Thank you to my coaching colleagues - #SOLSC Day 1

I love March, when during the Slice of Life Challenge, I commit to writing on a daily basis. It's fun during 31 days of posts to watch the ebb and flow of my writing. Some days I'll be incredibly pleased with how a post turned out; other days I'll just be glad I posted anything at all. A huge thanks to the gang at Two Writing Teachers for hosting, organizing, and commenting on this ginormous event each year. I appreciate the community of writers you encourage the entire month of March, and all the Tuesdays the rest of the year. Thank you, thank you.

This March, I plan to connect as many posts as possible to my #OLW for the year - SAVOR.


"You can do this."

"No, it's beautiful out, and I don't want to participate today."

"I'm telling you, you will regret not going in. This is going to be a fantastic day of learning."

"I'm tired, and a little bit cranky, and don't feel like I will be invested in a productive day. I think I should just head home."

BEEP! BEEP!

A car horn interrupted the warring voices in my head, as I sat in the parking lot trying to decide whether or not I was really up for the Dublin Literacy conference this past Saturday. The horn interruption came from two of my coaching colleagues, Brooke and Heather. I looked up and saw their smiling faces drive by, and park down the row from me - I realized seeing those faces was a sign of which voice to listen.

How lucky I was to see those faces and smiles at that moment. I quieted the voices in my head, turned off my car, and headed into the conference with them, and I'm so glad I did!! (It was one of my favorite Dublin Literacy conferences ever - more on that soon!)

As the day progressed, I reflected on how much these colleagues have meant to me, both personally and professionally, these past three years I have been an intermediate literacy coach.

Three years ago... I had no more than a surface knowledge of their names; I truly didn't know either of these individuals at all. How far we have come since then! And how fortunate I am because of it!

Three years ago... one of those colleagues was a 3rd grade teacher in a building I was assigned. Every coaching cycle I came to her building, we engaged in reflective and collegial conversations about how to grow readers and writers. I know I learned from our conversations and collaborative work together, and hopefully, she learned a little as well. Two years ago, she interviewed for, and became, another intermediate literacy coach in our district, and I was thrilled to know our learning together would be continuing.

Three years ago... the other face in the car Saturday morning was entering her second year as an intermediate coach as the rest of our literacy group was beginning at Year 1. In addition to her coaching assignment at her building, she also gives reading support to students. Time and time again, over the past 3 years, I have relied on her experience and skill sets to help me think through tricky reading situations in which the classroom teacher and I got stuck on "next steps" for specific students. And I have trusted, and tried to emulate, her reflective look at deconstructing standards with teachers to make them more manageable.

These ladies have been colleagues that I treasure for their inquisitiveness, their knowledge, their reflective natures, their willingness to collaborate and share, and so much more.

But if your peek below the surface of our professional relationship, you find people who have become friends. Those colleagues/friends who:

• laugh together - much laughter as we first learned the ins and outs of sharing Google Docs with one another (trust me on this one!)
• share the good and the bad in our lives when the need arises
• enjoy eating and sharing the same type of pizza - Ryan's Inferno - when we visit a local pizzeria
• stay connected through Google hangouts, emails, and texts
• borrow each other's clothing (well, the truth of it is, I was asked by one of them one time, and it was a scarf - kind of a one size fits all, but still!!)

So, as I spent Saturday learning and talking and reflecting with these smart women, it comes as no surprise that with their "BEEP! BEEP!" in the parking lot that morning, they lifted me up once again.

I will continue to savor our relationships as both colleagues and friends for as long as I can!

**Author's note - These two coaches lifted me up Saturday, but for the past 3 years, all of these other incredible women have lifted me up as colleagues as well as we embraced literacy coaching together. And on a very personal note, they were all there for me during the year my parents died within seven months of each other.

• Josie, 
• Lisa, 
• Lynsey, 
• Gayle, 
• Mandy, 
• Gretchen, 
• Rita, 
• and Jill. 

Thank you all so very much!! Words can never express how very grateful I am to be part of such an amazing, powerful, reflective, caring, and smart group of women. It has been a true blessing.

