One of the things which took me a few years to really understand is what goes in a writer's notebook. It was one of those thinking journeys which twisted and turned through many ideas, brainstorms, trials, and errors and eventually emerged on the other side with a basic understanding that seems simplistic. Everything I put… Continue reading What Goes in a Writer’s Notebook?

As the year winds down, now is a perfect time to reflect on your Writing Workshop. Here are a few questions I'm mulling over this week. What did I do well this year as a writing teacher? What did I do differently this year in Writing Workshop? Why did I try this new idea? Will I… Continue reading How’s Your Writing Workshop Going?

Tuesday @ 5:58 am: Putting the tea cup in the dishwasher, Sam says, "There's nothing like a cup of hot fresh tea to start the day off right."

I've been thinking all weekend about today's post. I keep a list of topics to blog for days like today. Days when I'm not sure what it is I should write. However, none of them seemed right. How is it that I can have a list of 23 ideas and yet none of them are… Continue reading Joy in the Journey

Today I had the pleasure of celebrating student writing. Mitch Willaman's fifth grade class presented their Wax Museum. Have you ever been to a Wax Museum? It is filled with look-a-likes. The difference between Madame Tussaud's and Mr. Willaman's class is the students today came alive. Each student created a button and when it was… Continue reading Celebrate Student Writing

Stamina has been on my mind lately. Maybe it is because it is May and the year is coming to an end. Maybe it is because I've been thinking about standardized testing and the stamina it takes for kids to complete the English Language Arts sections. Maybe it's because I've been increasing my stamina during… Continue reading Stamina.

You may consider today's post random, however, I prefer to think of it as eclectic. There are some things I've been meaning to share, some things I've been preparing to share, and some things I just learned about today and am wanting to share. Plus, I think a good dose of eclectic has never hurt… Continue reading A Bit of This & That

One thing I've noticed as I've worked with many teachers across grade levels is we all have a different tolerance for noise level. This makes me realize that all of our students probably have different tolerances as well. Which makes me wonder -- how much noise is enough in Writing Workshop and how much noise… Continue reading Noise Level in Writing Workshop

Today was frustrating at work school. (I know it's been a rough day when I begin referring to it as work.) On the way home Sam fell asleep in his car seat, which is a very rare occurence. I carried him in and he snuggled close, so I cuddled him in the rocking chair. We… Continue reading A Song for You, Momma (Ruth’s SOLS)