Yes, I did it.
Have you done it?
Or are you not old enough to have done it yet?
What did I do?
I took a picture on my phone of small print just so I could blow it up and read it.
Yes, I did it.
Have you done it?
Or are you not old enough to have done it yet?
There is a story behind why I did it, (besides not being able to read it!) which will be tomorrow's slice!
a space for me and other teacher-writers to share our stories.
Last night, my writing group, Teach Write, held our monthly journal club. We wrote to a prompt about hiding places. My best elementary school friend, Angie, and I would hide and play in a huge mulberry tree. It may have been more of a hang-out spot rather than a hiding place, but we sure did spend a lot of time there.
As I opened my notebook and began to write, the memories came flooding back and fell into this (backwards) nonet poem of nine lines with an ascending syllable count.
in the
field stood a
mulberry tree,
cascading branches
creating a hideout.
I stretch out on a long branch
tasting the sun-sweetened berries
as our childhood friendship ripens, too.
If you have read much of my blog this month, you are probably getting tired of hearing about my knee. Honestly, I am tired of writing about it, but it is has consumed me. So, one more story about my MRI.
I have never had an MRI, so I wasn't sure what to expect. After removing my wedding ring, I was ready to approach the machine. The technician told me the procedure and reassured me that if at any time I needed to stop, I could. I wasn't nervous about it, so I put on the headphones, listened to the music, and in I went.
Throughout the procedure, she asked how I was doing, and I was fine. At one point the machine stopped and she came in and asked me, "Is your knee hurting?"
I thought it was an odd question because that is where my injury was. I told her no, and she asked, "It's not burning?"
I told her no again.
"You have a piece of metal in your knee. You must have knelt down on something at some point in your life. Because it is metal, and this is like a big magnet, it can cause the metal to heat up. As long as you don't feel anything, we can go on. I can show you the picture when we are done."
After we were finished, she showed me the image with the small piece of metal in my knee, and my fingers went straight to a scar.
When I was in second grade, over 50 years ago, I began sewing. I received my own sewing machine for Christmas, and I was making something (though I don't remember what).
I dropped a needle on the floor and began looking for it. You know where this is going, don't you?
Hysterical, I told my parents I thought a needle went into my knee. They didn't believe me until they saw the other broken half on the floor. Yes, the needle went into my knee, and I went to the emergency room to get it out
...well, most of it out.
One of my favorite ways to wrap up the week is the 5-4-3-2-1 Reflection. I know many slicers have used this form as well. I typically write this in my notebook on Fridays, but I decided to use it for my Saturday slice to look back on my week...but in reality, my inspiration is wanning.
Five things that made me smile
Two things I learned this week
Eat better (see the first thing I learned this week).
Happy Weekend!
"Mrs. Eck, do you have a favorite book?"
I have been asked this question so many times during my teaching career, and I usually answer it in two different ways. "That would be like asking me if I have a favorite child," or "There are too many good books to have a favorite."
Groans usually follow that answer as most students don't like either of those answers, and I understand it. I think they are looking for validation of a choice they made, or the fact that having a favorite is acceptable by someone who (typically) reads a lot.
Because of this, I back up my answer with a comment such as this is my favorite for this week, or this month, or this school year.
I'm also asked about favorite authors, and I can honestly say I don't have one of those either. This made me think about a recent Goodreads post when I used the phrase, "one of my favorite authors."
I finished reading Old School by Gordon Korman, and I thought about what makes him one of my favorites.
It's 3:00 am. After a trip to the bathroom, I snuggle back under the covers and wait for sleep to return. My mind turns to my need-to-do-tomorrow list, which includes writing today's slice. I have been writing my slice the day before, but that didn't happen yesterday, so here I am thinking about possible topics.
I could write about...
visiting my mom and meeting a new 98-year-old resident or how tornadoes hit Indiana again and how we may get snow today or how I walked through Walmart without using a crutch or how I am moving into teaching my college students how to use quick writes to teach content or how I've read two books this week, and the week isn't over yet or how we marked the 1-year anniversary of empty nest by eating dinner at our daughter's house or how my house needs cleaned because I have not been able to do much since my knee injury or how I still have so much grading to do or what I am going to do on my last few days of spring break...
but luckily, I fell back to sleep, and now I have a slice, albeit a rambling one!
This community is fueled by comments, but commenting is something I struggle with. What kind of comments do I need to make? What kind of feedback do slicers want to see? Do I comment on the subject of the slice? Do I comment on the connection I make to my own experiences? Do I comment on the craft move?
I don't believe there is a right or wrong way to comment, but my comments always feel inadequate.
When I write a slice, or anything for that matter, I want the reader to connect with it, to elicit an emotion, or to make the reader think about something in a new way. This is also a writing challenge with a place to try out craft moves with no risk. A place to play and experiment.
As I read one of my recent slices, I noticed a comment by Fran McCrackin: "I like how your structure is good for describing a journey: you begin and end with today, and in between you chart out the time and events. It works." Yes, I intentionally did that, and she not only noticed but also commented on it.
I decided to go back and look at Fran's comments on others' posts, and I began to notice the craft moves of the comments she writes. Fran will comment on her favorite line or paragraph, or the perfect word choice and how that word(s) made her feel. She comments on the mood of the piece and what lines or words create that mood. She sees structure and identifies it in ways I would never think of. She always comes back to the writing itself.
And isn't that what this challenge is really about? Improving my writing?
