The Sunrise Story

Life seems to be moving at hyperspeed. There are days when it's hard to stop and catch my breath. I'm working on practicing gratitude during these times. Here are some things which bring me joy and for which I'm thankful... 1. Students who challenge me and make me laugh. 2. Acts of kindness. 3. Laughing (and crying) with friends who see me and love me. 4. Phone calls and FaceTime with family. 5. Time spent in the pages of my notebook where I feel safe and free. 6. Walks and cuddles with Bella. 7. A school where I feel heard and valued. 8. The taste of my coffee in the morning. 9. Spending time making and creating 10. Long drives where I belt out my favorite tunes. 11. Making lists. 12. Cozy blankets and pillows. 13. My favorite blue ice cube trays that make my tiny ice cubes. 14. Making plans to attend & present at NCTE. 15. Pausing and listening. Just sitting down and jotting this list has helped me on this gloomy and rainy morning...

I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. I've been thinking for the past couple of days about this post...but I can't think of anything to write. Frozen in my failure, I want to quit, but I push through and show up here...even though it seems pointless. Who wants to read a blog post about nothing?  I begin to panic a bit...Have I "lost it"? My passion for blogging? My ability to blog? Why can't I think of something clever? What do I have to say that anyone will want to read? (By the way, I'd have all of these answers if it was you asking the questions!) Should I quit? Give up? Accept defeat? NO.  Instead, I show up.  Instead, I remember the words I said yesterday to my seventh-graders,  "Show up. It gets easier." Instead, I write and show grace to myself. Instead, I remember that blogging is a muscle that I haven't stretched in a while and I need to warm up, I need to take some deep breaths. Here I am. Showing up to the page. I'...

Tomorrow is Back to School Night. My brain is filled with thoughts and plans to make that a productive and successful evening. My slice today will contain the top ten important things in my life:  1. I quit diet coke a week and a day ago. Brain fog has finally lifted.  2. I'm teaching only seventh graders this year. I miss my sixth graders, but I do love my seventh graders. There's never a dull moment.  3. Instagram stories are a new obsession of mine. I make silly and goofy stories and I have way too much fun doing it.  4. For the first year in forever, I have a paper calendar for school that I'm using and loving! 5. I'm only teaching electives this year. It's a whole new world and I'm really enjoying it! 6. Currently, I'm on notebook number 77 and loving it!  7. I read 86% of the Harry Potter series this summer. I only have book seven left.  8. This is my 23rd year of teaching. I just realized that I'm four years away from teaching as l...

If you're a long time reader, you'll know this.  If you know me IRL, you'll know this.  If you're related to me, you'll know this... I'm a nerd.  from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nerd https://www.dictionary.com/browse/nerd https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/nerd WAIT a minute! I reject each and every one of these definitions. Unstylish? Unattractive? Socially awkward? Foolish or contemptible?!?! NO! That's not what a nerd is...that's not what I am. It's time for the definition (dictionary definition) of this word to change. What am I? I can accept that I have a single-minded focus. Writing. Yes, I am a writing nerd. I love all things writing. My notebook is my constant companion. It goes more places with me than my dog. I can always be counted on to have a fancy pen or two stashed away in my purse or my pocket. When something happens in my family and we need something written...

As a new school year is on the horizon, I begin the process to set up my classroom. This is the twenty-third time I'm doing this and it's always a challenge. Move furniture around. Unpack books. Arrange. Rearrange. Move again. It’s exhausting, but it’s mostly exhilarating. Let’s start at the beginning. After a summer away from this space, I return to my classroom. This will be my second year in room 734. I find it takes me three or four (maybe five) years to figure out the best way a space works for me. Whenever I first walk in, I stop and take it all in...breathe it all in. Before anything else, I turn on some fun music. I curated a playlist called Teacher Theme Songs inspired by Gravity Goldberg ’s new book, Teach Like Yourself. Music sets the mood and I’m off… Moving furniture to just the right spot is something that is a challenge. I can’t figure out which is the best Tupperware to use for leftovers, so designing an entire room is not easy for me, but I’ve lea...

This week I finished my 76th notebook and started in on my 77th. I love my notebooks. I treasure the time I spend writing inside the blank pages. I value the reflection it provides. A question I've been asked a lot about notebooks is why? Why do I prefer notebooks to digital writing?  First let me confess, that I respect all kinds of writing. It's all important. It's all helpful. It's all worthy...but notebook writing tops them all for me.  1. Connecting. The connection to the page. There's something about the physical connection of pen (or pencil or marker) to a page that feels like coming home to me. I can be anywhere in the world, but the connection to the notebook and the pages inside ground me. I feel closer to the page. I trust it so I write things in my notebook that I wouldn't write anywhere else.  2. Messy. Notebooks are messy. Harvesting the messy and keeping it reminds me to cherish the mess. Writing is messy. Crossing out. Arrows. Sma...

In March, I was knee deep in the slice of life challenge, when I saw a post on Instagram about #the100dayproject. It was shared by a favorite author of mine, Elle Luna.  Created by  Elle Luna I was teaching two different classes, writing blog posts every day, reading and commenting on student blog posts too, and something inside of me nudged me to take on this project.  Created by Elle Luna Now, I had to decide what I should do...I wish I'd documented my thought process somewhere, but for some reason, I thought of writing a poem a day using my pink typewriter. You can read about my first day here .  I started the challenge on April 1st. I completed the challenge and shared my 100th poem yesterday. What did I learn?  Doing something for 100 days truly built a habit.  Showing up on days I didn't feel like it, was hard. Sharing on days when I knew my poem was bad, humbled me. I enjoyed the quiet every day when I wrote. I love tap ...