Changing Seasons

Photo from Pixabay

Change is coming. I can feel it. 

Sitting on the porch as the late summer sun begins to slide down the back side of the day, a crispness wraps around me. The humidity of the morning rain has been chased away by the cool air. Just over the hill, the leaves on the trees bask in the yellow-tinted twilight. The locusts serenade me with their loud chorus, reminding me that change is coming.

I can feel it. And I welcome it.

 Thank you Two Writing Teachers for creating a space to share our stories. 

Year Ten Complete! #SOL23

Ten years. It is hard to believe that I have completed this challenge for ten consecutive years. Each year I say it's my last, but yet I keep coming back. I often ask myself why, so with today's slice, I try to answer this question.

1. Connection--I have met so many wonderful people throughout these ten years, some only in online spaces and others in person. People are wired for connection, and when we connect through the simple act of sharing of words...well, that's just something special.
2. Reflection--So much of my writing is reflecting. I learn more about myself when I dig deeper for the meaning of those ordinary moments.
3. Practice--Writing, like any skill, takes practice to see growth and improvement. Writing for 31 straight days establishes a habit that helps me become a better writer.
4. Slowing Down--The older I get, the slower I move and the longer it takes me to accomplish tasks. But writing every day, makes me intentionally slow down to notice the world around me and to capture the small moments. It slows me down to think about the right word or different ways to stack my words, as Ruth Ayres always says. It slows me down to savor the things that mean the most.
5. Being a role model--I believe with all my heart when writing teachers write themselves, they become better teachers of writing. When my students see me struggling with a topic or trying to find the right word or pushing publish when I think it's crappy writing, they know I am walking the walk. And that's important to me.
6. Preserving my story--Dementia runs in my family, and getting this horrible disease is a huge fear for me. I don't want to forget memories. I want to keep my stories alive, and keeping this blog makes them permanent.

Thank you, Stacey and crew, for creating this safe place for us to meet, to share, and to grow as writers. Thank you to my Teach Write community for supporting me, celebrating with me, and holding me accountable every week during check-in. Thank you to the slicing community for reading my words and letting me know that they somehow touched you or inspired you in some small way. 

So, until next year, may we all continue to find and share the words from our lives and in our hearts.

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
share a slice of life during the month of March. 

Pivot #SOL23

Pivot. 

Does this word take you back to 2020? Bring back memories? Make you shudder? 

This was the buzz word during the pandemic because it seems like every time we began to figure something out, we had to change what we were doing. Every time we became adept at juggling multiple balls in the air, we dropped one.

That was pivoting.

On Wednesday, that word came rushing to the forefront. 

We began our argumentative writing unit, and students were to begin researching. I was gone today and Friday, so I introduced the writing assignment on Wednesday, and my plans were made.

And then the Internet went out after two periods of the day. Teachers who were working online were scrambling trying to find ways to pivot.

My sub plans looked like a plate of scrambled eggs with two periods doing Wednesday's plans, four periods doing Friday's plans today, and then flipping that for tomorrow. 

All because of a slight disruption that made me pivot once again!

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
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Popcorn Night #SOL23

A bowl. 

A snack. 

A memory.

Popcorn was a favorite family snack when we were growing up. It may have been because money was tight, and this snack was inexpensive and stretched a long way. It may have been because it was my mother's favorite.

Mom always popped the corn on the stove top and placed it in glass bowls, served with hot, melted butter and a dash of salt, tapping the bowl with her hand to distribute it. I still remember sitting beside her on the couch and the sound of her wedding ring hitting the side of the bowl.

My little sister was born when I was nine years old. As she became a toddler and when it would be popcorn night, mom would nibble off the end pieces, leaving the soft, round pieces for Crissy. Mom would hold them cupped in her hand on her lap and give her a few pieces at a time. 

I still eat my popcorn this same way.

A bowl.

A snack.

A memory--I wonder if this is one Mom remembers.

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
share a slice of life during the month of March. 

Four Corners of My Classroom #SOL23

I'm sitting in my classroom with 15 minutes left in my prep period. I typically have my slice ready the night before. Not today.

