcoming formal party. Truth be told, I had never been in either one of those stores, before even though I have logged many shopping miles over the years.  In the end, I did not buy (nor even try on) any of the fabulous dresses I saw; however, I did note that Nordstoms carried lots of dresses that were made by the same manufacturer as the T.J. Maxx-dress that I will probably wear to the event!  I'm pretty sure she would be proud of me for recognizing the "designer" but I suspect she would be even MORE proud of me if I had purchased something at Nordstroms, too.   After all, "You need to buy  yourself something nice now and then."

PS This is NOT a picture of me  and this is NOT a picture of my dress.  I'll consider a picture only if I lose 10 pounds before said event  :)

You're Still The One

He didn't ask what I was thinking, he asked what I was going to write. He knows that I now bravely write slices of life.   

As we were riding our worn out ol' bikes over a worn out ol' rail /bike trail the other day, I was thinking. It was a long ride and so I had a lot of time to think. This sharing your life and the commitment of a long-term relationship  is challenging and yet among the most amazing relationships. We could not have envisioned this journey when we were at the beginning of the path all starry-eyed and eager. There have been two, very different careers that have ebbed and flowed at different times (perhaps that is a good thing). There are two very different families, whose needs and challenges have ebbed and flowed at different times (perhaps that is a good thing, too).  There are two very wonderful and different offspring whose needs and wants have ebbed and flowed as they have launched into their own spheres of the universe (a good thing).  There are differences in opinions and differences in desires, some small and some huge.  Sometimes, we are strongest together when we're doing what fulfills us individually.  It's joy-filled and empowering weeks solving problems and enjoying life - together.  At times, it's frustrating and exhausting weeks when we long to just run for the hills.  It's sunshiny-wonderful moments and moments of grueling difficulty.  Some days, you are at the top of a glorious mountain and other days you are at the bottom of a huge well.  Sometimes, you just have to agree to disagree knowing that time will make whatever the issue less significant. There is something wonderful that fills your deepest crevices with happiness and something no human can image when you promise, "I will."    There is something pretty special about the thoughts that bounce in your head while reflecting about the bumpy journey on a rocky trail!  There is something amazing about how dripping with sweat and with dirt in every crevice, your mind is quietly singing along...

Just look at us holding on
We're still together still going strong

The river still runs through it

                                  

 

 Long ago, I traversed this path

 Eager anticipation of the next mile

 We rarely stopped to fully admire the beauty 

 The river ran throughit even then

 Nourishing fields and supporting life. 

 The bridge, the bikes and I are all worn,

 This river is still going strong.

Fourth of July Memories

Like everyone who knew "Kitty," I loved her.  She came into my life as a "package deal" when I chose to share my life with her son; however, I would have chosen her to be a friend if our lives had merged under different circumstances.  She was born on the Fourth of July; however, she was more than a "firecracker."  She was the "pilot light" that kept her family strong and together.  The  timing of her birth always made the holiday special and meant that a family celebration was in order.  There would be a picnic, somewhere, along with watermelon, blueberries and some form of a cheesecake (covered with berries) to commemorate the day.  She would not have been happy to wake up to rain on the Fourth of July (as we did today); however, she would have been optimistic for the potential the day held and she would have been  "tickled pink" with the blueberry muffins I am about to make! 

A Brave, New, Wonderful World

We discussed gifts, but not gifts wrapped in bows like you are thinking.  We talked about the gifts others dream of having, like a sense of beauty and and eye for creating.  We talked about how these gifts could sustain life.  Then the discussion morphed to one about selling ourselves in a new world, virtual marketplace, on the Internet.
"It's scary," she said quietly, "putting yourself out there for others to evaluate."
"I know that," I responded, "the first time I linked to Slice of Life I was scared to death. But, it gets easier and the feedback from others will fuel your resolve, just you wait and see."
Thoughts whirled through my head as I reflected on the significance of your conversation.  All that we do, the first time, from going to kindergarten, to heading for college, starting a new job, agreeing to share our lives with others......is scary, in the beginning, because it is new and outside of our experiences.  It creates the sense of angst that we feel in our bones and teeth because it changes the way we "stand" before others.  I know, I am doing that right now.  While it's not exactly the brave new world of Adolf Huxley (thank goodness), it is a new world that challenges us to bravely embrace new ways of working, living and loving.  With all its challenges, it's a wonderful world.