If Not for Franki...

First of all, a huge apology that I hit "Publish" on Friday, and ended up showing up on people's Feedly, possibly ruining this amazing surprise, even though I immediately took it off the blog as soon as I realized my mistake.
That aside, I love that, on her birthday, we are celebrating all the ways Franki has made a difference in our lives.  For more posts, head on over to A Year of Reading to read all the posts about how Franki has made a difference in so many people's lives.   Make sure to follow Twitter and Facebook feeds as well today since people without blogs will be chiming in there.  What a fun day!!  Happy birthday, Franki!

IF NOT FOR FRANKI...

My reading workshop would look much different.  I understood and employed the workshop concept in my classroom, but the book she and Karen wrote, Day to Day Assessment in the Reading Workshop, was a game changer for me.  Long before people were talking about formative assessment, these ladies had me understanding that I continually needed to be looking at new information about students so that I could best plan how to strategically meet with them.  Does the information show that it is an entire class need, a small strategy group need, or an individual need?  The planning sheet from their book has become the way I plan instruction every single week.

IF NOT FOR FRANKI...

I would not have discovered hot yoga and realized how much I hated it. :)  However, the experience did make me realize I liked the concept of yoga, and it has become a staple in my life since then.  Though we don't get our schedules to sync often, I love when we are in regular yoga classes together.

IF NOT FOR FRANKI...

I would not be a contributor at Choice Literacy.  It began with a nudge from her when Brenda Power was looking for an intermediate classroom where she could tape an entire block of workshops - read aloud, reading workshop, word study, and writing workshop.  Brenda wanted to make a DVD where educators could see a workshop block from beginning to end.   I was fortunate enough to become that classroom, and it has continued to open up so many doors for me.  In addition to the DVD, I have written for Choice Literacy, presented in workshops for them, and had segments in my classroom taped again.

IF NOT FOR FRANKI...

I would be a wealthy woman.  Shopping for books with her can be a dangerous undertaking if you love books and have no willpower.  She loves to put books in not only students' hands, but in adults' hands as well.  My students thank her; my credit card, not so much.

IF NOT FOR FRANKI...

Many other professional opportunities would not have come my way.  Opportunities such as doing PD in Birmingham, Alabama with Ann Marie Corgill to working with Samantha Bennett of That Workshop Book in my classroom as a Literacy Connection workshop to becoming a Curricular Support Teacher in my district, just to name a few - these were all possible because of a nudge from our friend, Franki.

IF NOT FOR FRANKI...

I would not be connected to people in the ways that I am.  She is incredible about introducing her NCTE friends to her Dublin friends, to her AllWrite friends, to her Choice Literacy friends, to her NerdyBookClub friends, to her author friends, and so forth until all these groups begin to blend into one big group.  I am so fortunate to call people friends from all over the United States, and the initial connection to many of them was Franki.  The game, "Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon" is old and passé'.  "Seven Degrees of Franki Sibberson" -- now that's something I can wrap my head around!

So on this day that is Franki's 50th birthday, I would like to say thank you to her.  If not for Franki, I would not be the professional I am today, and for that, I am incredibly grateful.  

Happy birthday, Franki!!