I look around my classroom, a place that brings me great joy, and I realize I have a slice sitting right in front of me. I know several slicers have written about 4 corners or 4 items in front of them. Here are my four corners in four minutes.

Books take up my entire back wall of my classroom. Here is one corner where the book shelves sit between my "corner windows." 

This is the other side of that back wall where I have storage space. And guess what is in there? Yes, more books. But these are my student book club books and are not on the shelves.

I like to call this corner, the business center with the posted objectives, the pencil sharpener with pencils for students, my mailboxes for each period to turn in papers, the safety manual and procedures, and all monitored by our mascot, Little A (which stands for Alices--yes, a one-of-a-kind mascot!).

The last corner is my "teacher space" where I keep my pen and pencil obsession.

Just in time! Time for lunch and time to post my now-written slice!

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
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Remembrance For My Grandmother #SOL23

In my classroom, I use Linda Rief's book, The Quickwrite Handbook, to spark writing for my students. And sometimes I use them for myself. For today's slice, I use this quickwrite and share my grandmother with you.

Remembrance For My Grandmother

I remember...I was with you the first time I ate a fresh peach,

Sitting in a swing at the cabin on the river

Juice running down my chin.

And I was with you when Janis and I

spent the night at your house

so mom could surprise us

with our new bedroom furniture.

And I was with you when you taught me 

how to make homemade noodles

and apple pie and cocoa fudge

but they were never as good as yours.

And I was with you when you held 

Megan in your arms

the start of the 4th generation.

And I was with you when I made you a quilt

for Christmas

with pictures of all 18 of your grandchildren

hand-stitched with love.

And I was with you when you smiled at me

when I came to the nursing home

not knowing my name

but knowing I belonged to you.

I wish I was still with you today.

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
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Spring Break Recap #SOL23

It's Saturday night as I write this, and I am staring at a blank screen with no ideas and no slices written ahead of time, which I tend to do.

I am a little sad because it is my last night of spring break. The weather this week was pretty crappy, and I realized about mid-week that I had the wrong date for our state testing on our planning calendar and had to cut five days of instruction. Not exactly how I wanted my week to go.

To try and turn disappointment into something positive, I decided to name the 10 best things from this week.

1. staying up late--I'm a night owl and can't do this during the school week.
2. not setting my alarm.
3. making bookmarks and sending some out to friends far away.
4. trying a new technique splattering ink on my collages and liking it.
5. having a clean house.
6. shopping with my daughter Megan--and actually finding something!
7. watching basketball games.
8. the sun warming things up enough to grill today.
9. playing online Euchre with my sister and nephew who live in Tennessee.
10. starting a new writing community called Solace & Connection that is centered around nature! (You are welcome to check it out and join us!)

Looking at this list, I realize that although the weather was anything but spring-like this week, I do feel rested and rejuvenated and ready to greet my students on Monday!

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
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Soft Landing - A Book Spine Poem #SOL23

Anyone who participates in the Slice of Life Challenge learns very quickly just how important writing communities are to their growth and confidence as a writer. Knowing that someone has read our words motivates us to continue. With that, I try very hard to comment on different blogs each day as well as supporting those bloggers I already know. Keeping up with this can be very difficult as it takes a lot of time.

I belong to another writing community called Teach Write, and each month we have a challenge where we write together on Zoom and then share that writing. Last night was our writing party where the theme was "Spring into Micro Writing." 

Because many of us are already participating in the slice of the life challenge, we decided to keep it simple. We could choose any type of small writing from 6-word memoirs to two-sentence stories or to poetry. Check out Cathy Hutter's 6-word movie plots! They are amazing!

I decided to open up two boxes of books that I have at home and write a book spine poem. This isn't as easy as it may appear because I always need a word or two to make it say what I want. But I kept to the rules and "wrote" this poem.

Parachutes

everlost

under the broken sky

divided we fall

ten thousand tries

unbroken

a soft place to land.

This is also a fun writing activity to do with students of all ages. If you don't want them to "rearrange" your classroom library, here are two alternatives to try.