Moving forward through these next 12 days, I want to be a more intentional commenter, to really look at the writing along with the chosen topic and the connections to it. This will take more time, and I will not get to read as many posts, but maybe I won't feel quite so inadequate!
Thank you, Fran, for being a commenting mentor!
Teaching is becoming more and more difficult. My daughter and I are both teachers in the same district, and we share common problems: disrespect, lack of motivation, and just unbelievable behaviors.
We are on spring break this week which means the end is closer. I try not to "count the days," but a recent conversation went something like this:
"We have eight weeks left."
"Only four more weeks until our four-day weekend."
"And we have two weeks of testing."
"And the last week of school doesn't really count."
"So that really leaves only five weeks."
Ok, so we may not be counting the days yet, but we are certainly paying attention to the weeks.
It is a struggle, especially for her this year. I have been worried about her, so I decided we needed to leave town yesterday for some retail therapy. We were limited due to my knee problems, but we both needed this time away and together.
Patty grew up in a poor family who didn't believe in good luck. She lived in Leprechaun Village, a town with luscious fields of green clover, and rumor was that pots of gold could be found at the end of a rainbow if you were lucky enough to find one.
One day her bother came running in and announced that someone found a pot of gold. Patty pondered at the announcement, something she desperately wanted but could never find. Why couldn't she be lucky?
She grabbed her coat, vanished out the door, and looked up into the sky. Suddenly without warning, the skies opened up and rain poured down upon her, completely soaking her coat and clothes. She waited and waited for a rainbow to peek out from the sun, when a tiny leprechaun climbed up to her ear and whispered, "You won't find a pot of gold here; your treasure is where your heart is." She dejectedly turned around to go home muttering something about never being lucky when just above her house was the rainbow she was searching for and her treasure waiting inside: her family.
This was a fun activity, and I think I may try some of Brain's challenges with my students during our testing time.
Almost two months ago, my knee went out on me. I could not walk on it at all, and I was on crutches (something not easy to do for an overweight 61 year old!).
A week later I got the flu and was down for about 3 days. I lost my voice for several days and coughed for several weeks.
A few days later, I received a cortisone shot. After a day or two with more pain, I was beginning to walk a little better. I felt like I was making progress.
That did not last long because not long after that, I got bursitis in my knee, causing extreme pain and an inability to walk again.
My therapist encouraged me to walk with one crutch to ease the pressure on the bad knee.
It has been such a long journey.
Today, after what seems like forever....I am able to walk on my own with no pain! A day to celebrate!
Now, to get it stronger and back to normal!
Friday was THE day. The day of noticing. The day when spring seems to pop out from its winter slumber.
We had early dismissal, and we were officially on spring break. Maybe that is why I noticed the signs. Or maybe it was because it reached almost 80 degrees, and the flowers and trees decided that today was THE day. Whatever the reason, I am so glad to finally see signs of spring...well maybe not all of them!
Dear Students,
You were in first grade when we left for Spring Break and never came back. Much has happened since then. Students have changed; teachers have changed.
I have noticed that we don't have the reading and writing stamina that we once had. Distractions have increased, and our motivation has decreased.
It is not just you; it is also me.
If you had me as a teacher a few years ago, you would have seen me excited about books. You would have heard me talk about books almost every single day. You and I would have conversations about the books you were reading.
I would have recommended more books, given you more time in class to read, and sat down with you reader to reader.
And I would never have seen this sign.
I have eight more weeks with you, and I hope to find that reading teacher I once was and know I can become again. I have stacks of books waiting this week for me to pick them up, read them, and share them with all of you.
Spring Break, here I come!
Absolutely, positively NO!
I thought you'd say that! I totally agree although my husband may not.
Where did you get all of those books?
We have a foundation in our district that awards grant money to teachers to spend in their classrooms each year. As long as we are a member, we can apply to get up to $500.
You can get anything you want for your classroom?
For the most part, yes, But I always get books, books, and more books.
These are some great titles!
OH! The Night War. I love that series by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.
Me too! I was on a panel with her at NCTE. She was a delight!
And Gordon Korman is one of my favorites!
My students love him!
The Probability of Everything was an amazing book!
Her second book is this stack too! I have heard a lot of good things about that one.
Which one are you going to read first?
Now, that is a very good question! Which one do YOU think I should read first?
In a recent post, I wrote about how I do not like technology changes. Well, the same goes with copiers. We received a new copier, and I just can't get the hang of it.
When I hit the button for the number of copies, it already has the number one. When I hit 105 for the number of students I have, sometimes the first number one doesn't go away, and guess how many copies I get? Yes! Over 1,000. Luckily, I have only done this once!
My second thorn in the rose bush copier is the double-sided copy button. For some reason, I just can't get this down either. Today, I needed single-sided to double sided. I must have hit double-sided to double-sided because I ended up with an 8-page single-sided document with BLANK pages in-between that should have been 4 pages, double-sided. UGH!
And this isn't the first time for this. Our old copier had pictures to show you what to do and what you get. I need pictures!
Something that is meant to make my life easier should not be adding this much stress!
After I got home from mass, I began to think about this idea of fasting other than food. As much as I have tried to decrease my social media time, I am still quick to grab my phone, click on the icon, and endlessly scroll time away. I thought maybe if I tie into Lent, I may be a little more successful.
Yesterday, I totally eliminated it from my day. Instead, I read more and spent a little quiet time outside enjoying the beautiful spring day.
I might just be able to do this!
