The Jewish New Year of 5769 is rapidly approaching. (Hence the reason you won't be reading much from me over the course of the next few days.) Therefore, I've been steeping my mind in reflection about the year that has passed. Therefore, when Ruth posted a link to the Five Big Questions Video, I watched… Continue reading Thinking About the 5.75 with the Lens of a Teacher of Writing
Category: teacher of writing
The Big Picture: Pay no mind to the calendar or your watch! Just pay attention to what you do with your days!
I was about 15 when a family member shared a quote with me that was inscribed on a wall of his high school: "We live in deeds, not years." It was something worth remembering. I tucked it into my mind, reminding myself of it on birthdays. By the time I reached my mid-twenties, I realized… Continue reading The Big Picture: Pay no mind to the calendar or your watch! Just pay attention to what you do with your days!
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Units of Study: A Classroom Teacher’s Perspective
Mary Anne left a comment earlier this evening, in which she asked some questions about the units of study: "Can you talk a little about your experience with Lucy Calkins' Units of Study? I am using it for the first time and, although I have lots of experience teaching writing, I would love to hear… Continue reading Units of Study: A Classroom Teacher’s Perspective
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A Loss in the Writing Community
David Price, a fifth grade teacher with a passion for the teaching of writing, passed away this past week. I heard the news via an e-mail from the TCRWP. I was shocked since I had just passed David in the halls at T.C. last month. I had the pleasure of spending a week sitting across… Continue reading A Loss in the Writing Community
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Two Writing Teachers Turns One Today!
1st blog birthday card to ruth Originally uploaded by teachergal One year ago, today, Ruth and I started this blog. For two months we wrote content and tried to finesse it so that it was ready to go "out into the world." And here we are, one year and over 800 posts later! What a… Continue reading Two Writing Teachers Turns One Today!
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There Isn’t Time… The Gates Are Closing… Teaching ’til the End…
Next Week: Agh!!!!!!!!!!! Originally uploaded by teachergal Farjeon wrote a poem called "There Isn't Time," which has always resonated with me since I try to multi-task all of the time -- sometimes successfully and sometimes I just don't get everything done. At the end of every school year, because I've got this demented idea that… Continue reading There Isn’t Time… The Gates Are Closing… Teaching ’til the End…
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What Really Matters: This Post Was Inspired by My Amazing Co-Blogger RUTH!
Last summer I took a course at T.C.'s Reading Institute with Kyleene Beers. She gave us a copy of her book Adolescent Literacy: Turning Promise Into Practice. As I read parts of it, a section by Chris Crutcher resonated with me. Crutcher tells of a tough girl whose third grade teacher was the only one… Continue reading What Really Matters: This Post Was Inspired by My Amazing Co-Blogger RUTH!
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Writing Workshop Teacher – Reflection
A few days ago Ruth blogged about "end of the year reflections," where she posted a link to her wiki where one could download an end of the year teaching reflection about Writing Workshop. Still wound-up from my day in Boston, and needing to get focused back on preparing for the week ahead, I decided… Continue reading Writing Workshop Teacher – Reflection
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Writing Things That Make Me Happy
1. Noticing the growth in a young writer: I conferred with one of my students today who fought with me tooth-and-nail at the beginning of the school year when it came to elaborating. Today, he had six pages-worth (double-spaced) of writing for his literary essay draft! This makes me happy. 🙂 2. Having a student… Continue reading Writing Things That Make Me Happy
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Some inspiration to keep you going this Tuesday
When I was at Borders yesterday, I found myself sucked into buying a tiny book by Mitchell Uscher, which is a collection of quotes about teachers and teaching. I just wanted to share a few of the quotes that are inside it, which inspired me this morning. "Children must be taught how to think, not… Continue reading Some inspiration to keep you going this Tuesday
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Confessions of a Writing Teacher
I didn't teach the literary essay unit of study until last year. Why? I WAS SCARED TO DEATH TO TEACH IT! It seemed so complicated and so important... what if I messed up? Well, I bit the bullet last year since my rationale for not teaching it was not acceptable in my mind. I taught… Continue reading Confessions of a Writing Teacher
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Notebooks
Literacydetails' Post reminded me of a conversation I had with the student who inspired the SOLSC. He confided in me about a week or so ago. Here's a close approximate of the conversation: I walked into the hallway and saw C standing at his backpack shaking his head. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Ms. Shubitz, I… Continue reading Notebooks
