Summer Plans #SOL

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This summer I'm trying something new.

I told people that I was open and available for volunteer opportunities.

They took me seriously.

I'm a new member of the Monarch Butterfly program at the local nature center.

Sounds impressive? You betcha!  One two-hour training felt like a graduate-level course.

Next week I'll be helping clients with special needs at a day-long fun fair.

I get to play carnival games with a buddy, then enjoy a karaoke party.  I'm super pumped!

This nearly-empty-nester-teacher who thought she would have LOADS of time to fill this summer...

...was wrong!

Missing the Music #SOLC19

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On Sunday afternoon a text came through from my uncle, "Join us at the Prairie Center if you're not busy.  Hannah is part of a mixed-age orchestra performing the New World Symphony."

Have I played that?

I was excited to see my aunt and uncle to catch up.  A free symphony performance was just what I needed.  I was extra restless this weekend (just ask my husband how much laundry I did), so a Sunday night concert was welcome.

When is the last time I opened my violin case?

The concert was an effort by the local youth symphony to promote their program.  Private music instructors, alums of the symphony and young people combined force.  They were provided their parts earlier and were to play together for only one rehearsal before the concert.  

I wonder what playing will feel like now that I've repaired my shoulder.

Our concert-going group chatted for a bit in the lobby.  News of new jobs, spring break trips, health and loss were all covered.  We decided we should find seats for the concert.

Should I think about joining the community orchestra again?

The concert was introduced.  I noted the strong number of string players and scanned the players for familiar faces.  The piece was well-played, especially due to the balance of expert and novice musicians.  My cousin produced smooth, melodic lines from her flute, leading her section with poise and rhythm.

Do I have the stamina?  Will I appreciate the new conductor?  Will anyone remember me?

As the concert finished, we applauded the full orchestra, rising from our seats for a standing ovation.  We met up with Hannah afterwards, complimenting her on the performance.  We said our goodbyes.

I think I'm missing music.  Maybe I need to consider going back to playing 2nd violin in our community college orchestra.  

Working to keep routines #SOL19

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We have had our share of crazy winter weather in 2019.  I expected snow days, but we've had three (unprecedented) late start days to deal with ice storms.  This is four-day week may turn into a three-days-and-a-late-start.  There's a full moon tonight.  State testing is scheduled for mid-March. 
Some Most All teachers are stressed.

I know I can't wave a magic wand (I used to have one!) and make my developing readers have amazing stamina, instant book love and grade-level text understanding.  I do think I can help my readers improve, day by day, by keeping our routines in place:

• Checking in with each other (What's new?  How are you feeling?  I like your new shoes/shirt/haircut.)
• Previewing vocabulary, text and photos (What do you notice? What questions do you have?)
• Reading (Read that part to me.  Read these sections to yourself.)
• Thinking & Discussion (What are you thinking?  What evidence can you find?)
• Writing (Summarize your learning.  What was the theme?)
• Wrap up (Choose a stopping point. Plan for tomorrow.)

We try to follow our routine every day, even if some steps are short.  I work to ask deeper questions during our discussions, but I try to push my students to lead the talks.  Some days are better than others.

I hope spring will be here soon.  I know I'm not alone.  This winter has been a roller coaster!

One Little Word 2019 #SOL19

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Today I did a little inventory on my One Little Words that I have chosen over the years:

finish - listen - thrive - hope - spark - peace.

When I first started picking an OLW in 2011, I picked words that would encourage me to improve. (I have a hard time finishing projects; I tend to talk more than listen). Then I went through a job change and watched my daughters graduate high school and make life decisions (thrive was really survive; hope was for a new job). Spark represented all the new ideas I brought to my new school, and peace was my big goal for myself and the world.

Today I see myself as someone who juggles flaws and fabulous ideas. Someone who can spark a smile in someone who isn't feeling great. Someone who is trying to figure out how to parent young adults (so different!) while getting back to hobbies and habits I had before my husband and I became parents.

After many visits to an online thesaurus, I have decided my word of 2019 is ....

cultivate

(v) to plant, to educate, to encourage

My goals for 2019 include:

• read lots of books to cultivate my knowledge of current kid lit
• help my students find books they can & will read and cultivate their love of reading
• encourage my colleagues to refine their craft by cultivating positive relationships and learning alongside them
• cultivate new hobbies (lettering, bullet journaling) and revisit former hobbies (playing violin, knitting)
• Figure out how to cultivate an interest in exercising and continue to eat well

Sounds easy enough, right?  Happy New Year!

One little word

It's hard to choose a word, especially my One Little Word.  I usually take a while, but it's nearly the end of March!

This year I'm looking to make slight changes (ok, I also need to lose a boatload of weight, as if...)

