I think often in life we can do things to get them done or we can do things to make meaningful changes.  Sometimes it's a difficult fight within ourselves.  Right now, in education, this fight is important. As more and more mandates and regulations "come down," it is tempting to simply shell-up and take it.  Close… Continue reading Fighting Apathy.

2010 has been off to a bit of a rocky start for me.  Now don't read that and think things have been bad.  They haven't.  Just rocky.  As in having a rough time finding my footing and feeling sure of the way things are going.  However, I'm pleased to say this weekend has been a… Continue reading These Things Make Me Happy.

Writing Workshop changed my life.  Through Writing Workshop I became a writer.  I learned how to mentor myself after my favorite writers.  I learned to collect the simple everyday moments, relish them, and use them to make sense of my place in the world.  This in itself made Writing Workshop worthwhile to me. Yet that's… Continue reading Purposeful Teaching

How vain is it to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live. -- Henry David Thoreau In my 9th grade class, we are moving into a narrative writing unit this week.  I ran across this Thoreau quote tonight and thought it was a good reminder.  I hope to support my… Continue reading A Good Reminder

One of the things I've become sensitive to is how difficult it is to have so many priorities vying for our time.  We all agree it is our duty to prepare students for success outside of our classroom doors.  On one hand (as is evident from the pressure we feel), one of the things our students must be… Continue reading Making Plans

A few years ago I began thinking of New Year's Resolutions in terms of intentions.  As opposed to resolving to do things, I intend to do things in 2010.  This seems to make New Year's Resolutions more do-able.  (Isn't it funny how language makes an impact on how we view things?)  Will you join me… Continue reading Intentions.

My apologies for a short (and late) post.  My six-year-old came down with a nasty stomach virus on Saturday.  She was back to normal by Sunday afternoon, but then it attacked the remaining four of us on Monday.  The good news is it hit us all at once and we are back to normal in time for… Continue reading Holding On to Good Ideas . . .

Last week as I was trying to keep everything straight, I made a "To Do" list.  I was reminded of an article my mom shared with me about a year ago about a woman who started concentrating on "To Be" lists instead of "To Do" lists.  The gist of the article was about living in… Continue reading A “To Be” List

Anchor charts have been on my mind lately.  I believe they can be a powerful tool in Workshop, yet I think I haven't quite tapped into their power.  Therefore,  I've been considering these questions: How should anchor charts be created? What makes anchor charts most useful to students? Do anchor charts lift the level of… Continue reading Anchor Charts

For the past six years I have been talking with a student in our school corporation.  The conversation has been completely one-sided because he has cerebral palsy and isn't able to communicate with words.  However, as the years have rolled by, he has learned who I am and will respond to me. He uses a motorized wheel… Continue reading “Hi!”

Sometimes I find my resilience cracking when it comes to standing up for meaningful, authentic instruction.  I get tired of being judged and questioned and badgered.  Thankfully I'm surrounded by people who encourage me even during the rough patches.  Not just in this online community, but also in the real world.  One (of the many)… Continue reading Pressing On.

The act of paying attention brings us peace. --- Julia Cameron Yesterday I was thinking about how life is messy and how often it is human nature to try and cover-up the mess instead of face it head-on.  As the day went on, I began thinking about Writing Workshop in these terms.   Anytime we teach in… Continue reading Peace in Workshop