I've been thinking a lot lately about the things I know because I write. I've been keeping a little list of these ideas as a crude plan for an article about the topic. When Christy Rush-Levine invited me to lead a study group at her school, she suggested the topic of being a teacher who… Continue reading Nudging Joy: A Student Group
Category: reflections
Reflections from Listening to M. Stiefvater
Here's the thing: I'm not really the kind of person who follows authors around and gets their signatures and takes photos with them. In fact, I'm rather shy when it comes to this kind of thing. So when I wanted to go to the National Writers Series: An Evening with Maggie Stiefvater, I was a… Continue reading Reflections from Listening to M. Stiefvater
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Facing Discouragement
I hesitate to write this blog post. Yet it needs written. Maybe for you or for the teacher next door. Definitely for me. This week I've had too many conversations with teachers who are feeling discouraged. They do not have gender, teaching experience, grade level, or administration in common. They don't even come from the… Continue reading Facing Discouragement
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If I Didn’t Write Myself I Wouldn’t Know…
Here's a little list that is swirling in my mind... If I didn't write myself I wouldn't know how critical positive feedback is to the life of a writer. This weekend I received emails from three different people in response to a couple of different writing projects. One was from an editor who pushed me… Continue reading If I Didn’t Write Myself I Wouldn’t Know…
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It’s so much bigger…
Today Sam went to day one of a five day Lego Camp. I went a little early to pick him up, just so I could observe a little bit. I was impressed by the instructor. She used specific language when talking to the group. She said, "Okay engineers, please come to a place to pause… Continue reading It’s so much bigger…
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I Didn’t Expect…
As many of you know, I've been a busy girl this week. I was at Judson University's Literacy in Motion conference on Wednesday speaking about my work with celebrations. Then yesterday I was the opening keynote for the All-Write Summer Institute. Today Patrick Allen (author of Conferring: The Keystone of Reader's Workshop) and I are… Continue reading I Didn’t Expect…
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Documenting Our Learning
Sometimes I think about the amazing work happening in writing workshops, and then wonder if anyone else notices. Sometimes the things that are most amazing are small bits that pack big meaning. Sometimes the most amazing work can be easily missed. Often young writers' (or even old writers') talk is ahead of their walk. We… Continue reading Documenting Our Learning
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Persuasion with Karen Caine
Last week I was fortunate to spend the day with Karen Caine. Are you familiar with her work? It is the book that I have had to buy the most -- SIX times -- because my copy keeps coming up missing. (Luckily Karen signed a copy for me last week, so I should be able… Continue reading Persuasion with Karen Caine
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Hugo Cabret
For Christmas we gave Sam The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. Sam and I have been reading it ever since. I like to move through books quickly, often staying up into the wee hours of the morning to finish the story. I can't wait to finish stories, wanting the character world to be restored… Continue reading Hugo Cabret
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Reflection
On Friday afternoon, I spent some time reading and commenting on other writers' SOL stories. As I made my way through various blogs, I noticed a couple of people (e.g., Zsofi from Grown Ups & Downs and Paul from Birds and Trees of the Mind) whose reflected on the writing they'd done during the Challenge,… Continue reading Reflection
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Celebrating Versus Publishing
I've been percolating some ideas for the Celebrating Writers book Christi Overman and I are working on and expect to have out later this year with Stenhouse. We pretty much had it drafted, but then, looking back after letting it settle realized (due to the insight of our editor) that it just wasn't quite right.… Continue reading Celebrating Versus Publishing
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Ruth’s OLW: Reflection 2011 + Word 2012.
First a little reflection on OLW '11... I chose this word because I felt like it encompassed everything in my life. The list of words in the tape along the bottom of the image, shows the connections I was interested in making. I was surprised to find the online connections I make just as integral… Continue reading Ruth’s OLW: Reflection 2011 + Word 2012.
