Consistency is the key Every Day

After a four year journey of  elementary principal leadership, I'm retiring.  My last official day is June 30, 2025.  After 31 years in education, it's time for me to move over for new leadership.  I look at is as an opportunity for my colleagues to have access to new energy and I look at it as an opportunity for me to re-direct my focus and prioritize things that have always been the most important things, but sometimes got lost in the shuffle.   

For most of 31 years I feel like I have devoted a lot of time to this teaching/leading occupation of education.  I have given up time with my own children to do things for others.  I regret that.  I hope my children understand that and plan to take advantage of the guilt I feel and call on me a lot to help them out.  I hope to give back to them some time in the form of being a helper like my parents and in-laws were for me.  

I'm ready for the last push for consistency during summer school.  My Supt. asked me today why I was in the building working during the week before Summer school begins.  My answer to him was, I want to finish strong.  I am going to take some PTO.  My goal is to not ever have another Monday of work.  But, that doesn't mean that the building is not prepared for teachers and students to return on Tuesday.  The halls are decorated. There are baskets of supplies.  A wall of writing hall of fame is ready and I have prepared lots of resources for teachers to use. 

I chose the theme this summer, "The Summer of Storytelling."  I want students to fall in love with stories, stories that their peers write, stories that authors write and stories that they write.  Even though I am encouraging them to use Google Docs to write, as well as paper and pencil, I don't want them to spend the summer playing games on their computers and I don't want teachers to feel like that's ok either.  I'm planning on ending strong.  I hope they are too! 

So, here's to my last summer school.  When I leave at the end of June, I'll be on perpetual summer break...with a few snow showers thrown in during February.  

Give me the next 10 words...

 

How can I effectively support teachers and students?  As I try to remember all the things that I have learned in leadership classes, university classes, and professional development experiences the answer usually comes down to conversations with educator's that I have connected with.  For the most part, I have served alongside very dedicated, value driven, patient and kind educators.   

One educator who always comes to mind is Susan Doty.  She was a social studies teacher  and we had some amazing conversations about school and life and politics and she could tell some great stories with that southern gravelly voice. These memories prompted me to begin  looking for online clips of The West Wing because each Monday morning, during the tenure of The West Wing television show, we would get together and hash through the Sunday night episode and how President Bartlett, played by Martin Sheen, managed to get his way and save the day.  

One montage I came across this evening was the "Top 10 Jedd Bartlett scenes" on YouTube. I began to watch through them and in one he is sparring with James Brolin's character, his opponent, in a presidential debate.  The opponent gives a fairly contrived answer to a question from the moderator and in response President Bartlett says, "Okay, give me the next 10 words."  That struck a chord with me.  We have the big idea, but what comes next?

So think about it; after each point below: what are the next 10 words?  

• School leaders wear many hats. 
• Schools shouldn't be measured by test scores.  
• Student apathy stands in the way of greatness.  
• Clear communication is necessary with parents to insure school success.  
• Read 20 minutes each night.  
• Rigor in lessons creates confidence. 

This is my goal 2022-2023:  master the details.   Last year I felt like I kept track of the big ideas, but I left out some details. Many times I didn't have the next 10 words.  Who knows, perhaps each bullet point above will be the title of a blog post with "the next 10 words" about the details, as I see them. 

Leadership and Goals for Decision Making

I'm making my Sunday night rounds through the internet.  Tonight I have been revisiting articles and blog posts I have written.  It lets me hear my voice again and reflect on decisions that were made in the past and figure out new ideas for the future.  I encourage everyone to do that every so often. 

For me reflection leads to goal-setting.  My goal for the next school year is to do better at making connections to all stakeholders in our school community.  So that begs the reflection of what decisions did I make this past year that I should have included others in the process to get ideas and feedback.  I feel  accountable for what happens in my building.  Did that sometimes make me less likely to consider other's ideas?  

Here is a link to a blog post made on the NERDY Book Club blog a few years back, if you are so inclined to read... good stuff here: https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2018/02/05/read-alouds-every-day-every-student-by-lucretia-brattin/

Half a year in...

