I have been reading Already Pretty for about a year now. I rather enjoy her approach to fashion; have fun, experiment, and there is no such thing as too many boots. Sally, the blogger, also regularly posts about the struggle that women have with self esteem. She is frank and honest about her own struggles, which is a big encouragement to me in my own struggles.
As I grow through the second half of my thirties, it feels to me like every year I feel more comfortable in my skin. But self esteem isn't just about appearance and our skin. Although I have made progress on accepting my outside, I am still working on the inside.
Our insides are hard to work on. I think that it is harder to grow character than to learn to love your appearance. I may be wrong, but that is my own experience. Personal growth is always painful for me. It often involves months of agonizing over an incident that makes me realize that I have an area in my character that is less than wonderful.
A bad day, a look from a student or colleague, a parent who doesn't like the way I handled a situation with their child, a cranky husband, or a whiny child... all of these can shake me to my core. They don't always, but sometimes it just takes a small thing to make me start down the path of self-analysis.
Something that I am trying really hard right now to do is address issues when they come up rather than stew for days and blow things all out-of-proportion (a glaring weakness in my character). I don't like confrontation. It is hard to bring up an issue with my spouse when he has hurt my feelings. It is hard to go to my child's teacher about something that my child is hurting over. It is hard to approach a friend who seems to be putting up walls rather than chatting at open doors.
But, if I don't do all of those things, I will end up alienated and alone. And loneliness is miserable.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Pajamatime
I was awoken this morning by the weekly phone call from my mom. It was after nine o'clock. I wanted so badly to roll over and go back to sleep again.
Why so tired?
It has been a long week. Report cards. Lots of flu and colds. Students absent and then trying to catch them up. JK has had a cold and is coughing at night. Fi injured her nose (check out LK's blog for details).
It is now noon and I am still sipping tea in my robe. There is not an ounce of Type-A in me today. My greatest ambition is to get outside to enjoy the dump of fresh snow that fell last night and the sunshine that just broke through the clouds.
I am so thankful for an extra two hours at school yesterday afternoon to get all my prep for Monday done (my dearest LK took the kids home and let me stay to work). I have a weekend that is school-work-free for the first time in eons. BLISS.
So, my robe and my mug of tea will be my company until the Sprouts and LK and I feel like testing the fresh powder outside.
Oh, and my Kindle will get a little workout this weekend.
Why so tired?
It has been a long week. Report cards. Lots of flu and colds. Students absent and then trying to catch them up. JK has had a cold and is coughing at night. Fi injured her nose (check out LK's blog for details).
It is now noon and I am still sipping tea in my robe. There is not an ounce of Type-A in me today. My greatest ambition is to get outside to enjoy the dump of fresh snow that fell last night and the sunshine that just broke through the clouds.
I am so thankful for an extra two hours at school yesterday afternoon to get all my prep for Monday done (my dearest LK took the kids home and let me stay to work). I have a weekend that is school-work-free for the first time in eons. BLISS.
So, my robe and my mug of tea will be my company until the Sprouts and LK and I feel like testing the fresh powder outside.
Oh, and my Kindle will get a little workout this weekend.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Sunshine
Jo gets mopey when he is needing a little time with a parental unit. He was quite droopy yesterday afternoon after repeated requests for him to play upstairs for a bit while grown-ups talked ‘comments’ and tried to get wording just right (it is report card weekend here).
Then this afternoon his Papa brought out the LEGO. Well, LEGO in this house means uninterrupted time with Papa to build, and then it means a chunk of time to play.
I was lolling around in the living room while they built, listening to the chatter and enjoying a book. Then Jo came in cradling something clearly precious in his hands.
“Look, Mama!” he cooed at a small riding lawn mower made of LEGO, “But you have to be careful because its fragile,” he explained. His hands cupped the tractor as though it were a baby bird.
Jo walked away from this playtime with his father literally glowing; a flower that was just watered and set in the sunshine for a day. He was radiant with joy.
That boy sure loves his Papa, and his Papa’s LEGO.
