As summer was nearing its end, and I knew my newly established self-care routines were not sustainable for the school year, I reflected upon the routines that I wished to carry into fall.
Having slow mornings was one of those routines. It never feels like there’s enough time during the school year. Even the few times where taking a pause is a must — eating, showering, going to bed — feel rushed.
The rush is back in full force and now that September is over, I’m committed to bringing back slower mornings. In my classroom, we dedicate our mornings to low-risk, purposeful, joyous, choice-driven routines (soft starts, talk, choice time, outdoor play). I have experienced how this shapes the course of our day and keeps kids running into the classroom each morning.
How I begin my own day, however, differs greatly. The rush begins in the first fifteen minutes, and it’s no wonder that it sets the tone for the rest of the day. With this theme of “not having enough time,” the first routines to go are the ones I am not held accountable for — two of which are self-care and writing.
If I dedicate my mornings to self-care and writing, however, there won’t be opportunities to push them aside for something else masked “more important.” As I discovered in summer, beginning the day more thoughtfully and mindfully leads to more thoughtful and mindful decisions as the day unfolds.
Thank you, Kathleen Neagle Sokolowski for these inspiring words in her post, Write at the Start: No More Morning Worksheets.
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TWO WRITING TEACHERS 
My slice 😊
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Crazy day. Always centered by books. https://jarhartz.com/2018/10/10/knowing-our-purpose/
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I decided to slice about my dad some more… https://iheartpurplestuff.blogspot.com/2018/10/overcoming.html
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Remembering when naps were a staple in kindergarten….https://fallhugs.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-beginning-of-alphabet.html
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Danger is real, but fear is a choice. A great song and a great thing to write about! 🙂
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Like parenting…teaching is for the young ones!
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Yes – this early morning slicer is having a difficult time finding that time to get her writing in early since summer ended too!
Posting late – but posting – I write about flexing muscles as we bike and as we learn to read.
https://iblessings.wordpress.com/2018/10/09/flexing-muscles/
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I joined in with 6 Words today
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I have made a change in how I write my slices and blog posts, in general. I now start writing a post as an idea comes to me and I work and rework it over several days. This feels so much more natural than what I used to do, which is to rush to write a post in an hour or less. That never worked for me, but what I’m doing now definitely does. Here’s today’s post –
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I seem to be at a loss for words today, but they don’t!
https://writingandlaughing.wordpress.com/2018/10/09/personal-narratives-soltuesday/
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An apple falls really close to this tree, and everyone is frustrated https://humbleswede.wordpress.com/2018/10/09/1547
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My readers have surprised themselves, and I am delighted. http://persistenceandpedagogy.com/2018/10/09/celebrate-book-love/
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Hopefully I’ve got this link working now!
I was 16 in the Summer of 1982, and like any rising high school senior, I wasn’t fully aware that this was a transitional time between two very different eras.
https://angelinasgarden.wordpress.com/2018/10/09/1982/
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Thoughts on giving things a second, closer look –
https://maureenyoungingram.blogspot.com/2018/10/where-is-beauty.html
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Wedding this weekend, and I can’t stop crying about the whole experience! https://alotalot.wordpress.com/2018/10/09/slice-of-full-circle-life/
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Losing my mom again…https://ritadicarne.com/2018/10/09/a-mothers-love-is-eternal/
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Good memories of my dad on my mind this week.
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Here’s a slice from a conferring session I had with a ninth grade student today: https://trinarrative.blogspot.com/2018/10/slice-of-life-tuesday-awkward.html
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What Are Friends For?
http://klabonte.net/what-are-friends-for/
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A visit from our grandson got me thinking about the past and the future.
https://imaginethepossibilitiesblog.wordpress.com/2018/10/09/progress/
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A discovery that made my day.
https://justforamonth.blogspot.com/2018/10/when-you-enter-museum-you-dont-know.html
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I haven’t tinkered much with six-word stories. However, wahooliteracyteacher’s slice (today) inspired me to try it. I’m not sure I did the genre justice, but it’s a good first attempt.