How can I put into words that I'm doing ok with food, exercise, stress, work and relationships.  I just want to choose better food, exercise more often, keep my stress level down at work, and continue to nurture my relationships.

Better?  I'm not doing too badly.  Improve?  I've already been trying.

Next stop?  The thesaurus.

I try many different words on for size:  grow, thrive, rise, persist, uplift.  Nothing fits right.

I click synonyms, avoid antonyms... until I find it.  The word I need right now.

peace

I'm always looking to find peaceful moments to calm my spinning brain.
I strive for my family to get along and be kind and calm.
I hope the world will work together to reduce violence towards one another.
I want to give myself peaceful grace for doing my best and being enough.

There. I found my word.  Now I get to work towards achieving it.

Click here for more information at Two Writing Teachers and here for info from Alli Edwards 
about One Little Word (OLW).

https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/mother_teresa_107846?src=t_peace

This week #SOLC18

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This week

• I will teach for three days out of five
• I get to spend a whole day learning with my friend, Michelle.  Where...
• I will meet Ruth Ayers IN PERSON at Judson University!
• I have to make a bunch of doctor appointments, which means...
• I must find my planner (on my desk, I'm guessing)

This week

• I will try to exercise on my own
• I will go to yoga and personal training
• I will probably shovel snow, according to the weather, but...
• I understand it's March and it's still winter.

This week

• I will make plans for my trip to Arizona at the end of the month
• I will pick up my oldest daughter from college for spring break
• I may finish the YA book I'm reading, Speed of Light or
• I will spend my reading time on writing and reading lots of slices

This week

• I will do my best to be organized, be on time, and stay out of the chocolate, or...
• I will be myself.

Purge? Keep? Sigh. #SOL18

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In a few months, my oldest daughter will graduate from college.  (WOW, time flies!)

Her plan is to stay at home until she finds a full-time job and a city apartment with friends.

In the mean time, I'm working on purging the basement, family room and garage of all non-essential items.  Unfortunately, this means I'm pretty emotional each time I work on this never-ending project.

As I dig out Christmas decor, unused appliances and stuffed animals, I must come to terms that my one-little girls are now young adults.  I also have to decide what stuff has true sentimental value, and what stuff can move on to others who can use it.

We are shifting and donating furniture, assessing what DVDs and CDs we need ("None! We have streaming video & audio!" claims dear husband.) and just dealing with 20 years of accumulation.

My strategy for keeping my sanity is to only work on this purging project on Saturday mornings.  Once I've put in a couple of hours, I stop and move to homework, writing! or fun outside of the house.

One bright spot through all this organizing?  I'm less likely to bring anything home that isn't clothing, food or something to read!

Crazy productive...kind of #SOLC17

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So it's Monday of my spring break staycation.  I have a big list of what I need to do.  A LOT of it is phone calls and paperwork related, so that's a bummer.  I get it.  We own a house, we have two college kids. There is going to be paperwork.  I'm an adult.  (SIGH)

I started the day in my pajamas (then put on some sweats).  I made breakfast for myself and then Allison when she got out of bed (MIRACLE).

Then I jumped between a few million different activities (I even fixed my bike and made a mini compost bin!) 

I'm beginning to realize that my younger daughter's lack of focus came directly from me.

I started making a list of all the different things I accomplished before lunch.  I'm not very good at crossing anything off lists, but this list was different.  I FINISHED THESE THINGS!

Finally, this afternoon, I slid some fuzzy socks on and went down to the office.  I made the financial planner phone call (not that bad).  I helped oldest with her tax return online.  I did some of the paperwork.

Maybe the next time you want to feel crazy productive, you could try my silly idea.  Simply write everything down that you do one day.  Fuzzy socks don't hurt either.

Thanks for your inspiration, Juliette! #SOLC17

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Write every day in March.
Sometimes you will be an inspiration!
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First, I must tell you, my cheeks were a little pink on Sunday.  Betsy used one of my slices as the example on the call to slice link.

Next, you should know, I usually construct my slices on the fly (I plan nothing) and I write as I go.

Furthermore, I admit, my heart jumped when I saw my name connected to a slice on Sunday.

I immediately clicked on Juliette's Gifts.  I believe Juliette lives in another country from what I can gather from her slices.  She got inspiration from my Spring is Approaching slice and blogged about her summer.

Juliette mentioned traveling to Mallorca.  I love geography and searching for places, so I had to look it up.  Just LOOK at this gorgeous place!

Cal Boquer Beach, North Mallorca

Image from See Mallorca

I've always been a guppy** when it comes to travel.  My husband went to Europe with our high school choir for his first airplane trip.  I've only traveled the US with white knuckles on the airplane and restless legs in the car.

But Juliette's slice got me thinking.  There's a whole world out there that I need to see.  I may need some more coaching when it comes to cross-country and overseas travel, but I think it would be worth it.  I can picture myself standing at the top of Cal Boquer Beach in North Mallorca, staring out into the blue, clear ocean, 

Thanks for your inspiration, Juliette!