Then this afternoon his Papa brought out the LEGO. Well, LEGO in this house means uninterrupted time with Papa to build, and then it means a chunk of time to play.
I was lolling around in the living room while they built, listening to the chatter and enjoying a book. Then Jo came in cradling something clearly precious in his hands.
“Look, Mama!” he cooed at a small riding lawn mower made of LEGO, “But you have to be careful because its fragile,” he explained. His hands cupped the tractor as though it were a baby bird.
Jo walked away from this playtime with his father literally glowing; a flower that was just watered and set in the sunshine for a day. He was radiant with joy.
That boy sure loves his Papa, and his Papa’s LEGO.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
elove
My darling spouse sent me a link to an article in the Globe and Mail about the guilt a book reader feels when falling in love with an ereader. You can read the article here. I loved it! It captured exactly how I feel. And truthfully, I think we will be a family with several in the next year.
I also think that books are wonderful in any form - paper or e-ink. And I love that my voracious appetite for them can be filled without the rationing that I had previously been doing because we live so far away from our small town library. There is nothing quite so lovely as having unlimited access to your addiction.
I also think that books are wonderful in any form - paper or e-ink. And I love that my voracious appetite for them can be filled without the rationing that I had previously been doing because we live so far away from our small town library. There is nothing quite so lovely as having unlimited access to your addiction.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Music to Think By
After a week of madly watching Glee every night (we had the disks from the library for just a week and it is a looonngg waiting list to sign it out again) we are done season 1. And I am in a Glee-induced funk.
It is a great show. The music is exceptionally well produced and performed. The cast has a fabulous dynamic. The characters are easy to like and very human in their weakness. The comedy is funny - we laughed out loud often. And did I mention that I REALLY love the music?
BUT I am having a really hard time with the dynamic between Wil and Sue. I hate bullies. Hate them with a soul-searing passion. And Sue is such a bully. I am frustrated by the fact that we (teachers) spend so much time and energy trying to teach our students that bullying is not acceptable in society. We work to inspire them to be better than that. And it feels like, to me, the hierarchy of adult life is steeped in might is right. Blackmail and intimidation and influence have more power than integrity and encouragement and hard work.
It discourages me.
I know that isn't true everywhere. But there is just too much of it in real life. And it permeats the adult dynamics on Glee.
Then, on the way home from town yesterday LK, who had been very patient with my blues all day, said that maybe the success of the Glee club was born out of the adversity. They would have never made it so far without the nemesis of Sue looming over their heads all year. He had a point. But I still don't like it.
How much is just the right amount of adversity to inspire great things without squashing the soul? Can an environment of positive support and encouragement be detrimental? Have we become to namby-pamby politically correct and are our students suffering from it?
Hmmm....
It is a great show. The music is exceptionally well produced and performed. The cast has a fabulous dynamic. The characters are easy to like and very human in their weakness. The comedy is funny - we laughed out loud often. And did I mention that I REALLY love the music?
BUT I am having a really hard time with the dynamic between Wil and Sue. I hate bullies. Hate them with a soul-searing passion. And Sue is such a bully. I am frustrated by the fact that we (teachers) spend so much time and energy trying to teach our students that bullying is not acceptable in society. We work to inspire them to be better than that. And it feels like, to me, the hierarchy of adult life is steeped in might is right. Blackmail and intimidation and influence have more power than integrity and encouragement and hard work.
It discourages me.
I know that isn't true everywhere. But there is just too much of it in real life. And it permeats the adult dynamics on Glee.
Then, on the way home from town yesterday LK, who had been very patient with my blues all day, said that maybe the success of the Glee club was born out of the adversity. They would have never made it so far without the nemesis of Sue looming over their heads all year. He had a point. But I still don't like it.
How much is just the right amount of adversity to inspire great things without squashing the soul? Can an environment of positive support and encouragement be detrimental? Have we become to namby-pamby politically correct and are our students suffering from it?
Hmmm....
Friday, January 14, 2011
A Love Story (cont.)
The do-or-die approach to their relationship that Beth and Walter took by moving in together just a week after their first date proved to foreshadow the rest of their relationship. Nothing was done without full commitment, although some things were done without full forethought.
