The Sunrise Story

Where do you do your best thinking? I've been trying to contemplate the answer to this question. Much of my most creative thinking seems to take place in the shower or the bath. This is where ideas pop into my head out of nowhere. It's quiet, soothing, relaxing and I always seem to solve a problem or think of a better way to teach that lesson. I can't figure out why it's in the shower or bath where I think creatively. The water! It's got to be something about the water...maybe it reminds me of the beach and it's relaxing.  Another place where I seem to puzzle out problems is in the car. My commute to school is five miles, but I mentally go through my day on the ride and picture the students and I working. Often a bright idea pops into my head and my lesson plan changes instantly! (Thank goodness, I'm an early riser!) Oh that reminds me...most of my best thinking is done early in the morning. I'm refreshed and ready to face a new day.  Whe...

Being the first to do something is exciting. I feel like I'm an explorer leading an expedition into undiscovered lands. The students in my classes this year use laptop computers in each of their core subjects (Language Arts, Math, History, and Science). We are the only team in sixth grade utilizing this technology. That's a big responsibility for teachers and students alike. We have an opportunity sitting on our desks that many students would love to have. It's a privilege and with privileges come responsibilities.  The teachers spent hours and hours being trained this summer by hard working, thoughtful, creative and PATIENT teachers. Heather and Mike lead most of the training which gave us the time to practice with programs we'd be using. They supplied us with tips on how to best use this technology and suggestions for where to go for additional help. We were provided with endless resources, the most helpful of which remain...Mike & Heather themselves.  The exc...

Teachers ask me why should I join twitter? Why should I tweet? Here's my reason today. When was the last time someone wrote a poem about you? Because of twitter, I can say this weekend! Thanks to the Sunrise Writing Club! I'm honored to be a part of this and to Kevin, I love the poem.  Love getting up early & seeing all the early-risers on my timeline:) #earlybirds #FF @pennykittle @Mhaseltine @KleinErin @bcurrie5 @dogtrax — Maggie B. Roberts (@MaggieBRoberts) October 25, 2013 @MaggieBRoberts @pennykittle @Mhaseltine @KleinErin @bcurrie5 Yep. The Sunrise Writing Club. ;) And here I thought I was only one ... — KevinHodgson (@dogtrax) October 25, 2013 @dogtrax @Mhaseltine @pennykittle @KleinErin @bcurrie5 What inspiration! TY — Maggie B. Roberts (@MaggieBRoberts) October 28, 2013 Here's the poem...

Being an authentic reader and an authentic writer is important. To me, that seems obvious. Piano teachers play piano. Driving teachers drive. YES, as an teacher of readers and writers, I must read and I must write. Modeling a reading life and a writing life comes easily to me. I grew up a reader...just read my post on The Nerdy Book Club about me and my reading life. I grew up a writer...my evidence is my pile of notebooks. Check them out on my other class blog, Crayons and Pencils .  On any given day, you will see me with my giant yellow writing notebook and/or my iPad which is home to my pile of books. During class, those are the mementos that are at the tips of my fingertips, instead of a text book or a work sheet. I model reading. I model writing. I struggle through drafts and share my struggles with my students. I find new books and book talk them with my classes, having to say, "I'm sorry,but I only have one copy of this book."  On those days ...

Thank you for this opportunity to celebrate and be grateful. The timing of this is perfect! Last week, Kate Roberts wrote a post on her blog, indent , about gratitude and I borrowed one of her gratitude rituals of a Daily Gratitude Email. I started one with a small group of friends and another with some of my family. This daily email which takes a few minutes to compose and send has changed my outlook on life. I've done the thing where I write things down for which I'm grateful, but this works better for me because I'm sharing it with people I love! Here's one of my favorite emails from my aunt: My writing notebook! Oh I'll celebrate my writing notebook. I love writing in it and it makes me happy.  The title is "I untangle life in my writing."  It's my 56th notebook. I've been keeping them since I was ten years old! I designed this one myself and bought it on Etsy. (I highly recommend the shop Transient Books !) Here's ...

This is my nineteenth year teaching. Nineteen years. I've been teaching school almost as long as I have attended school. My teaching career has spanned two states, five grades, three schools, seven principals and over a thousand students. My students have always needed the same thing...a caring and hard-working teacher that knows how to use the tools at her disposal.  In the past nineteen years, the tools have changed. In 1995, my third grade classroom had desks, bulletin boards, chalk boards, and textbooks. Later that year, someone rolled in one computer on a cart. No internet. Just one computer. No printer. Just a computer.  Five years later in 2000, I'd moved and started teaching in a larger system. Computers were in every room and there was a computer lab. This lab had a teacher and an assistant and I brought my fifth graders there once a week for a lesson. Internet was becoming more integrated into the computer lab lessons.  As the years progressed, technol...

I need to plan my posts better. There was a plan today. A plan for a post...a good post...an interesting post...but something got in the way. I, uh, ok...it was Allegiant. I'm reading Allegiant.  Everything else is getting ignored so I can read Allegiant. Don't judge me. I'll be back soon...have a few more minutes to read this morning...

When I was a kid, the rule at dinner about vegetables was this: You have to try it.  Mom & Dad decided how much we had to try, but once we tried it, it was our decision whether or not to continue. There were some vegetables, like spinach, I could barely eat the three bites I was given. Bleeech! Green beans, peas, broccoli...those surprised me and I gobbled up every bite and asked for more. I think what made an impression was the fact that it was my choice .  Choice.  This is such an important part of teaching! Reading and writing instruction thrive when choice is an element. Even back in the 1980s ("olden days" as my students call it) I remember having some choice in school. It was in the library.  Reading class wasn't real reading. Library, now that was reading. I love going to the tiny school library every week. I gathered Beverly Cleary books or discovered the Strawberry Girl and found Nancy Drew! There were so many choices, I could barely contain my excite...

Here it is...My blog about teaching. My experiences. My successes. My struggles. What do I have to say that's original and different? I'm not sure, but during a chat on twitter I was given some valuable advice about writing and I'm following it. Here are some of the tweets:  You have a story to tell that no one can tell but you. Now is the time to write that story. #nctechat — penny kittle (@pennykittle) October 21, 2013 I am writing about many things at once all of the time. That's why I keep a notebook… and it's a mess. #nctechat — penny kittle (@pennykittle) October 21, 2013 @Mhaseltine @pennykittle My fears regarding writing threaten to paralyze me. Have to ignore them. So hard. #nctechat — Katherine Sokolowski (@katsok) October 21, 2013 @Mhaseltine Most of the chaos never turns into anything in my notebook. Once in awhile… something good. #nctechat — penny kittle (@pennykittle) October 21, 2013 To honor the advice I received I though...