Joining #SOLSC 2017! - #SOL 2/21/17

I love March, when during the Slice of Life Challenge, I recommit to writing on a daily basis. It's fun during 31 days of posts to watch the ebb and flow of my writing. Some days I'll be incredibly pleased with how a post turned out; other days I'll just be glad I posted anything at all. A huge thanks to the gang at Two Writing Teachers for hosting, curating, and commenting on this ginormous event each year. I appreciate the community of writers you encourage the entire month of March, and all the Tuesdays the rest of the year. Thank you, thank you.

I am excited to be joining the 2017 Slice of Life Story Challenge beginning Wednesday, March 1!!

As writers, we all come into SOLSC with different game plans to help us reach our goal of writing for 31 consecutive days, but the one that works the best for me is pre-planning. Waking up each morning and finding inspiration isn't always doable for me. So, I begin planning ahead of time for possible topics that might be good on those days I feel stuck.

Having this organization ahead of time also helps me solve this other problem that happens more and more frequently: I think of a great idea, don't write it down, and then it's gone - poof! I can't remember what I wanted to write.

So here are some of the pre-planning solutions that have worked for me in the past, and I plan on using again this year:

• I begin stockpiling ideas for "slices" about 2 weeks out. I dust off my Slice of Life notebook, and start brainstorming some small moments of significance for me that might develop into written pieces.
• I begin to carry this notebook with me at all times so I can capture inspiration when it occurs. It is with me constantly, either in my purse or my teacher's bag.
• In addition, I like to add pictures when appropriate, so my phone is used often to capture pictures that complement these small moments.
• If one of those captured ideas really floats my boat, as soon as possible, I go to my blogger dashboard, and begin typing in the bare bones of the piece as a draft. Fleshing it out a bit allows me to be more focused when I come back to further develop it.

I wish I could give credit to the #SOLSC participant who made me think about this starting a few years ago (my apologies for not being able to name you here), but I love the idea of having all my posts for the entire month center around a theme of some sort.

Last year, I tried to stay within my "writing territories" - family, friends, work, travel.

This year, I want to try to write around my #OLW for 2017 - savor. In my posts during this challenge, I want to "savor" the good, the bad, the endings, the new beginnings, and everything in between.

I look forward to finding out who else is taking this journey as well! Happy writing to all!

#OLW for 2017 - #SOL 1/24/17

It's Tuesday and time for Slice of Life! Thanks so much to the entire crew at Two Writing Teachers for  hosting this group every Tuesday!

I'm currently in a bit in shock; in fact, I shed tears when it happened. After graduating with a degree in education 40 years ago, and spending over 36 of those years in public education, Monday was a new milestone for me... I submitted my retirement letter to our Board of Education, effective May 31, 2017.

How is that possible?!! I have loved almost every minute of my career in education. It was never just a job for me; it was a passion, and still continues to be.

So, what does this have to do with choosing my One Little Word for 2017? I've been thinking about a guiding word to help me navigate these new roads head, whatever they may be. I want to be present in all these "last" moments of my full-time career, and I also want to look ahead with excitement and expectancy to the new experiences that lie ahead. So many possibilities.

Several words crossed my mind, but I kept coming back to the same one: SAVOR.

I want to savor the moments and memories and learning and collaboration with colleagues between now and May 25 (our official last school day this year).

And as I embark on new journeys beginning June 1, I want to savor all the new possibilities that will make themselves known to me. I want to travel a great deal, do more writing, connect with friends and family regularly, give back by volunteering, stay open to part-time opportunities in education, spend more time on our screen porch, learn new things.

I look forward to savoring all of life.

The Jumble and my Mom - #SOL 12/20/16

It's Tuesday and time for Slice of Life! Thanks so much to the entire crew at Two Writing Teachers for  hosting this group every Tuesday!

My mom loved to do the Jumble in the newspaper. Every day when she lived at her home, she would cut the Jumble out of the paper, and put it on the end table between her chair and my dad's chair. This prevented her from cheating and looking at the answers when words got difficult, and it was easy for her to hold as well.