I am half a year into a vocation that I have shied away from previously, school principal.  Today was a day, and there have been very few, when I thought to myself, "what were you thinking?"  It seemed like a million things did not go well.  There seemed to be tense moments with colleagues over interpretation of a school policy, my feelings were hurt by something silly that happened, and I second guessed a decision and didn't follow through with what I felt was the right thing to do.  Were these things uncomfortable? Yes!  Did I learn from these experiences? Yes! 

10 years ago I would have come home to begin looking at Pinterest boards fantasizing about a career change.  But, then 45 year-old Mrs. Brattin and now 55 year-old Mrs. Brattin are worlds apart in their ability to regroup and move forward.  

This evening I am reminding myself of my determination to make a difference, to have confidence in my decision making and to block out the noise of self-doubt.  Finally, I have decided that I should begin taking my own advice from the 5th grade leadership class that I have been facilitating this past month:  work within my circle of control, be confident and use any power I have for positivity.   

Tomorrow is a  snow day! The alarm is off!  Stay safe, stay warm.   

2020 Lessons Learned

I don't want to look back on 2020 and think, "Oh woe is me."  Yes, there were some woeful times.  Losing the opportunity to finish school with my students at school was just...weird. Not getting to see my grandchild on Easter Sunday was sad. The summer was odd too. No vacation. There have been very few summers in 33 years of marriage that we haven't taken off for somewhere, anywhere. But, not last summer.  

Mom's open heart surgery with a quadruple bypass seemed surreal.  Although I know it was very real.  No sitting in waiting rooms, just waiting on phone calls.  I pre-occupied myself by continuing to teach summer school that week.  My sister sat outside the hospital in a lawn chair, waiting.  

Not celebrating Thanksgiving with my parents was disheartening.  And, I missed my Grandma Isabel's dressing recipe that I have tried to make and just can't recreate like my mom can. 

The most difficult thing was losing my father-n-law. There. Are. Simply. No. Words. 

Teaching school has been a bit of a challenge. Group work, partner work, shoulder reads, simply sitting in a circle and passing around papers for revision is not happening this year, unless it happens through technology.  (Germs, Ugh!)  And, that's ok, but not my preferred way of doing things. It is preparing them for their future, probably as much as anything we do. Technology based communication is after all their real conversations. 

Christmas was the most traditional thing that happened this year.  We gathered, we ate, we opened presents, we took home left-overs and it snowed.  I even put up more than one tree.  Now, if I could prioritize taking those trees down, and stop procrastinating.  Maybe tomorrow.  

So, what are the "lessons learned?"  I mean, that is the title of the blog post. I guess that the lessons are not that earth-shattering. Life goes on and we re-adjust to a different way of getting through the challenges that life throws us. One thing I know, one lesson I have learned is keep those dear to you close, if not in location, at least within a phone call, email or text's reach.  Do not save conversations for the next day or week.  Dial the number. 

What am I reading...?

What am I reading...?

So far this summer I have read All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn, Five Presidents by Clint Hill, and My Jasper June by Laurel Snyder.   I am currently reading the The Inn Boonsboro Trilogy by Nora Roberts.  It's a little light romance reading to begin summer vacation.  Yesterday I bought Separate  by Steve Luxenberg.  The secondary title says "The story of Plessy V. Ferguson and America's Journey from Slavery to Segregation."  I also just ordered Last Boat out of Shanghai by Helen Zia and The Hardest Job in the World by John Dickerson. And, of course, I ordered Conner's weekly dose of literature in the form of Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons by James Dean.  I'd say I'm headed toward the serious side with my reading and that's probably a good thing.  Serious reading for serious times.  

We just finished summer school in my little corner of the world.  I gave kids a chance to read anything they wanted for around 30 minutes a day.  The students that I had are my incoming 6th graders.  They hadn't experienced my opportunity to read anything you want for -- minutes yet.  It took them a while to get on board with this.  At first I think they had an idea that they needed to pick something that they thought I would like for them to read.  However, by around the second week of school they had figured out that I really meant choose anything and they began to make more personal choices.  I still stand behind the notion of the only way to get better at reading is to read.  Read what you want. Re-read things you liked.  

