I started writing a slice about the things that haven't changed because of the COVID-19 virus, and then this happened!
I am a part of TeachWrite, which is a group of teacher-writers who support each other in their own writing and in the teaching of writing. It is a community that I have learned from and leaned on. The founder and friend, Jennifer Laffin, has been providing pop-up writing sessions during our time of isolation. The sessions start with introductions and goal setting, and then we just write!
When Jen posted her session for today, I saw that Deb Day from Coffee with Chloe was going to be there. I was so excited because I "met" Deb thorough the Slice of Life, yet I had never met her in real life.
I would also be writing with Andy Schoenborn, Michelle Haseltine from #100Days of Notebooking (my TeachWrite Team), Tracey Voglegesand from Every Day Counts, Paula from Lit Coach Lady, and Jen Greene from GreeneLit, Amy Ludwig Vanderwater from The Poem Farm (all whom I met at NCTE) and several other new teacher-writers.
Then I began wondering if Terje from Just for a Month would be able to join. Terje and I connected through Slice of Life when I first began blogging in 2013. She was and continues to be a supporter of my writing. She even sends me virtual nudges when she hasn't seen me writing in awhile. But she lives in Estonia, and I know I would probably never meet her in real life. This was my chance!
I had no idea what the time zone difference would be in Estonia, but I thought it was worth a shot. This morning I sent her a message and asked if she would like to join us. She messaged me back and asked for a time connected to a city so she could convert.
I replied back, "It starts in five minutes!"
I logged into the Zoom conference and waited anxiously to see if she would arrive. And she did! Finally, I was able to see and chat and WRITE with my blogging friend from across the world!
During this time of fear, of the unknown, and of isolation, thanks to technology, we can still come together and connect beyond the sharing of our words.
Please join Two Writing Teachers and the annual Slice of Life March Challenge.
It was such an amazing thing to write with all of you! And so fun to meet and chat with people I consider friends, even though we've never met face to face! And I keep saying Terje's name so hopefully I can say it correctly next time! I've been saying it wrong since 2011!
ReplyDeleteJoining TeachWrite is one of those things I really want to do - and maybe with this unplanned pause of our daily lives, I'll be able to. Seeing so many familiar faces is inspiring & I love your excitement about writing with Terje.
ReplyDeleteSo fun to see some of my favorite teacher-bloggers and teacher-writers writing together!
ReplyDeleteIt was exciting. Such an unexpected a joyful surprise. Thank you so much for inviting me!
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful gathering! And now I want to know how to pronounce Terje's name. I'm in awe of the writing you do with these friends that I love connecting with too.
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful how technology brings people from all over the world together.
ReplyDeleteIt was such an amazing time this afternoon. Thank you for documenting it!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for inviting others! I've read Terje's posts for years and was so excited to 'meet' her. I loved that group today-and every time we meet!
ReplyDelete