Saturday, March 11, 2023

Getting My Brave On #SOL23

When I look at my teaching career, I see many fingerprints of others embedded in my practices. Kelly Gallager, Penny Kittle, Ruth Ayres, and Donalyn Miller just to name a few.

But Donalyn Miller was the first. After my first year of teaching, I read The Book Whisperer and my teaching was forever changed. She affirmed what I believed as a young teacher and gave me the strength and knowledge to do something that no one else was doing or even believed was the right way to do things.

The first time I saw Donalyn in person was at the All Write conference in Warsaw, Indiana back in 2014. I am an introvert, so I was too intimidated to go and meet her. I then saw her present at NCTE in Houston and Baltimore. Again, I was not brave enough to introduce myself.

Social media has changed my teaching and has opened the door to many opportunities. It has helped me to come out of my shell a little when presented with opportunities to meet people in person.

Finally, last night this happened...it only took 10 years!


 

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13 comments:

  1. You will certainly remember this moment just as you hold the Book Whisperer in you heart and thoughts.

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  2. Oh, I love this! She's so very nice, so I'm sure it was a good experience! Her fingerprints are deeply embedded in my practice too. The first time I met Donalyn, she knew who I was because of my blog and I was shocked, SHOCKED. (That was back in the good old days when I actually blogged regularly about teaching LOL). So glad you "got your brave on" and introduced yourself! It's also always a relief when our teaching heroes turn out to be nice people IRL.

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  3. What a great story and especially great moment for you. I can only imagine how wonderful your experience must have been. Thanks for sharing this story!

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  4. How exciting for you! t's amazing how individuals can impact our teaching practices. One of my heroes was Tara Smith. Finally, TWT had a middle school voice. I loved reading her posts and implementing her practices in my classroom. She nudged me to implement SOL with my students!
    There's a great post from Heidi Allum about implementing reading journeys with our students. Check it out - https://heidiallum.wordpress.com/2023/03/10/independent-reading-project-journey-grade-6s-flexing-their-reading-comprehension-and-emotional-reaction-to-texts/

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  5. I'm so happy for you Leigh Anne that you finally met one of your teacher heroes! I also love the phrase " I see many fingerprints of others embedded in my practices." because that is so true to my own teaching as well!

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  6. How amazing! She has had a huge impact on my teaching life, as well. From the moment I read The Book Whisperer! So glad you were able to meet in person!

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  7. How thrilling! Meeting authors and teacher gurus is a big thing. You are brave indeed. I have let some moments like this pass - not brave enough.

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  8. Leigh Anne, like you I read that same book early in my career, and it impacted my teaching. How exciting for you! I would be afraid to approach her or any other people (the same in your list and others) that have influenced the teacher and person I am today.

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  9. She is such a genuinely kind person! She has influenced me and our classroom too!

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  10. I loved The Book Whisperer as well. And I always felt that in that book was the perfect justification for independent reading if anyone should contest it. I met her at NCTE also. I'm also a big fan of Kelly Gallagher, Penny Kittle, Nancy Atwell and the late great Donald Graves.

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  11. How great is that! I've read the Book Whisperer, but I will never get to meet her (not living in the US), but I learned a lot from reading it, like you.

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  12. Love this! I have heard her speak a few times - she's so engaging. I adore her work. So great that you got to meet her!

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