Usually during the summer I pick up old favorites, but like I said before we are in serious times and the best way that I know of for me to learn more about important, serious things is to read.  I can watch all the news shows available on all the channels I have at my fingertips.  But, I won't really understand everything until I dive into the scholarship from others who have done the work to present information about things that have shaped who we are.  I still have confidence in authors and historians to tell me things about history that I need to know to make decisions about how I want to contribute to the future.  I need to know the facts, the true facts, in order to speak to all the misleading "stuff" that students may come into my classroom with that they have heard from television or social media.  If I can hold up a book and say to them, "but, what about this," I can present credible information in a time up of much mis-information. At this point, the printed word is where I choose to go for answers.

Happy Reading! Only...6 weeks to prepare before school begins! 

So, you want to be a School Principal...

Working as a school counselor early in my career, I received a behind the scenes glimpse at what actually goes on in a school office. And, If you have not been a principal, or a school secretary, you have no idea what a principal or a school office has to deal with on a daily basis.  I didn’t, but I quickly figured it out. Principals have to make decisions about situations in a snap. Sometimes, they have time to think about what they want to do and that can make the process even more agonizing. The internal debate can go on forever and even when they make the call, the decision continues to rage within their brain.   After being a small part of those decisions for two years, I decided it was time for me to go back to the classroom. 

My  current principal, Mr. Tim Jordan, is an educator that I mentored when he began his teaching career.  I have watched him progress from teacher to Math specialist, School Counselor and now my Principal. He has gone from someone who sought my advice to someone I seek advice from, frequently.  Our history also makes me a little protective of him, even when I don't agree with him.

Principals have to consider all sides of the story, all consequences, all influences on future decisions, all the students and the parents they will impact.  And, how will their teachers react to what policies they are making.  Parents may disagree with a policy and leave their office and they may not see each other for a while, but when a principal and a teacher disagree they have to face each other in the hallway everyday.  That can get tricky. Building relationships of trust is very important. Hopefully that can be achieved, sometimes it is not.

Some of us who are teachers have administration degrees and we catch ourselves saying, “Well, if I were in charge…” Well, we don’t know what we would do because we aren’t in charge and we don’t know all the details.  Principals have to keep the details to themselves because they can not tell us the details that went into their decisions.  And, if we were in their shoes we might have come to the same conclusion.  We might not have, but we can’t ever know that.  

Principals have taken the leap that most of us will not. There is crazy bravery there.  The principal you are dealing with at the moment, may not be your cup of tea.  But, I guarantee that in the moment they make a decision, even one you don't like, they are doing what they feel is best for kids.  Maybe not what you think is best for kids, but you are not them. 

These men and women are not “Yes” people.  They do not make decisions because the decision will make them popular.  Think about all the decisions they have had to make, this year in particular. Scary stuff. Sometimes everyone in the room is in agreement. But, a lot of the time, they are not.  They do not seek to be put on a pedestal because that is not where they belong or where they want to be. As educators we are all in this together.  Principals are dedicated to their craft and for that I have respect for the task they have undertaken. 

So, for anyone reading this and considering this as a career path, I say to you, toughen up.  You're going to need to have thick skin for this job. 

So, here’s an enormous THANK YOU and HAPPY PRINCIPAL'S DAY to all these principals, some still working, some retired, that I have worked alongside.

Mr. Lowell McInturff, Wheaton

Mr. Bob Borman, Southwest

Mr. Jeff Swadley, Southwest

Mr. Mark Mayo, Southwest

Mrs. Judy Randall

Mr. Terry Winton, Exeter

Mr. Robert Taylor, Exeter

Mrs. Tina Nolan, Exeter

Mrs.Tamara Kester, Exeter

Mr. Tim Jordan, Exeter

Ms. Ashley Fly, Exeter

And, there’s one other that I want to pay tribute to… Mrs. Christy Hermansen, my sister! 

HAPPY PRINCIPAL’S DAY! 

UPDATE 6/14/22 (Now that I have been a principal for a year):  And a few principals that were not my principal directly, but have been so important to me in my teaching journey...

Mrs. Janel Riley

Mrs. Catherine Weaver

Mrs. Mindi Gates

You would think...

You would think I would have lots to say about all this "stuff" happening in our world, but I don't.  
You would think I would have lots of books to recommend, but I don't.

You would think my laundry would be all caught up, but it's not. 
You would think the sink would be empty of dirty dishes,  but it's not. 

