Gratitude

I'm grateful for... 1. my loving, crazy, amazing family 2. my brave, hard working, sometimes silly students 3. my loving, grace-filled, kind friends 4. books to read 5. notebooks to fill 6. just the right pens 7. my sweet Bella 8. peppermint coffee 9. soft, warm, cozy blankets 10. writing to soothe my soul 11. traveling to discover 12. mittens 13. sense of accomplishment 14. stickers 15. hugs 16. daily phone chats with mom 17. warm socks 18. bubble bath 19. memories of dad 20. autumn 21. faith 22. showing up Being grateful...expressing gratitude...it's contagious and powerful. It can change my mood and change my day. What's on your list? 

Thank you to the Two Writing Teachers for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers.

Writers in Writing Groups

Sixth grade writing groups are here. We have been writing since the first day of school. Sharing our writing too. And now, we have formed writing groups to become better writers. I remember my first writing group. I became part of a writing group ten years ago as part of a graduate class from the Northern Virginia Writing Project. My instructor was reviewing the format of the class and when I heard writing group, my first instinct was to drop the class. I panicked! The idea of sharing my writing with other people terrified me. I didn't run. I stayed and shared. It changed me. My writing group was composed of high school teachers (at the time I taught elementary). Thinking they knew more than I did, I worried they would think I was not a good writer. Boy was I wrong! They were kind and supportive. Their feedback encouraged me and I slowly took more and more risk with my writing. Since that group, I've been part of many writing groups over the years and each one has made me a better writer. I shared that with my sixth grade writers. We talked about the fears of being in a writing group. We rehearsed giving feedback. We talked about being respectful to each other. I felt the tension ease slightly as they changed seats to sit with their new group. They sat with their new groups, introduced themselves, and shook hands. We took time to talk to each other and get to know each other. I've added this part and stressed it because the relationships in writing groups are vital to effective feedback. "What do you do when someone suggests something and you don't like it?" Isn't that a great question? Many sixth graders struggle with being confident to say no to a suggestion. We talk about how to say no thank you and how to listen without defending the writing. My favorite response to that is this, "Thank you for your suggestion. I will consider it, but I am the boss of my own writing." That gives my sixth grade writers ownership and permission to say no. It sounds funny too, so it diffuses any tense moments. Listening to the writers meet and begin revising their leads made me grateful to be surrounded with these brave and creative writers! Thank you to the Two Writing Teachers for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers.

Writers in Writing Groups

Sixth grade writing groups are here. We have been writing since the first day of school. Sharing our writing too. And now, we have formed writing groups to become better writers. I remember my first writing group. I became part of a writing group ten years ago as part of a graduate class from the Northern Virginia Writing Project. My instructor was reviewing the format of the class and when I heard writing group, my first instinct was to drop the class. I panicked! The idea of sharing my writing with other people terrified me. I didn't run. I stayed and shared. It changed me. My writing group was composed of high school teachers (at the time I taught elementary). Thinking they knew more than I did, I worried they would think I was not a good writer. Boy was I wrong! They were kind and supportive. Their feedback encouraged me and I slowly took more and more risk with my writing. Since that group, I've been part of many writing groups over the years and each one has made me a better writer. I shared that with my sixth grade writers. We talked about the fears of being in a writing group. We rehearsed giving feedback. We talked about being respectful to each other. I felt the tension ease slightly as they changed seats to sit with their new group. They sat with their new groups, introduced themselves, and shook hands. We took time to talk to each other and get to know each other. I've added this part and stressed it because the relationships in writing groups are vital to effective feedback. "What do you do when someone suggests something and you don't like it?" Isn't that a great question? Many sixth graders struggle with being confident to say no to a suggestion. We talk about how to say no thank you and how to listen without defending the writing. My favorite response to that is this, "Thank you for your suggestion. I will consider it, but I am the boss of my own writing." That gives my sixth grade writers ownership and permission to say no. It sounds funny too, so it diffuses any tense moments. Listening to the writers meet and begin revising their leads made me grateful to be surrounded with these brave and creative writers! Thank you to the Two Writing Teachers for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers.

Why I Write

I've been writing since I was nine years old. I started writing because I am a rule follower. Writing was assigned in school. I wrote what the teacher wanted to read. At nine, my mom bought me my first notebook. This is where the fun began. Now, my audience was me. I didn't have to answer someone else's question or prompt. Still, my writing followed a traditional diary format. Each day I wrote about my day and not much more. I wrote poetry too. As I grew, I wrote about my dreams. College was when my writing helped me figure out problems. I'd write when I was lonely. I'd write when I was confused. Writing always helped me feel better. I remained my only audience. No one else got to see those words. As an adult, I took more risks with my writing. I tried more poetry and a little bit of fiction. Writing became a friend...ever by my side. I brought my writing, my notebook, with me wherever I went. I never felt alone again. Writing always had my back.  