** ("Flounder, don't be such a guppy!" The Little Mermaid)

One Little Word? Not yet. #SOL17

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2017 started yesterday, right?  Yeesh - I'm 38 days late to that party!  Whooosh - this new year is already flying by.  Lots of excuses and reasons I haven't written on the blog or read a lot of books:

• grad school AGAIN (ESL endorsement 84% complete)
• new principal ('nuff said)
• second year at new school
• too much paperwork I keep putting off
• lots of political tweets and news and events to follow
• everything else has bumped writing out of the way

This year I'm trying something new (because I'm refining and trying strategies every day) of stopping and thinking before I jump in to:  answer for someone else, raise my hand to volunteer or help a child or adult do something that they are capable of doing themselves.

So that leaves me with the question... what IS my One Little Word for 2017??

Is it...

• stop
• pause
• mindful
• reflect
• choose

Calling all readers ... do you have some advice?  I tend to talk about being intentional with my fellow teachers, but I'm too impulsive for that one.

Thanks for listening.  It was good to write and get this out of my head.  

BElive in YOUrself

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Allison showed me a picture on Pinterest.  "I love this quote.  See how the BE in believe and the YOU in yourself is highlighted?  I'm going to make this for my wall."

My youngest daughter loves to surround herself with inspirational quotes and crafty projects.  She's a creative mind amid lots of practical, linear thinkers.  She needs constant reassurance that she is OK and doing the right things in life.

As much as I tell Allison and my oldest daughter, Lindsey, that they are perfect just the way they are and to celebrate their strengths, I've struggled with the my own self-esteem over the years.  My internal voice likes to remind me that I need to work harder to be organized, be leaner, be less of a talker and get things finished!

This summer I have worked on self care.  Reminding myself (like I tell my daughters and my students) that I am human.  I am a work in progress that doesn't need to be anyone but myself.  It has taken me 46 years on the planet (and a LOT of meditation) to realize that it is just fine to be who I am, quirks and all, and be passionate about what I do and what I love.

Wow.  Heavy stuff.  But not really.  I'm feeling lighter and less stressed and more grounded!
Why? How? One big help?

This summer I immersed myself back into the world of books. 

•  I downloaded a pile of YA books from the library and devoured them.
• I visited Little Free Libraries and added to the collections.
• I sat under a tree at school each week and handed books to families.
• I worked through two grad school classes for my ESL endorsement and made sure I spread book love through the class discussions (predictable!)
• I attended NErdCampMI in Parma, MI, with my new book-loving teacher-friend (Meghan Hernandez!), surrounded by thoughtful teacher leaders (Cathy Mere!), librarians, authors, and many, many book heroes.

This summer I took a deep breath.  I realized I don't need to BE anyone but ME.
Quirks (clicking pens), habits (eating chocolate), loves (books, music, family), and dislikes (broccoli!).

BElieve in YOUrself.

One Little Word 2016

Last week, I had it.  I knew it.  My One Little Word would reflect how I wanted everyone else to see me.

Steady

I wanted to be off the roller coaster of last year.  I wanted to be someone my daughters, husband, coworkers and friends could count on to be calm, collected and stable.  Someone who they could get advice from and always be there for them.  Not talking over them.  Listening.

I made a poster.  I made another poster.  I read a bit today.  I listened to music.

I realized I needed to find a different word.  I want to be calm and collected.  But steady didn't fit.

I listened again to Rachel Platten's Fight Song.  I especially like the power of it.  You can't help but raise a fist in the air as you sing along.  My favorite verse of this song is:

I might only have one match, but I can start an explosion. 

 It's been an exciting school year at a new school.  There's a lot of great ideas and people and students.  I've tried to be more of an observer and less of a talker.  It's mostly working, but to be perfectly honest with myself, I love to talk out ideas and collaborate with others.

I really like to help others figure out the idea that works for them.  I decided on a different OLW.

Spark

A spark is the beginning of a fire.  An explosion of ideas.  Something small that turns into something big and meaningful, or something that is extinguished when it doesn't get enough air.

When I talk with my coworkers, my family and my friends, I will be a great listener.  I will ask questions.  I will see if a conversation leads to research and more questions and ideas.  I will keep an open mind and open heart.  If a spark doesn't lead to an idea, I'll let it fizzle out.

My thanks to Rachel Platten for her awesome song lyrics.

Created with Vanilla Pen app.

 I might only have one match, but I can start an explosion. 

Push and pull #SOL

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I've had some interesting conversations with fellow parents of teenagers, especially those in their senior year of high school.  We've decided that we may be the WORST parents in the WORLD, but then again, maybe it's just the stress as we consider that our children are graduating.  In a few months.  Oh. No....