Their adventure began by reading a book on living the back-to-the-land lifestyle that resonated with Walter's growing beliefs to his very core. It took them across the country in a Volkswagon van. We catch up to them as they are sitting at the side of the road, parked. Please note that they are not broken down. Rather, the van is not broken down. Beth is definitely broken down.
She is sobbing on Walter's shoulder. He is doing his best to calm his beloved. This is a challenge. She is tired, is pregnant, is homesick, and has just discovered that they back-to-the-land utopia that they trekked thousands of kilometers to move to has been turned from a valley into a lake thanks to BC Hydro. There is nowhere to go.
Walter scans the area, looking for some hope to offer his desolate bride. On the other side of the road is a construction site. A partially framed house is bustling with a work crew. One of the workers stops work and looks at the van.
"Uh-oh! Hard hats," thinks Walter, "This can't be good."
Hard hats (construction workers) and Hippies are not on the best terms. Hard hats are part of the system. Hippies are counter-culture. They don't play nicely together.
Walter quietly locks the doors and continues to pat Beth's back.
He watches the Hard Hat stop working, walk across the second floor (such as it was), climb down the ladder, cross the main floor, stride across the lot and onto the road.
Walter keeps his eyes on his wife's head and soothes a little more.
Knock! Knock! A rap at the van window.
Carefully Walter lowers the window a scant few inches anticipating a hard time about parking on the side of the road and the irresponsibility of hippies.
"You folks look like you need a hand. Can I help?" asks the Hard Hat.
It turns out the Hard Hat was a Hippie with a day job. He lived in a huge rambling farmhouse with another couple, who were moving out the day and heading south. He had space for Beth and Walter to come and stay while they figured out what to do with their shattered dreams.
They stayed for several months until they needed to find a place of their own due to the impending arrival of Emily. Hard Hat helped them find a new home.
Walter also ended up buying his own hard hat for his day job. And he wore it to work every day for almost twenty years.
When LK and I moved north, the adjustment period was challenging. There were many nights where I called my parents and cried over the phone about my homesick feelings and lost relationships. They were both incredibly patient and compassionate about the adjustment. One night my dad shared this story of their own adventure with me. It was the first time I had heard this family story. It is now one of my favourites.
Their adventure began by reading a book on living the back-to-the-land lifestyle that resonated with Walter's growing beliefs to his very core. It took them across the country in a Volkswagon van. We catch up to them as they are sitting at the side of the road, parked. Please note that they are not broken down. Rather, the van is not broken down. Beth is definitely broken down.
She is sobbing on Walter's shoulder. He is doing his best to calm his beloved. This is a challenge. She is tired, is pregnant, is homesick, and has just discovered that they back-to-the-land utopia that they trekked thousands of kilometers to move to has been turned from a valley into a lake thanks to BC Hydro. There is nowhere to go.
Walter scans the area, looking for some hope to offer his desolate bride. On the other side of the road is a construction site. A partially framed house is bustling with a work crew. One of the workers stops work and looks at the van.
"Uh-oh! Hard hats," thinks Walter, "This can't be good."
Hard hats (construction workers) and Hippies are not on the best terms. Hard hats are part of the system. Hippies are counter-culture. They don't play nicely together.
Walter quietly locks the doors and continues to pat Beth's back.
He watches the Hard Hat stop working, walk across the second floor (such as it was), climb down the ladder, cross the main floor, stride across the lot and onto the road.
Walter keeps his eyes on his wife's head and soothes a little more.
Knock! Knock! A rap at the van window.
Carefully Walter lowers the window a scant few inches anticipating a hard time about parking on the side of the road and the irresponsibility of hippies.
"You folks look like you need a hand. Can I help?" asks the Hard Hat.
It turns out the Hard Hat was a Hippie with a day job. He lived in a huge rambling farmhouse with another couple, who were moving out the day and heading south. He had space for Beth and Walter to come and stay while they figured out what to do with their shattered dreams.