During the year of her 3 hip replacements, when she spent a great deal of time near us in Columbus either at a surgery center, or at a rehab facility, the Jumble became "our" thing - I would bring the Life and Arts section of our local paper to the rehab facility each night, and if it was just the two of us, we would settle in, and try to figure out the words, and then answer the riddle as well.

I initially started doing it with her to help keep her mind sharp; she wasn't as active as she used to be, and the three surgeries and the anesthesia required for each took away some of her mental acuity. But then the Jumble became so much more than that - it became an opportunity for mother/daughter bonding over words. It was "our" ritual - sometimes when we both got stuck, we'd ask for help; but we really tried to figure it out between the two of us.

As can happen, the adult daughter became a caregiver, and that was true when we worked the Jumble as well. After a few weeks, I began to easily see patterns in letters and words that Mom, who had been successful at the Jumble her entire life, could not. But Mom was a competitive person, so I never let her know I figured it out first; I would just guide her to finding it out by giving her different sequences of letters that more closely approximated what the real word was.

I so cherished those moments we had together, puzzling over words and talking about the days' events at the same time.

She died two years ago last week, and you want to know what section I still look at first when the paper comes? That's right - the Life and Arts section so that I can cut out the Jumble for later. On the days the answers come really easy for me, I know my mom is sitting over my shoulder helping me out even now. It's still a time each day we get to spend together.

Nonfiction Picture Books - #IMWAYR - 12/19/16

A huge thanks to Jen Vincent at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye at Unleashing Readers for hosting the kid lit version of "It's Monday, What Are You Reading?"!!

One of my favorite posts all year is the one I do for the Nerdy Book Club to announce the Nerdy Awards for the Nonfiction Picture Book categories. I volunteered to do it again this year, but at NCTE in November, I realized I was woefully behind in my reading in this genre/format. So, I started checking in with friends, reading blog posts about nonfiction picture books that people loved this year, and then began to reserve a HUGE pile of books at my local public library.

While it would take forever to share everything I've read in the past 2 weeks in detail, I thought I would give you a glimpse of some of my favorites. And I also want to remind you that tomorrow, Tuesday, December 20, is the last day to nominate your favorite books of the year for a Nerdy award in several categories - check out the Nerdy nomination link here.

A quick disclaimer - I am not privy to the voting tally until the nominations are closed; this post just reflects what I am really loving right now. And a second disclaimer - I am not done reading my piles yet, so there may be other favorites I haven't found yet! :)

My absolute favorite of what I have read so far is Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay. Making a better life for yourself, perseverance, and the ability of music to transcend even the most difficult of situations - these are just a few of the reasons I love this book:

For lovers of the musical, Hamilton, here's a great book for you:

Inventors and perseverance and high interest inventions for students:

Strong females who made a difference in so many ways:

Gorgeous nature books (and in addition, I ordered my own copy of Animals by the Numbers: A Book of Animal Infographics!!):

Building for a Sustainable Future (and I loved Drummond's previous book, Energy Island):

So what are the nonfiction picture books you are loving from 2016? Please share those titles here, and then head on over to Nerdy to nominate your favorites by tomorrow night!!!

Reflections about #NCTE16 - #SOL 11/29/16

With all the activity of the Thanksgiving holiday, it's hard to believe that just 2 weeks ago this Wednesday evening, I was arriving in Atlanta for the 2016 NCTE convention.

As I reflect back on my time in Atlanta, I can't help but think the convention was just one HUGE family reunion.

Like a reunion, there were the initial hugs when seeing friends for the first time, there were the hugs that happened sporadically throughout the weekend, and then there were the bittersweet goodbye hugs.

There was a great deal of time spent in social gatherings, complete with food, beverages, and lots and lots of laughter, tears, and conversations. And in this family, there were books - lots of books - and conversations about books as well!

But my biggest take-away from NCTE 2016 is what a brilliant "family" I belong to!! I spent the last two days reading through my notes, looking at tweets (#NCTE16), and scrolling through the pictures I took; I am overwhelmed at the generosity of this NCTE family! The people I spend time with play a huge role in how I grow as a professional, and I so appreciate the time this group puts into sharing with one another.

