Writing Matters
Today Deb Gaby and I finished leading the third day of a three-day Foundations of Writing Workshop training. At the end, we asked for reflections. Teacher after teacher commented on the impact of… Continue reading
Category Archive: reflective practice
Friday Favorites
Unfortunately I don’t have a photo from Favorite #1. Christy Rush-Levine and I met for a walk + dinner on Tuesday. Christy is one of those people who help me feel grounded and… Continue reading
This Quote
I love this quote. It is one of my favorites to share in a workshop. I read it today with an epic-cool group of teachers at Southbury School. (I learned epic-cool from a… Continue reading
Bad Word Club
This weekend I learned of a first grade club. “The teachers don’t know about it,” Sam (my first grade son) said, “So keep it quiet.” “What is it?” “It’s the Bad Word Club.… Continue reading
Trusting Myself
Expectations of common core, teacher evaluation, and what it means to be literate in the 21st century can sometimes pile up and overwhelm me. There is so much new information coming at me… Continue reading
Choice Literacy: Coaching the Common Core {Part 3 of 3}
The third part of the conference was led by Tammy Mulligan and Clare Landrigan. They inspired me to stick to my beliefs. One of the ideas they talked about is a Framework for… Continue reading
Hitting the Reset Button
You can change your attitude, your priorities, or your thinking on any day. You just have to commit yourself to a new mindset or way of life.
Big Realization from a Tiny Mouse
I have an irrational fear of mice. It is bad news. My husband has established a preemptive strike in our basement and garage. He engages in an impossible battle to keep our home,… Continue reading
Enough
I want you to know you are enough. Enough. As in you are good enough. Enough. As in I’ve had enough. Enough. As in I have enough time. You are enough. I think… Continue reading
On my mind…
It’s one of those days. You know, where you wonder if you really want to keep doing this? It’s one of those days. You know, where you are positive you are doing exactly… Continue reading
Because of WMS…
I began my career as a seventh grade language arts teacher at Wawasee Middle School. Thirteen years later, I remain in the same district, but in a different position. My career path has… Continue reading
Writing Because…
One of the reasons I appreciate the opportunity to lead professional development is I get to continue pushing myself to new understandings and deeper learning. Every time I speak or work with a… Continue reading
Rest.
Rest. Why does this seem like a dirty four letter word? I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about rest. We were on fall break last week. You might think I took rest… Continue reading
Christy Is…
Last week I had the privileged of observing Christy Rush-Levine with her eighth grade language arts classes. Deb Gaby, the reading coach in my district, along with two middle school teachers went with me to… Continue reading
Nudging Joy: A Student Group
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.… Continue reading
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… Continue reading
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… Continue reading
Taking the Art of Reflection Back into the Classroom
Joanne Toft has taught for more than 30 years and spent 6 years managing The Arts for Academic Achievementprogram for the Minneapolis Public Schools. Last year she returned to the classroom to teach… Continue reading
Starting Slowly
One of the things I realized about myself when I went to the Choice Literacy writing retreat is how quickly I speed through the day. I like to pay attention to the world… Continue reading