So...some of my Haley friends have been talking about smells. Sarah wrote a poem that blew me away. Mandy wrote about purses...she is so right. Jen is always smelling things and talking about the memories. So I stood in my room and looked. What did I think was going to have a smell that would bring some kind of memory or thought into my melon....
And there it was. The red tin canister. It always makes me tilt my head back, sigh, and think. So I opened it. I inhaled deeply. The smell of the house. A warm, beachy smell. I felt as though I was taken back to another time and place. My childhood. The times spent in Ludington, Michigan at my Grandpa Grotemat's house. How I loved that red tin. It wasn't long before we arrived, after the 4 hour drive, that I would pull the tin off the shelf in the formal dinning room. I'd spread out my blue blankey, place my dollys around, and open the tin. I'd gently take out all the little pieces of a tea set and set "the table". My dolls and I would partake in tea.
None of the pieces are really china. They are plastic and tin, but you could have fooled me. Ahhhhh the smell....memories.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
A Circle of Talk
Accountable Talk. Who thought of this idea? Whoever "they" are....Thank You! My classroom was video taped today doing accountable talk. WOW! They did such an amazing job! I am so very proud of each and every one of them. We did the book Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco. I don't think I could have asked for it to go any better. They shared, agreed, disagreed, gave opinions, predicted, made connections to self, text, and world, and they enjoyed it! They are so excited that the tables are going to be turned. The whole point of the video taping is so teachers can watch it and learn from it. They will be teaching the teachers! They think they are all that and a bag of potato chips!
Cudos to Kathy
I have to thank a very inspirational person in my life. Kathy Douglas, my mentor, our Launguage Arts facilitator. Thanks for all you've done, all you do, and all you will do. If it wasn't for you, I don't think I'd be anywhere near where I am with my Reading / Language Arts program. You've taught me more in the last 2 years than I've learned in all my education classes and in my 9 years of teaching. You encouraged me to go to the All Write! Conference that has inspired me to write, write, write! You've made me feel confident about things that I wasn't so sure about (ie. making a video on accountable talk). You've made me into a "mini-expert" in areas I never would have dreamed of. I enjoy working with you. My kids hold you in such high regard, as do I. Haley Elementary is incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to work with you! Educators don't get enough praise....SO...Cudos to you Kathy! You ROCK!
I aspire to write...
I once thought that writing was something to hate. Lists, jottings, and phrases, that was all I did. I called that writing. Inspiring my kiddos to write was painful. I wasn't much of an inspiration. They seemed more motivated than me. I often felt like I was squashing their hunger to write. I often just avoided it. "I'd much rather teach Math! I'm good at that." I'd tell myself. I'd act on it too. Sorry to all those kids who lost out on writing. Whose ability to write has been stunted because of their 3rd grade teacher. But, I bet your pretty darn good at Math!
October 2006. This is when my life as a teacher, my career as I knew it, was flipped upside down and inside out and then flipped again. I attended an All Write! Conference. Ruth Ayres was the presenter. I sat, arms folded, knowing I was going to walk out with good ideas, but ideas that I would never use. Ideas where the results seemed so unattainable that there was no way I was going to put time and effort into them. Ruth calmly began her presentation. Seemingly giving great thought to how she said things...how she presented. I liked her presentation style. My folded arms loosened. She continued on.
It wasn't long before I was engrossed. I was hanging on her every thought. Her every word. I was learning so much. I was retaining so much. I was certain these were things I could do. Things I could easily take back to my classroom. I was beginning to feel a little like writing wasn't so bad. BUT, I was not committing to liking it. No way, No how was I going to say those words that may express that writing was an enjoyable way to pass the time.
Soon Ruth was onto this thing called a Writer's Notebook. I had these. Heck, I had about 6 of these. Almost all were still in the Target bag that I brought them home in. They were gorgeous, dainty, and they screamed me. On the inside, however, they were empty. I had intentions of writing in them. I just never felt inspired.
By the time our 3 day conference was over my arms were loose, I was getting so many great ideas and thoughts that I knew could be and would be used in my classroom. I was a true believer in writing. I was a writing teacher, a motivator, and a lover of writing. I am not sure what kind of magic wand was waved over me during those three days, but something most certainly clicked with me. Something happened that has changed me. I now enjoy teaching writing and writing on a personal level. My Writer's Notebook is filled with lists, dark clouds of worries, short stories, poetry, pictures, and memories. I love sharing it with my kiddos and inspiring them to write. I enjoy feeding that hunger that they have to get their ideas down and share them in an open forum.
I still feel I have a ways to go, but I am on my way. I hope this blog helps me to get even more comfortable with my personal writing because...
I aspire to write.
October 2006. This is when my life as a teacher, my career as I knew it, was flipped upside down and inside out and then flipped again. I attended an All Write! Conference. Ruth Ayres was the presenter. I sat, arms folded, knowing I was going to walk out with good ideas, but ideas that I would never use. Ideas where the results seemed so unattainable that there was no way I was going to put time and effort into them. Ruth calmly began her presentation. Seemingly giving great thought to how she said things...how she presented. I liked her presentation style. My folded arms loosened. She continued on.
It wasn't long before I was engrossed. I was hanging on her every thought. Her every word. I was learning so much. I was retaining so much. I was certain these were things I could do. Things I could easily take back to my classroom. I was beginning to feel a little like writing wasn't so bad. BUT, I was not committing to liking it. No way, No how was I going to say those words that may express that writing was an enjoyable way to pass the time.
Soon Ruth was onto this thing called a Writer's Notebook. I had these. Heck, I had about 6 of these. Almost all were still in the Target bag that I brought them home in. They were gorgeous, dainty, and they screamed me. On the inside, however, they were empty. I had intentions of writing in them. I just never felt inspired.
By the time our 3 day conference was over my arms were loose, I was getting so many great ideas and thoughts that I knew could be and would be used in my classroom. I was a true believer in writing. I was a writing teacher, a motivator, and a lover of writing. I am not sure what kind of magic wand was waved over me during those three days, but something most certainly clicked with me. Something happened that has changed me. I now enjoy teaching writing and writing on a personal level. My Writer's Notebook is filled with lists, dark clouds of worries, short stories, poetry, pictures, and memories. I love sharing it with my kiddos and inspiring them to write. I enjoy feeding that hunger that they have to get their ideas down and share them in an open forum.
I still feel I have a ways to go, but I am on my way. I hope this blog helps me to get even more comfortable with my personal writing because...
I aspire to write.
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