Here are just a few of the thoughtful statements I heard from various "family members" at the reunion:

• Jen Allen - If everything is the same, we risk losing the identity of teachers and students.

• Cris Tovani - We need to have engagement time for practice, wipe-outs, and do-overs for students as they are learning.

• Franki Sibberson - Be careful that the story students tell about themselves is not just a test score.

• Ann Marie Corgill - Relationships and deep conversations about important books matter.

• Katharine Hale - With technology, we create windows to what students are thinking.

• Kristin Ziemke - Be careful that we don't judge a child's story but the chapter we walk in on.

• Ellin Keene - Reading synthesis is how our comprehension changes as we read; we revise our thinking.

• Matt Glover - Important for students to read unfamiliar books. The thinking they do is different.

• Terry Thompson - Let's reframe the gradual release model. Focus on 4 conditions for scaffolding: focus, flexibility, feedback, responsibility.

• Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan - We are trying to do too much in each lesson; we need to give students time to learn and trust their wisdom.

• Dorothy Barnhouse - We need to start complex thinking by using simple text; leading to complex thinking in complex text. This is a form of gradual release.

• Barbara O'Connor - I start with the title, and then I really get to know my characters. It is important that the characters have flaws.

• Augusta Scattergood- Read each chapter and look for small astonishments.

• Kirby Larson - As a writer, I'm a beachcomber. I never know if I'll use the treasures, but I keep them anyway.

• Sara Ahmed - We must make all kids visible in our learning communities. Identity webs are one way to do so.

• Laura Robb - Choice allows kids to invest in the books they are reading.

• Kylene Beers - The best questions are to be explored, not answered. If you already know the answer, it's not a real question.

• Jeff Anderson - The most important parts of conversation are listening and trust.

• Donalyn Miller - How can we guarantee that all the kids we serve have access to books 365 days a year?

I'm so grateful all these people and thousands more came to the reunion to celebrate who we are as a family. I loved every hug, every conversation, the food, the drink, the books, the learning. Looking forward to our reunion next year in St. Louis! Hope many of you can join us there!

In the meantime, a huge thanks to the gracious team at Two Writing Teachers who host Slice of Life each week. Thanks so much!!

In the meantime, a huge thanks to the gracious team at Two Writing Teachers who host Slice of Life each week. Thanks so much!!

#IMWAYR - 11/28/16

A huge thanks also to Jen Vincent at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye at Unleashing Readers for hosting the kid lit version of "It's Monday, What Are You Reading?"!!

#NCTE16 in Atlanta ended 8 days ago for me, and I am just now making the time to process all the learning.  Which leads me to today's post for It's Monday, What are You Reading? Actually, a better title for me this week should be: It's Monday, What are You Planning on Reading in the Near Future? ;)

Publishers at NCTE are so kind - each year, they give away copies of upcoming books so that educators can share them in the classroom with their students. Who doesn't love a free book?!! But through the eight years I've been attending NCTE, I realize I've gotten a bit more selective in taking free books.

What I've come to realize is that I love talking to the representatives at the different publishing companies, asking them what books they are most excited about in the near future. This leads to conversations between two book lovers about why an upcoming book is a "must read." I found myself caught up in these conversations, in awe of different writers' talents, many of them new names to me, but some "old friends."

I'm sharing a picture of the stack that made it home with me. Some of them were generously shared in the exhibit hall; others were generously shared at publishing house events. These will be the books I look forward to reading in 2017. In fact, I wasn't going to read any of them yet, but I just couldn't resist one, in particular.

I loved Counting by 7's by Holly Goldberg Sloan, and her latest is SHORT, due out in January of 2017. I will review it more in depth later, but let me say I loved this book, also!

Just a few books on my
reserve list

Just a few books on my
reserve list

My other reading, to begin tomorrow after a trip to the library, will be focused on informational picture books. I am woefully behind in reading the latest in this genre, so after the suggestions of friends who have read considerably more than me, I started to reserve books at the library.





After tomorrow, I will be curling up with piles of informational picture books. I know the Nerdy book nominations will open soon, and I hope to be an informed voter!!

I'm looking forward to what others are currently reading, as well as planning to read. Happy reading week to all!