They stayed for several months until they needed to find a place of their own due to the impending arrival of Emily. Hard Hat helped them find a new home.
Walter also ended up buying his own hard hat for his day job. And he wore it to work every day for almost twenty years.
When LK and I moved north, the adjustment period was challenging. There were many nights where I called my parents and cried over the phone about my homesick feelings and lost relationships. They were both incredibly patient and compassionate about the adjustment. One night my dad shared this story of their own adventure with me. It was the first time I had heard this family story. It is now one of my favourites.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Bruises
My poor Fi is tired and worn out from being sick. She sleeps huge amounts when she is recovering. Yesterday, after a night of endless vomiting, she spent most of the day passed out in her room.
This morning we needed to get back to work (for numerous reasons that aren't really relevant to the point of my post), so she was going to be dragged out of bed whether she was ready or not.
However, at 6:55 just before I dragged myself out of bed, she arrived at the foot of the bed with a great big smile on her face and announced, "I feel great!"
A huge sigh of relief from me and I joined her in facing the day.
Unfortunately her feeling great didn't last too long. After school she melted into a teary puddle at the table. Between a hot cup of hot chocolate and some careful listening we discovered that she is feeling teased by her classmates.
Oh, I hate this stuff. As a teacher I hate the way kids can be so incredibly mean to each other, often without even realizing it. As a mother, well I go all crazy-mother-bear about it (and need to be reminded to chill a bit by my spouse).
In reality it probably isn't a huge problem. But my Sprout is a very sensitive soul and feels hurts deeply. When others tease her she feels it as an attack. She thinks that they all pick on her because she is the smallest.
So I think we have a few years ahead of dealing with bruised feelings and working on developing 'standing up for myself' skills. Any tips?
This morning we needed to get back to work (for numerous reasons that aren't really relevant to the point of my post), so she was going to be dragged out of bed whether she was ready or not.
However, at 6:55 just before I dragged myself out of bed, she arrived at the foot of the bed with a great big smile on her face and announced, "I feel great!"
A huge sigh of relief from me and I joined her in facing the day.
Unfortunately her feeling great didn't last too long. After school she melted into a teary puddle at the table. Between a hot cup of hot chocolate and some careful listening we discovered that she is feeling teased by her classmates.
Oh, I hate this stuff. As a teacher I hate the way kids can be so incredibly mean to each other, often without even realizing it. As a mother, well I go all crazy-mother-bear about it (and need to be reminded to chill a bit by my spouse).
In reality it probably isn't a huge problem. But my Sprout is a very sensitive soul and feels hurts deeply. When others tease her she feels it as an attack. She thinks that they all pick on her because she is the smallest.
So I think we have a few years ahead of dealing with bruised feelings and working on developing 'standing up for myself' skills. Any tips?
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Blech!
It started out as such a lovely weekend. And it just slipped downhill a little more each day.
Jo woke up on Saturday morning with diarrhea, and promptly went through half his underwear. Then Saturday night he threw up all over his bed just as LK and I were settling in for the night. Sunday was more diarrhea and LK had a sore tummy.
Yesterday LK and I were not feeling well, he stayed home with Jo (who was still not 100%) and I went to work. By lunch I was ready to curl up in a ball on the floor and let my class do whatever they wanted to. However, half our teachers were out on PD. It turns out that none - not one - of the subs showed up for work. Fearless Leader ended up teaching for the day! The Resource Lady and gym teacher also were in classrooms covering for no-show subs. So there wasn't anyone left to cover my class.
As soon as I came home, straight to bed for me. I slept about 4 hours and felt marginally better. LK was worse, and Fi was complaining of a sore tummy.
Jo, though, was now in fine form. I think he was a bit confused about why the rest of us were so miserable.
Today, LK and I are supposed to be having our PD Day. Instead he is holed up in bed with a sore tummy, I am trying to keep Jo quite so Fi can sleep (looks like a day for too much tv), and Fi is dead to the world after being up most of the night with her head over the toilet.
The good news is that now that we have all started through the germs, it won't be long before we are all back to health again. The bad news is that we have to make it through the day feeling completely blech.
