The Sunrise Story

My time at NCTE in Atlanta changed me. Travel does that to me. Visiting a new place and meeting new people, seeing the world through a new lens...it's overwhelming and powerful. I've needed time to marinate about my experiences before I wrote about them. Conversations. I spent lots of time in conversations that challenged me as a teacher, as a woman, as a person...they pushed me to ask questions, to do better, to be better! One night, I had dinner at a food court in a local mall with two teacher friends. We spoke at length about the world and as we left I felt uplifted and inspired. Our experiences are so different and to get time to sit over burgers and ice cream and listen to each other...it's invaluable.   Connections. Hugs and tears. Everywhere I went, there were hugs to be given and received. Smiles exchanged and tears shed. We connected and promised to work hard to make this a world where all of our students are safe. In every session I attended, tears came fr...

I know there isn't any scientific data to support the lunar effect (The “Lunar Effect” , sometimes called the “Transylvania Effect” is the notion that the phases of the moon have a note-worthy effect on human behaviour and mental health, Neil, Colledge 2000.) but I am a teacher. Yesterday we had a Super Moon and while I understand that there's no research to support behavior changes from this, I challenge you show up in any classroom and you'll believe it's real. Students were fidgety and sillier than normal. I noticed everyone had a hard time sitting in their seats and focusing. We had lots more movement breaks. My last class of the day felt the effect, or demonstrated it, the most. They are the class that loves to ask questions, you know the class, that could ask questions during the whole block...My favorite is when a student prefaces their question with, "I have two questions." You know that student don't you? Every year, there's one or two w...

It's election day. I haven't blogged about voting or elections before. I even hesitated to do it today, but I am here. I showed up and this is what's happening in our world today. I woke up early to get to the polls before they opened. Wrapped up in my warm sweatshirt and scarf, I held my coffee while I waited in line...smiling for the privilege.    At 5:45 in the morning, there were already more than two dozen people in line. The many behind me was wrapped in a polka-dotted blanket. People were friendly and chatting. I stopped and took it all in. This moment is not promised to everyone. I'm grateful for the responsibility to be able to vote. When I got my ballot and walked to the booth, I looked at the names. I took a deep breath and voted...feeling grateful again. Every single person working at the election was smiling and kind. It felt like everyone appreciated this moment.   I got my fancy voting sticker and left. The whole process took no more than thir...

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 .

It's 39 degrees outside. I throw on my neon orange sweatshirt that I bought at the beach this summer and I step outside. I see frost on the windows of the cars as I walk Bella. It's a brisk autumn morning. My favorite. Back inside with my bowl of cheerios and cup of coffee, I contemplate the day ahead. It's free with no plans. I will grade and write. I'll do laundry and blog. Read some books. I may even nap. This day sits before me filled with possibility. I want to sink into the quietness and the peace. I want to celebrate every single moment before me. Just BE-ing. Wishing you a Saturday filled with possibility and peace. Thank you to Ruth Ayres for providing this space to share our celebrations. Please join us and share your own!

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 bet...

Three years ago today this blog was born. I've been writing in this space for three years. Usually I'm not one for numbers, but let's look at the stats. This is my 510th post. I have 4987 comments. I have 13 followers and this blog has been viewed 212,102 times as of this writing. Wow! Here are my most popular posts... What does this mean? I don't know but I like looking at these stats. I wonder why Permission  is the post that is viewed the most. These numbers create more questions for me than answers. I find it interesting to see where people go on this site.  I'm proud of my blog. I'm grateful for readers. These numbers mean that I am showing up and telling my story and you show up to read it. I celebrate these three years. Here's something about me: I love big ideas and I am great at starting new projects, but I'm not always successful at the follow through and the implementation of these ideas. I look at these three years as...