You would think I would be all caught up on grading, but I'm not (getting closer). 
You would think I would take the opportunity to catch up on curriculum writing, but I'm not. 

I struggle with goals...lists are out the window.
It doesn't seem like the right time to write for next year...I'm supposed to giving tests this week. 

I'm sad because I haven't seen my kids in more than a month.
I'm sad because I haven't seen my students in more than a month. 

I'm mad because everyone keeps posting on social media  pictures of them seeing their kids.
What about the rules. Everyone stay home. I'm following the rules. Why aren't you?

I am tough.
I know this has taught me to invest in experiences, not things. 
I'm trying to do my best. 
Taking a breath! 
Regroup!

Begin again! Tomorrow is Monday. Whatever that means...

Books that Touch Your Heart

Some books are good reads.  Some books make you laugh.  And, some books touch your heart.  This week I have finished two books that have done that.  Tears in your eyes, trying to keep it together while your class is also reading, touch your heart kind of books.  

The first book is The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds.  The story is tough.  The main character loses his mom, his dad gets becomes injured.  He basically has to get himself through his senior year.  He doesn't feel sorry for  himself, he just takes care of business.  Through adversity he gains lifelong friendships and new experiences.  When I finished reading this book, I immediately emailed the High School English teacher and recommended it for her modern novels class.  Although, if I'm being honest... my goal is for everyone to have read it before they get to her.  

The second book is Good Dog by Dan Gemeinhart. Oh. My. Goodness. This is one I started and put back last summer.  That was a crazy thing to do because this book is amazing!  Brodie, the dog, has to make some tough choices. The choices are at a sacrifice to him. But, it doesn't matter, he has to be sure his boy is ok. He gets some help along the way.  

This is a book that some of our students will have lived through in real life. I hope not many.   I book talked this with all my classes.  One of my 8th grade girls picked it up. I want to read this book aloud... but i'm not sure I can without some help.  

Two great books this week!  I'm working on my goal of 100 in 2020.  

New Year, New Goals

New year, new goals... right!  Personal goals I have set for myself this year include being a kinder person.  I think I'm a fairly nice person.  But, is being nice the same as being kind?  I used to think so, but now, I am not so sure.  

Another goal is to get rid of the clutter.  After 32 years of marriage and three kids, there is a lot of stuff in my house, basement and garage that probably needs to go.  Of course, there are life artifacts that need to be held onto for the next generation.  But, there is also just a lot of stuff! 

I would also like to finish some home projects that have been needed to be completed for oh, probably 20 years, or so.  Sometimes you just don't get to things.  Life gets busy.  There is another show to binge watch.  There is a basketball game at school.  Such is life.  

There are creative goals I would like to reach as well.  I want to sew more quilts.  I have all the supplies anyone could ever need.  I have two sewing machines!  I need to let go of the idea that the things I sew all have to be queen-sized quilts.  Wall hangings, pillows and table runners have value also.  Sewing some smaller projects would allow me to practice the craft and give me a sense of accomplishment. 

Finally, I want to read more.  Today in class, myself and the 7th grade, had a conversation about reading goals.  They are not as excited about it as I am.   I hear them say that they just do not like to read.  To which I say something like, you just haven't found the right book.  They don't necessarily agree with that.  But, I am sticking with that argument, no matter what.  

I hope I can achieve these goals.  They don't seem difficult.  Honestly, they sound kind of cheesy, easy.  I can do this!  

School Supplies

Yesterday we visited with our daughter and her family at her house.  While we were getting ready to leave and saying our goodbyes she pulled me over and said she had something for me.  She handed me the cutest bag full of school supplies.  She is the best and she remembers all the times I purchased extra school supplies for students.  Even at 27, she is a teacher's kid.  

I love how community rallies around schools and students.  Parents and community members are always pitching in to help out with school supplies, or special treat days or cleaning up after reading night.  People will stay after to help stack up chairs after graduation.  It's amazing!  

And, I see this in all our area schools.  My cousin and her husband just donated two pallets of wipes to be distributed in her local school district to teachers to have in their classrooms.  We take care of each other and we make sure kids have what they need.  I could name lots of programs, like the backpack program that every school has.  Coats, clothes, toiletries... it's all there when needed. 