Jo woke up on Saturday morning with diarrhea, and promptly went through half his underwear. Then Saturday night he threw up all over his bed just as LK and I were settling in for the night. Sunday was more diarrhea and LK had a sore tummy.
Yesterday LK and I were not feeling well, he stayed home with Jo (who was still not 100%) and I went to work. By lunch I was ready to curl up in a ball on the floor and let my class do whatever they wanted to. However, half our teachers were out on PD. It turns out that none - not one - of the subs showed up for work. Fearless Leader ended up teaching for the day! The Resource Lady and gym teacher also were in classrooms covering for no-show subs. So there wasn't anyone left to cover my class.
As soon as I came home, straight to bed for me. I slept about 4 hours and felt marginally better. LK was worse, and Fi was complaining of a sore tummy.
Jo, though, was now in fine form. I think he was a bit confused about why the rest of us were so miserable.
Today, LK and I are supposed to be having our PD Day. Instead he is holed up in bed with a sore tummy, I am trying to keep Jo quite so Fi can sleep (looks like a day for too much tv), and Fi is dead to the world after being up most of the night with her head over the toilet.
The good news is that now that we have all started through the germs, it won't be long before we are all back to health again. The bad news is that we have to make it through the day feeling completely blech.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Glee(k)
It was bound to happen sooner or later. Last night I arrived home from town with the first season checked out of the library. Three hours later we crawled into bed having laughed our way through the first three episodes. What fun!
After each episode we both turned to each other with grins wide as our faces and the look that said, "How about just one more?"
Today I am tired. It was totally worth it. It has been a long time since LK and I have been this relaxed and free about doing what is fun rather than what is responsible; it feels wonderful!
I feel like breaking out in song and dance in my living room. Do you think I could teach the Sprouts to sing back-up?
After each episode we both turned to each other with grins wide as our faces and the look that said, "How about just one more?"
Today I am tired. It was totally worth it. It has been a long time since LK and I have been this relaxed and free about doing what is fun rather than what is responsible; it feels wonderful!
I feel like breaking out in song and dance in my living room. Do you think I could teach the Sprouts to sing back-up?
Best Tressed
I think that one of the biggest elements that contribute to confidence in a woman's appearance is hair. When I have a bad hair day I have a bad day. When I have a good hair day (or, sweetness sublime, week) nothing can put a chink in my confidence. In the past six months I have transitioned from colouring my own hair at home to having it done professionally. What a difference!
I had my hair done yesterday afternoon; cut and colour. I love going to the hairdresser. Mostly because I have a absolutely FAB hairdresser.
Amanda at Urban Shag in Kenora (for those of you who think my hair cut is chic and want to look just like me - sarcasm alert) is a delight to have work on my hair. She is friendly and chats, remembers the details of my life and asks about what we were talking about in our last appointment. When I don't feel like talking she lets me catch up on my magazine reading. Most importantly, she listens to my ideas about my hair and then shares her ideas. It feels like a team effort to get my hair looking its best.
As a result, even though I am sporting a bathrobe and major bedhead I feel FAB today. It's gonna be a good (hair) day.
I had my hair done yesterday afternoon; cut and colour. I love going to the hairdresser. Mostly because I have a absolutely FAB hairdresser.
Amanda at Urban Shag in Kenora (for those of you who think my hair cut is chic and want to look just like me - sarcasm alert) is a delight to have work on my hair. She is friendly and chats, remembers the details of my life and asks about what we were talking about in our last appointment. When I don't feel like talking she lets me catch up on my magazine reading. Most importantly, she listens to my ideas about my hair and then shares her ideas. It feels like a team effort to get my hair looking its best.
As a result, even though I am sporting a bathrobe and major bedhead I feel FAB today. It's gonna be a good (hair) day.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Even Better
Even better news between recess and lunch...
Three representatives from the Student Success program came to visit and tour classrooms this morning. When they visited my room, the behaviour specialist asked to come back a make a video in my room to help other teachers in our program! Me!!! I was floored and then shot straight to the moon (in a completely good way).