The Northern Virginia Writing Project changed me as a writer. This group gave me an audience...encouragement...and courage to share my story. The NVWP showed me that I had a story to tell and nudged me to write. For the last ten years, I've continued to write but now I write for more than just me. I blog. I write for my students. I share my writing. Why do I write? I must. I have a story to tell. Writing forces me to reflect, which in turn helps me grow as a teacher and as a person. Writing helps me untangle life. Writing gives me time to observe things happening around me through my words. Writing allows me to express myself.  Three years ago during a Twitter chat, I read a tweet by Penny Kittle that sparked the creation of this blog...

This is why I write. Please take a moment and celebrate the National Day on Writing, October 20th!

Thank you to the Two Writing Teachers for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers.

The Best Part of Me

We have been experimenting with some interesting entries in our notebooks. I wanted to share. Last week, I borrowed an idea from Penny Kittle's website called Writing Beside Poetry.

We watched Sarah Kay perform her poem, "Hands" and we created our own hands and filled them with stories and memories. 

 

I was shocked at how well this worked for my sixth graders. I struggled with it, more than they did. The more I stayed with it and the more we shared, my hands filled up with ideas and stories. 

From there we talked about other stories we carried with us. I posed this question to my sixth graders, "What is the best part of you?" I shared that I liked my crazy, curly hair and I often got compliments on my smile. Students listed parts of themselves that they loved. We read poems from the lovely book, "The Best Part of Me". I shared the photographs and the poems. Students got to work scribbling down the best parts of themselves. It struck me how often we overlook the parts we love and focus on the parts we don't like.

Their poems were thoughtful, vulnerable, funny, and creative! Students wrote about their eyes, hair, legs, eyelashes, brains. They had ten minutes to write, but the poems will stay with me forever.

The pages in their notebooks continue to inspire and surprise me. I'm so proud of the risks they are taking and the work they are putting into their words. They are writers. 

Thank you to the Two Writing Teachers for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers.

The Best Part of Me

We have been experimenting with some interesting entries in our notebooks. I wanted to share. Last week, I borrowed an idea from Penny Kittle's website called Writing Beside Poetry.

We watched Sarah Kay perform her poem, "Hands" and we created our own hands and filled them with stories and memories. 

 

I was shocked at how well this worked for my sixth graders. I struggled with it, more than they did. The more I stayed with it and the more we shared, my hands filled up with ideas and stories. 

From there we talked about other stories we carried with us. I posed this question to my sixth graders, "What is the best part of you?" I shared that I liked my crazy, curly hair and I often got compliments on my smile. Students listed parts of themselves that they loved. We read poems from the lovely book, "The Best Part of Me". I shared the photographs and the poems. Students got to work scribbling down the best parts of themselves. It struck me how often we overlook the parts we love and focus on the parts we don't like.

Their poems were thoughtful, vulnerable, funny, and creative! Students wrote about their eyes, hair, legs, eyelashes, brains. They had ten minutes to write, but the poems will stay with me forever.

The pages in their notebooks continue to inspire and surprise me. I'm so proud of the risks they are taking and the work they are putting into their words. They are writers. 

Thank you to the Two Writing Teachers for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers.

Exhausted

I planned a great post

With so many words

and ideas,

I had so much

to share...

And then

life got in the way

quizzes to grade,

groceries to buy,

a debate to watch...

Today

I show up

sleepy,

with few words,

a couple of ideas,

knowing that

my writing

will always

be there for me...

Thank you to the Two Writing Teachers for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers.

We Are Readers!

As the school year winds down, we are reflecting back on ourselves as readers. I stumbled upon a great project on the Notice & Note group on Facebook. Students are making videos of their reading lives.

We are looking back into our reading logs. We are searching for books read months ago. We are taking pictures of our favorite places to read. We are creatively turning these things, and more, into a video.

Watching my students get so excited about this project inspires me. It's May 24th. We only have a couple of weeks left of school. Today, each class worked diligently for an entire hour on their projects. (I have no pictures because I was working alongside them.)

I love watching them use their voice in the video. I love watching them pose for their pictures. They asked if they could use all the pictures I took this year, so a student showed me how to upload them to Google Photos. Yes, a sixth grader showed me an easier way to share the pictures. What's better than that?