I have even noticed that college campuses are filling student's needs.  I see posts about clothes and food availability all the time.   It really warms the heart to hear about all the ways that everyone helps out.  And, having said that I know there are needs that go not met.  I know it's not perfect.  I wish it were.  

I hope we are doing our best.  I think we are. 

Through the years...

Recently I was interviewed with three other veteran teachers about how technology use has changed over the course of my career.  I pointed out that I could see three different timespans, for lack of a better word. 

When I first began to teach there were typewriters and computers in the business lab.  However, as a classroom teacher, I did not have access to lab time.  Students wrote papers by hand and maybe typed a final draft if they had extra time in business class or if they owned a typewriter or personal computer at home.   Readable handwriting was very important. 

After about 10 years or so, there were more computer labs in schools, but I didn't use them a lot because I was still teaching students how to use the library for inquiry.  Magazines and the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature was still the most convenient way to get recent information each month when the news or sports magazines were published.   Students were, however, able to type things more readily.  

Fast forward to the past five years and the increase in the use of technology has become exponential.  So much, so fast is the best way I can characterize it.   I view technology as a tool for teachers to use.  Some say that it will replace teachers.  I don't believe that.   I was a librarian for six years and lots of people talked about how ebooks would replace libraries someday.  That hasn't happened, and I don't see that happening anytime soon, or at all.  Students need to hold books.  Students need to talk to teachers.   

I am headed out to a technology conference on Thursday and there are so many sessions on the schedule to pick from.  I really had to think about how I am going to use technology in my classroom and if the programs or apps being advertised would truly fit my vision for this year.  I ended up choosing a session about the Digital Public Library of America, notebooking and using technology to engage all students.  Those three seemed most like what I can absorb and really put into use.  

My vision for my students is that we will read books together and independently, write frequently about the books we read, ideas we research and people we meet.  And, we will communicate face to face.  Legible handwriting will be important, again.  Technology will also fit in nicely, as a tool to aide us in our quest for knowledge.   My goal is for a well-rounded student who doesn't completely rely on technology to get through the day.  

The summer is winding down.  August 13th will be here soon! 

End of the Year, New Direction

I am returning to the classroom next year after six years spent as our school's librarian.  I am very excited about this.  Next year will be my 26th year in teaching and most people might ask, why would you leave a job like the library where there is no grading and lots of open time not committed to a specific class?  It's not too hard to explain.  I really love teaching reading and writing.  I really miss making connections with students in a classroom on a daily basis and continuing conversations that began the day before.  So, 6,7,8 ELA classroom, here I come!  

I have already begun to plan for next year.  I've been reading and re-reading lots of books from my personal library.  A few are pictured here.  I have to get back from another teacher my copies of The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller,  Real Revision by Kate Messner and Book Love by Penny Kittle.  I definitely want to review those again.

I'm always looking for suggestions.  Please comment if you have any.    

Just Write!

Writer's notebooks or journals have been around a long time in some form or fashion in language arts classrooms.  Today's model frequently shows up as a "composition" notebook like the kind found at the discount store for a dollar.  I have several of those filled up.  I recently found one that I used during a summer writing institute.  That was about 10 years, or so, ago.  I have enjoyed reading through it.

I write each day that my student's write, which is usually every day.  I just finished a class for writing teachers and I wrote a lot during that time.  I wrote with my students and I wrote for my goal for this class.  There are all sorts of things in my notebook.  There are reflections about things that are happening in my life.  There are reflections about books that I am reading.  There are frustrations.  There are lists.

At the beginning of the semester I had a new group of 5th grade students transfer into my classroom first hour.  The first day we began with writing in a notebook.  I gave them these notebooks with a list of 45 possible topics to write about.  The first few days they relied on these topics, heavily.  However, I'm noticing this week that they are relying more on their own ideas to begin writing.  They are beginning to think of themselves as writers.  Hooray!