She leaned over, right in front of me, and said to our Director, "She's really good." About me!
And my director answered, "I know."
That was the most incredible validation I have ever had. My heart is racing, my hands shaking. I can't wipe the grin off my face. I want to shout with joy from the rooftop.
This day could not possibly get any better.
Three representatives from the Student Success program came to visit and tour classrooms this morning. When they visited my room, the behaviour specialist asked to come back a make a video in my room to help other teachers in our program! Me!!! I was floored and then shot straight to the moon (in a completely good way).
She leaned over, right in front of me, and said to our Director, "She's really good." About me!
And my director answered, "I know."
That was the most incredible validation I have ever had. My heart is racing, my hands shaking. I can't wipe the grin off my face. I want to shout with joy from the rooftop.
This day could not possibly get any better.
Only Recess
It's only recess, and I already have something to share today. Yeah!
I posted previously about my struggle with teaching reading and where I have travelled in that journey. Today I had a wonderful moment of sheer teacher-bliss.
I introduced the third of five literacy work stations to my students after our reading mini-lesson. Since the overhead doesn't have enough space for the whole class to practice at one we did a short rotation through the three stations that students have learned to use. Ten minutes at each station and a minute in between to tidy up and transition.
It was a-ma-zing! All my students were engaged for the whole time. I heard enthusiasm in voices. I had a student who can barely read trying his hand at cursive on the chalkboard, with infinite patience to work out the shapes of the letters. I actually sat at my desk on my hands! I was a silent observer to their practice of skills that they have been taught already and were working to master. Independently (oh sacred word of education!).
I feel like this is a huge moment of clarity for me. And I am so happy to have broken through the guided reading wall that has plagued me for the past while.
Now onward and upward to crafting small group experiences that rock their world!
PS: If you are interested in more info have a look at Practice with Purpose by Debbie Diller.
I posted previously about my struggle with teaching reading and where I have travelled in that journey. Today I had a wonderful moment of sheer teacher-bliss.
I introduced the third of five literacy work stations to my students after our reading mini-lesson. Since the overhead doesn't have enough space for the whole class to practice at one we did a short rotation through the three stations that students have learned to use. Ten minutes at each station and a minute in between to tidy up and transition.
It was a-ma-zing! All my students were engaged for the whole time. I heard enthusiasm in voices. I had a student who can barely read trying his hand at cursive on the chalkboard, with infinite patience to work out the shapes of the letters. I actually sat at my desk on my hands! I was a silent observer to their practice of skills that they have been taught already and were working to master. Independently (oh sacred word of education!).
I feel like this is a huge moment of clarity for me. And I am so happy to have broken through the guided reading wall that has plagued me for the past while.
Now onward and upward to crafting small group experiences that rock their world!
PS: If you are interested in more info have a look at Practice with Purpose by Debbie Diller.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Small Changes
As a teacher (actually in anything that I tackle) I am a bit of a perfectionist. I get all too easily frustrated when things don't work easily and often want to quit when the going gets tough. I have learned from my twenties that quitting just creates more problems, and struggling through something that is a challenge brings its own rewards. In fact, I may have come to relish the challenge of tasks (at least in my professional life - we won't talk about my personal life right now) that don't come easily.
Since my first year of teaching I have immersed myself in professional reading on literacy. I have read everything I could get my hands on, subscribed to and pored over various web chatboards and mailrings dedicated to literacy, and shamelessly experimented with different strategies and ideas on myguinea pigs students. I have learned a lot and enjoyed it a lot.
For the past two years I have been struggling with the whole levelled reading groups issue that is part of current teaching pedagogy. I know that they groups we do now are not the same as the robin/wren/eagle groups that were a part of schools in the seventies and eighties, but I still really have an emotional aversion to the whole small groups/centers framework. I can't find any research-based reason for my struggle, and so have decided that it is simply my stubbornness that wants to do it "the way that I have for ten years, and that worked very well, thank you very much".
This fall we were sent to a workshop by a colleague of Debbie Diller, who has written a number of books on using the reading workshop time that students are working independently for practice of literacy skills that don't require cutsey colouring or photocopied worksheets. I went in to the workshop hoping to get an "aha" solution to my frustrations and a way to get through my emotional block.