Every year we review our reading logs and talk about how we've grown as readers, but this project is requiring more. They are talking with each other about books. I hear, "Remember when you read that?!?!" or "Oh, that was the best book!! I want to read it again!"

The passion for reading is evident in my classroom. My students are readers. I can't wait to share the videos with you. (I'm making my own too. Can't wait for you to see that, too!) Coming soon...

Thank you to Stacey, Betsy, Dana, Tara, Beth, Anna, Kathleen & Deb for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers.

Attitude

Preparation. Our state test is later this week and today we talked about testing. I asked the sixth graders to write down words about testing. They answered with words like SCARY, LONG, BORING, HARD. They expressed fear and worry as well as determination. We turned the conversation to attitude and I asked if attitude, their attitude, could have an effect on the test. They decided that attitude is a big part of success.

Talking to sixth graders about big ideas like attitude and anxiety...these conversations stay with me and inspire me. I'm impressed with their awareness and maturity.

We took two pieces of paper out. On the first, we wrote the word TEST. We made lists of words that we connected with testing. When we finished with our conversation, I invited the students to rip these papers and throw them away. We talked about how this symbolized the power they had over the test.

The second piece of paper is for them. I asked them to write a letter to themselves on the day of the test. I reminded them to include messages they'd want to hear before going in and attacking the test.

I love these letters. They are as varied as my students. Some of the letters are a page long with lots of details and encouragement. Some letters are funny and make me laugh. Some letters are simple and to the point. I believe in my students. I believe they are readers and writers. No matter what the numbers on the test say, I know they believe it too.  Here's one of my all time favorite excerpts...

Yes, a grade on a test doesn't show who you truly are!

Thank you to Stacey, Betsy, Dana, Tara, Beth, Anna, Kathleen & Deb for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers.

Find Your Tribe

Thank you to Stacey, Betsy, Dana, Tara, Beth, Anna, Kathleen & Deb for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers.

http://asunshinemission.com/tag/motivational-quote/ 

Who said this? It's everywhere now. It's valuable advice I've been given and followed...and it's changed my life.   

What does tribe mean? In biology terms, it's above genus and just below family. It also means, a distinctive, close-knit group. YES! These people who make up my tribe are as close to family as I can get and they are certainly distinctive.

A tribe protects and guards.

A tribe loves and supports.

A tribe nudges and encourages.

A tribe is there...always there.

I love my tribe. I'm grateful for my tribe. I'm not sure if they (many of you are reading this) truly understand how much you mean to me and how you've changed my life. You've given me courage to be myself. You've nudged me to do better. You've told me thing I didn't want to hear, but I needed to hear...and I'm better because of that. That's what it is...my tribe makes me better. They love me as I am, but inspire me to be the best Michelle I can be.

Today my post is to my tribe. Thank you! Thank you for your words of encouragement. Thank you for the notes and emails. Thank you for listening to me through my tears and frustration. Thank you for your laughter and your time.   

YOU have shown me the love that the world has to offer. YOU have encouraged me to get out there and take a risk...fly. YOU have been the voice in my head, when I don't know what to believe. YOU have changed me. My tribe.    

Everyone needs a tribe.

Find yours.

Love them.

Listen to them.

Lean on them.

They will guide you when the road isn't clear.

They will give you a SELAH when you need it.

They will nudge you to move on and be your best.

They will love you no matter what.

[I wasn't sure what I was going to write about today and I thought about this topic. I looked back on my blog to see if I'd written about this and I have...once...two years ago...this exact week. I love life's surprises like that.]

Swirling Questions

Thank you to Stacey, Betsy, Dana, Tara, Beth, Anna, Kathleen & Deb for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers.

Zora Neale Hurston's words are floating around in my head, "There are years that ask questions and years that answer." I notice that I am filled with questions and I wonder if this year will provide any answers. Am I where I'm supposed to be? What is a good teacher? Am I a good teacher?

Am I meeting the needs of my students? How can I better meet their needs? How am I at working on a team? Am I stubborn and close-minded? Am I helpful to others? Do I challenge my students?

What do my students think? What am I supposed to do? What does success look like? Who defines that?

What's important? Am I good enough? How can I be better? 

When my students walk out of my classroom, what do I want them to know, feel, be? How do I meaningfully teach all I need to teach? How do I engage them? Are they engaged? How can I make it better? Where do I begin? 

School has changed so much that I wonder about so many of these questions. It's easy to become overwhelmed by all of this, but I must confess...the act of writing down these questions has helped me. Maybe the answers lie in the questions. Taking time to reflect and really think about the questions...that's my strategy. What are your questions?