We've talked about the stress the kids are under:
sports,
academic,
social,
WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO TO COLLEGE,
peer pressure,
HURRY & CHOOSE WHAT YOU WILL DO FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE,
social media,
fashion,
DID YOU CHOOSE YET?

Wow.

I don't envy any of these kids.

Some of the kids are "push" kids... these kids just need a little push to get their motors started and rolling down the right path.  Other kids (like some of this year's seniors) are "pull" kids.  The kids who we have pullllllled through homework and social skills and making good choices and helping them develop their lacking executive functioning skills.

Ugh.  I'm tired.

It's time, fellow parents of HS seniors.  Let us release the ropes of parenting (or in my case, cut the enabling cord) and let our kids FALL.  We've done it before.  Remember when they were learning to toddle around the house?  We let them!  We were there to pick them up, kiss the scrapes and help them move on.  We can do it again.  Really.

Well, we can at least try.

We can be there for each other when the stress gets to be too much.  We may even laugh about this school year one day, MANY years from now.

It's time to let them figure it out and find out what they are made of.

They can do it.  So can we.

Reading in the Wild Part 2 #cyberpd

Today is the second part of our #cyberpd conversation about Donalyn Miller and Susan Kelley's awesome book, Reading in the Wild.  Check out the conversation over at Laura Komo's Ruminate and Invigorate today.  Last week's feedback can be found at Cathy Mere's Reflect and Refine and we're headed to Michelle Nero's Literacy Zone next week.  Whew!

Let's talk about chapter 3, Wild Readers Share Books and Reading with Other Readers, and chapter 4, Wild Readers Have Reading Plans.

Bring on the Book Love
On page 89 this quote rang true for me, "Successful learning communities require cultivation, and I spend a lot of time forging relationships with my students and helping them connect to each other."

I've tried my best to connect my past resource students to books and fellow resource classmates, but it's tricky when you only see them for 40 minutes a day and then return them to a classroom that may or may not have the same book love.  I've felt for many years that I'm the tuckpointer in my students' brick building.  I'm the person fixing the chipped bricks, filling in the cracks and trying to keep up with the weathering.  I've done what I can to help students fit into their classrooms full of students who can read circles around them.  I've given my all to helping them find books that they might enjoy.  I've read aloud books to them that they aren't ready to try alone, but their friends are all talking about it.

This year I'm a little giddy about the idea of having one set of students all day long.  (I'm also feeling exhausted already because they are six years old.)  I've always been one to figure out what makes each of them tick.  I'm ready to start handing books to kids and building a classroom full of reading and book love.

Track Your Book Love
On page 118 I had a brilliant idea (that I'm sure I heard from someone else!) to use one of the digital picture frames gathering dust in my closet to display all our read aloud titles.  This year I'm all about the visuals.  I know I have a couple students that are not yet reading.  Visuals work for everyone (especially me) and I will be snapping pictures of our read alouds (perhaps this is a student job!) and uploading them to the digital picture frame.

Create Reading Goals
I keep feeling that some of the record keeping, list making and book review ideas will be tricky for first graders.  This comes from my underestimating what these digital natives can do.  I definitely want to help the students set reading goals for various genres and series.  I'm just trying to figure out the best way.  I DEFINITELY want them to have a list of some sort when we head to the library.   I know most of the best-loved books (read: Elephant and Piggie, Babymouse) will be missing from the shelves and I want the kiddos to have more than just one book on their mind.  I'm sure if I ask the students, they will be the ones who have a solution.  They will figure out what works for them:  list, pictures... something!

Reading All the Time
I definitely want, like Donalynn and Susan, for my students to realize that reading is something you can always do.  I hope to make book bags with my students so they can find time to "read in the edges" during long waits and car rides.  I hope to encourage my students to get their family to bring them to the library and rediscover the joy of books.  I have lots of hopes and dreams, and I think I can spark some book love by being a voracious reader myself.  Reading, like music, dark chocolate and time with friends and family, feeds my soul.  I'm able to lose myself in a book.  I hope some of my reading habits will rub off on my students.

Rejuvenate & restore SOLC #23

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The girls are on spring vacation, so I'm going to try a few things while they're gone.  

1. Eat well 
2. Drink lots of water
3. Exercise every day
4. Sit in a quiet spot and just be
5. Read, write, think, reflect
6. Enjoy time with my husband
7. Only start projects that I can finish (cabinet clean out, sorting papers & photos)
8. Relax
9. Soak up the sunshine as much as possible

Michelle put it best - absence will make the heart grow fonder.  My wish for the girls is they come back from their trips tired and smiling.  I hope to be calmer and easier to live with as well.  

I used to think that fall was my favorite season, but spring has so much hope and promise.

Maybe I'll change my mind!