I was asked by a younger teacher yesterday for some ideas about how to help some lower elementary students improve their writing.  I thought for a moment about that.  I was thinking about different programs that might be beneficial for her to use.  But, what I finally came up with was the suggestion to simply have them write each day.   Then, look at what they wrote and  figure out where their gaps are.  I think putting them in an authentic writing environment is the best way to help them become better writers.  They have to actually write.   I feel there are strategies that we can give them to help them develop ideas or to organize their thoughts.  But, I don't think that teaching them an organizational system to remind them to put things in a certain order is helpful if they do not write consistently each day.

After I came home, I thought about how I had given her ideas about what I would do, but I didn't point her in the direction of any resources. I knew that I should have some resources that I could share with her.  I went to my bookshelf and came up with two books by Ralph Fletcher and JoAnne Portulupi about Craft Lessons.  There was a non-fiction and a fiction version.  These are older. They were published in 2001.  But, as I looked through them, I realized there was some great information in them.  The lessons within the books give a skill and break that skill down into a lesson with practical suggestions about to teach it.  I hope she finds these books helpful.

The best way to get better at something is to practice.  I don't know of anything that anyone can get better at by just thinking about ways to get better at it.  Practice is the answer.  It's the key to athletics, FFA judging teams, quilting, typing, giving speeches or anything.  And, it's the answer to getting better at writing.  So keep writing! 

2006 -  Writers Notebook at OWP Summer Institute

Finding Balance in a Technology Rich Environment

Schools are challenged with balance.  I ask myself continuously, "What's the right balance between hands-on-written and book-in-hand experiences versus online programs to enrich curriculum?"  I think that district leadership in all sizes of districts struggle with this daily.  There are so many resources available like Khan Academy, IXL and Spelling City just to name only a few that I know our district uses.

As a school librarian, I frequently get caught up in what I know teachers struggle with.   What's the best way to help students obtain skills they may be lacking?  This weekend while looking at data and trying to make decisions about where to go next with my 5th and 6th grade students,  I figured out that as the librarian there is one thing I can provide them each day:  time and space to READ. 

There have been several times when I have provided links to a new online program I discovered or showed them something that I thought might help with their classes only to be met with "We've already done that in Mr./Mrs. X's class."  That is not a bad thing.  Although it might be frustrating for me, I have to remember that  I am not their math teacher or their English teacher.  I am their librarian.  The one thing I can provide them with each day:  time and space to READ. 

Another discussion that sometimes occurs is about how to include health/PE, vocational teachers  and fine arts in the scope of learning to enhance what the core teachers are doing.  After all, these teachers have many things they are trying to accomplish within their own programs.  But, I believe logic and communications skills are relevant to all classes no matter the subject area.  As a librarian I can speak to primary/secondary sources.  I can have students communicate through book reviews or book trailers.  And, I can have them read informational texts and discuss tables and graphs that they find in those books.  Most importantly, I can give them:  time and space to READ.

You may be catching on to a theme... 

The library has much to offer within a technology rich environment.  Librarians can point students to databases they might not know about.  We can assist with inquiry in all classes.  We can procure resources for teachers so they can spend their time planning implementation.  We can be a hub of learning.  And, we can even have an expansive electronic library that can be accessed through their devices when they have:  time and space to READ.

The rules in education seem to be changing all the time.  What's old becomes new again.  This test is piloted this year and that test will be piloted next year.  And, that could all change.  But, that is a blog post for another day.   Right now, I have the time and space to READ. 

Vacation Time is Near (to the tune of the Christmas Vacation theme song)

Vacation time is near.  Two more weeks left.  Is it just me, or has there been a lot of time between Thanksgiving vacation and Winter break?  I blame the calendar.   

So, what can you do with that time between the breaks?  Instruction, of course.  Winter benchmarks, you bet.  Christmas movies in class, frowned upon possibly... we just can't help ourselves.  I call it relationship building.  Nothing says "I love you class" like watching a classic movie in which a young child must fend for himself while his family forgets him when leaving for a Christmas trip and eating popcorn at 8:00 am in the morning. 

This is the time of the year when I always do a poetry project.  When I first introduced this, the Monday after Thanksgiving, a few of my students popped up and said, "April is poetry month, Mrs. Brattin."  First of all, I almost began crying because they knew that (they have been listening for the past five years)... and second, I explained that any month is a good time for poetry. In all my years of teaching, the time between Thanksgiving break and Winter break is poetry notebook time in my class.  