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I was 16 in the Summer of 1982, and like any rising high school senior, I wasn’t fully aware that this was a transitional time between two very different eras.
https://angelinasgarden.wordpress.com/2018/10/09/reflections-on-b…l-junior-in-1982/
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Fall and falling leaves
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Found my topic here: soft starts. (Mine includes cats!) https://thedirigibleplum.wordpress.com/2018/10/09/soft-starts-slice-of-life-sol18-10-9-18/
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https://transmogrification58.blogspot.com/2018/10/blindsided.html
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Playing around with six word stories to describe my day:)
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Paperless Grades and Conferences: Is going green a good thing?
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After an entire week of family, 2,4 and 7 and 93 year-olds xo nanc
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The reason for our trip was the wedding.
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ahem, Angry poems: https://sherrisslice.wordpress.com/2018/10/09/sol-tuesdays-angry-poems/
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I bought a new car. The learning curve is high…just like it was for my 6th graders.
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Reflections on my son’s broken bones and the trials and tribulations on parenthood and wanting to do all you can to make it right but sometimes reconciling the fact that I am powerless … (not to mention I wanted to model writing for my students as we are working on “stretching out” our personal narratives 😉 https://alexlancia.com/2018/10/09/broken-bones-a-mended-heart/
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https://tammysreadinglife.wordpress.com/2018/10/09/follow-the-white-rabbit-sol18/
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Keeping my eyes on love and light.
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Trying some leads out…
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Fearing I am late by American time (very late here in Australia) but posting nonetheless. https://www.allaboutwriters.com/blog/ode-to-the-cleaner
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October is a month filled with fun, family and a ton of birthdays . . . one part of one day . . .
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Thinking about assessment and how to keep it in perspective
http://www.teachersforteachers.net/?p=16459
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Teaching my youngest to drive has me biting my lip–and also thinking about the structures and scaffolds learners need. https://tworeflectiveteachers.blogspot.com/2018/10/slice-of-life-methodology-of-parking.html
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Borrowing inspiration from William Carlos Williams- apologies for today’s post: https://couragedoesnotroar.blogspot.com/2018/10/sol18-this-is-just-to-say-sleeping-in.html
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Slice of Life: Thanking the Colleague Who Taught Them Before You
https://dogtrax.edublogs.org/2018/10/09/slice-of-life-thanking-the-colleague-who-taught-them-before-you/
Kevin
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A message from an archetype: http://horizon51.blogspot.com/2018/10/tuesday-slice-clown.html
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Here’s to making – https://ebgriffin1119.wordpress.com/2018/10/07/makeshift/
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Struggling to make sense of it all — many questions and not so many answers
https://mbhmaine.wordpress.com/2018/10/09/so-many-questions/
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This is so true. Finding that balance so that self-care receives the same priority and commitment as work seems nearly impossible. My self-care and writing routines have taken a hit, also, and I can tell a difference. It’s time to recommit.
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Stories lurk all around us, in our everyday places … a slice of noticing, curiosity, and a student who HAD to find out:
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three small scenes from the week come together for a Tuesday slice
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We’re on a mission
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Today’s lesson just might bomb and that’s ok: https://wheresthejoy.wordpress.com/2018/10/08/if-it-bombs-we-bomb-together/
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A significant event in my teaching life occurred in December 1984 when several junior high students told me a counselor had touched them inappropriately. The accusations split the town’s loyalties.
“Concerned Citizens in Defense of a Sex Offender c. 1985”
http://evolvingenglishteacher.blogspot.com/2018/10/concerned-citizens-in-defense-of-sex.html?m=1
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You never sausage a slice! (That’s a pun I’ve been carrying since seeing formative South-of-the-Border billboards in my youth…) https://cast-of-characters.blogspot.com/2018/10/sausage-party.html
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