I got it. I am not sure what the "it" was, but it worked. And now I am taking another small step forward in teaching my students better. I am excited (as I always am when I start on a new project) about the possibilities.
And I hope that the small change of incorporating literacy work stations (not to be confused with literacy centers- of course the terms are too close to be clear at all, so yes there is confusion) into our reading workshop and shifting a few things around in our daily schedule means a more enjoyable day for my students as well as more learning.
Sometimes a few small changes make a big difference. I hope they will this time too.
Since my first year of teaching I have immersed myself in professional reading on literacy. I have read everything I could get my hands on, subscribed to and pored over various web chatboards and mailrings dedicated to literacy, and shamelessly experimented with different strategies and ideas on my
For the past two years I have been struggling with the whole levelled reading groups issue that is part of current teaching pedagogy. I know that they groups we do now are not the same as the robin/wren/eagle groups that were a part of schools in the seventies and eighties, but I still really have an emotional aversion to the whole small groups/centers framework. I can't find any research-based reason for my struggle, and so have decided that it is simply my stubbornness that wants to do it "the way that I have for ten years, and that worked very well, thank you very much".
This fall we were sent to a workshop by a colleague of Debbie Diller, who has written a number of books on using the reading workshop time that students are working independently for practice of literacy skills that don't require cutsey colouring or photocopied worksheets. I went in to the workshop hoping to get an "aha" solution to my frustrations and a way to get through my emotional block.
I got it. I am not sure what the "it" was, but it worked. And now I am taking another small step forward in teaching my students better. I am excited (as I always am when I start on a new project) about the possibilities.
And I hope that the small change of incorporating literacy work stations (not to be confused with literacy centers- of course the terms are too close to be clear at all, so yes there is confusion) into our reading workshop and shifting a few things around in our daily schedule means a more enjoyable day for my students as well as more learning.
Sometimes a few small changes make a big difference. I hope they will this time too.
Monday, January 3, 2011
The Happiness Project
I have been wading through a book (book from blog genre - which I have decided is now an official library-of-Emily genre) called The Happiness Project. It is the story of a one-year project working on increasing the author's level of happiness. I am only halfway through, but quite enjoying it.
I am reading the chapter on May, in which she focuses on play. Several comments from the book struck me in this chapter that I quite liked.
Carl Jung, at 38, decided to start playing with building blocks again to recapture the enthusiasm he had felt as a child. In that vein, what did you do when you were 10 that you loved? Could you try it out again?
Also, people who enjoy silliness are one third more likely to be happy. Do you enjoy silliness?
Be a little silly or do something that you would have taken joy in when you were 10 today.
Be happy.
I am reading the chapter on May, in which she focuses on play. Several comments from the book struck me in this chapter that I quite liked.
Carl Jung, at 38, decided to start playing with building blocks again to recapture the enthusiasm he had felt as a child. In that vein, what did you do when you were 10 that you loved? Could you try it out again?
Also, people who enjoy silliness are one third more likely to be happy. Do you enjoy silliness?
Be a little silly or do something that you would have taken joy in when you were 10 today.
Be happy.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Questions
We went into town yesterday for a sleepover visit with friends. It was a much anticipated visit, and the Sprouts were very excited. Jo was also a bit confused for some reason.
He asked from the backseat as we were driving into town yesterday after lunch, "Mama, why do Dale and Theresa like us?"
Ummmm.
And right behind it, "Mama, why do Bob and Helga like us?"
How do you answer that? And where on earth did that question come from?
For my Sprouts the answer is because you are wonderful, adorable, fun, amazing, silly, talented, and you.
He asked from the backseat as we were driving into town yesterday after lunch, "Mama, why do Dale and Theresa like us?"
Ummmm.
And right behind it, "Mama, why do Bob and Helga like us?"
How do you answer that? And where on earth did that question come from?
For my Sprouts the answer is because you are wonderful, adorable, fun, amazing, silly, talented, and you.
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