I have decided to approach the project a little differently this year.  I am putting more emphasis on poetry appreciation.  Students are writing some formula poems, but they are also doing more poetry research.   They have looked through poetry books and found poems they like.  They have completed research online to look at poetry websites for students.  Next week we are going to listen to poets and work on some poet biographies (sneaking in some primary/secondary source lessons here.) 

A month immersed in poetry, at least until the last two or three days... then, it's movie time!  Any month is a good month for poetry! 

Be the nice teacher!

How wonderful if every parent had this discussion with students heading back to school. Probably, most do. And, let's face it, we as adults need to repeat this mantra as well.  In fact it could be re-written to fit us as adults:

Some teachers are smarter than you.
Some teachers have nicer purses than you.
Some teachers are better dancers than you at school assemblies.
It doesn't matter! 
You have your thing too.
Be the teacher who welcomes the new teachers into the group.
Be the teacher who shares posters.
Be the teacher who listens to all the great vacation stories everyone has.
Be the teacher who doesn't chime in on the latest gossip.
Be the nice teacher.

It's the beginning of school again.  Today is August 1st.  For me, once it's August 1st, summer is over.  I'm in school mode.   I think I'm the nice teacher.  All I know is  I CAN'T DANCE.  But, I do like to share posters!  

2018 begins my 25th year as a teacher!  2018, here I come! 



(Picture found on Facebook from a post by Myra Trimble Barnes. Thanks Myra for sharing.) 

Less than a month left...

I haven't done a great job with that #bookaday commitment that I made at the beginning of the summer. There are several YA books and new chapter books that I had thought I would get completed, but it hasn't happened.  I still hold out hope that some will get read.  There is still a month, or so, left on summer vacation.  It could happen...

However, my reading life this summer has included reading things to enhance my role as a librarian and as one who loves to sneak in a writing lesson quite frequently with the fifth and sixth grade students that I see everyday 1st and 2nd hours. So far, I'm re-reading Pernille Ripp's Passionate Readers.   

I was fortunate to hear her speak at nErDcampMI last summer and I loved the things she had to say about reading in the classroom.  Her ideas are realistic and speak truth to the fact that things aren't always perfect or the way we intend, but the battle is waged daily and the war is not lost if there is not success on one or even two or three days.  My hope is to model a love of reading  that I hope transfers so that they think about reading a lot and not just between the hours of 8 and 3. 

Goals can be re-evaluated and revised.  That's where I am.  What can I do to make the rest of my summer productive?  I'll keep working on that.  

It's the end of the school year, so why can't I take a break?

It's the end of the school year!  Yay!  What's the first thing I did when I got home today, you ask?  Did I go to the pool?  Did I finish binding a quilt I had begun?  Did I take a nap?  The answer is NO to all those things. I began making lists for things to do, or do better, next year. 

I already have a list.  I have already sent myself  three emails.  I'm already planning on going back to school tomorrow.  The one thing I am going to do tonight is begin my journey on the #bookaday challenge.   

Here's my list of things, so far:

• Read a #bookaday
• Piece more quilt tops with the stash I have
• Clean up, clean out
• Write more

I think that list seems well-rounded.  Happy Summer! 

What's in a number? Details!

Today was the last day of the first hour, fifth grade, journal writing goal attempt.   At the beginning of the second quarter we set a goal to write 25,000 words in eight weeks.  That's 25,000 words for 12 students for eight weeks.  The numbers worked out to around 300 words per student, per week.  I don't know if that is a high word count, or not, but it's what I came up with.  Always before I had approached student journal writing by saying just write about the topic.  I have never put a number qualifier on writing.  This was something new to me.   But, I decided to try it. By knowing that they had a number goal to meet, they spent more time trying to add details to add more words.  More details are a good thing. 

My ideas with this goal was to get students to write.  I haven't ever assigned a grade based on a word count.  I do look for quality over quantity.  I know what the research says about requiring a word amount.  However,  I just wanted them to write and maybe get lost in the details, literally.  I wanted them to have some incentive to write more.  I have learned that students do use excuses to not write, sometimes.  

I'm very proud to announce that they met and surpassed their goal.  They wrote almost 27,000 words!  We are celebrating next week!