1. Type out a list of titles and let them write from the list. You can even make several different lists so students to have some variety in which to choose titles. 
2. Type out a list but cut the titles apart so they can rearrange them in different orders to create their poems.

However you decide to organize it, students will enjoy this fun creative way of "writing" poems.

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
share a slice of life during the month of March. 

Collaging: A New Hobby #SOL23

Several years ago, I became a member of the #100DaysofNotebooking Facebook group, which was created by a friend of mine, Michelle Haseltine. It was a challenge to notebook for 100 days. They didn't have to be consecutive; they just had to be written.

I suffered from notebook envy. I loved the colorful artwork, doodles, and creativity writers added to their pages. I knew I could never do that. 

Or so I thought.

At some point, I came across journal pages that used collage--literally ripping up and gluing together torn pieces of paper. I could do that.

It wasn't as easy at it looked. And when I look at my early notebook pages, I realize just how bad I was. But I was determined to get better at this. I began to follow more people on Instagram and watched their videos on YouTube. It got a little easier.

I began buying supplies from craft stores (buying paper became an addiction!) and looking for ephemera like old books, music, magazines, and letters from thrift shops and antique stores. It has been almost two years since I started, and it has become my favorite hobby and personal therapy session.

Now, I am making collage bookmarks. People have told me that I should find places to sell them. But for now, I will just enjoy making them and giving them away to my reading friends.

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
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Eclipse 2024 #SOL23

What are you doing on Monday, April 8, 2024 at 3:04 PM? On a normal day, I would be getting ready for dismissal. Just like I do on every school day.

But on this particular day, I won't be in school. Instead, I will be watching the solar eclipse. Me and about 200,000 other people in my small town of 16,000!

We are right smack dab in the middle of the path with 4 minutes and 6 seconds of totality--the longest in the state of Indiana. Because of our location, we are expecting quite the crowd. Schools are canceled due to the expected increase of traffic throughout the county. Our county has formed a committee to manage the logistics. I mean think about how are all these people going to eat and sleep and go to the bathroom?!? 

I know a lot of preparation is happening now, and it's a year away. The next solar eclipse in the United States will be in 20 years, but it takes 375 years for an eclipse to happen in the same location. I am excited, yet a little bit nervous, to be part of this once in a lifetime event.

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
share a slice of life during the month of March. 

My Get-to-Do List #SOL23

I knew this day would come. It always does, but I lasted longer than I thought I would. Today is the first day I didn't have a slice ready to go the night before. I struggled last night with putting words down or even finding a moment to write about. So, I didn't write.

This morning is the first "official" day of my spring break. My son went back to where he lives (I refuse to call it home) and my husband is at work. I have the house to myself because my daughter is working out (which is what I should be doing). 

Usually breaks are a time for me to catch up on my home to-do list. You know things like cleaning--that chore that gets neglected during the school year.

Instead of focusing on my to-do list, I decided to avoid looking at the dust in the living room and the pile of school stuff on the dining room table, and the breakfast dishes in the sink and the ring around the bathtub, and I decided to create a spring break get-to-do list.

In no particular order, I get to...

• be the last one to go to bed
• stay in my pajamas as long as I want
• read any book in any of my stacks
• write in my notebook in a place that is not home
• create collage bookmarks and mail them to friends
• buy a new yearbook camera
• shop for new spring clothes with my daughter 
• go out for breakfast with my husband
• take my son out for dinner
• try a new recipe
• walk in the afternoon
• take naps
• enjoy the small things

Yes, I am looking forward to completing my "get-to-do" list this week!

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
share a slice of life during the month of March. 

Not your typical Saturday #SOL23

It was a typical Saturday:  no alarm, Wordle, and breakfast. Because of the challenge this month, I grab my computer, link my slice, and dive into the world of commenting before getting ready for the day.

But this Saturday was different. 

As I snuggled under the blanket on the couch, my husband asked me if I would follow him to Walmart to get the oil changed in our son's car since he was home. We usually don't use Walmart's automotive services, but Ethan is only home on the weekends, so we did what we had to do. 

That turned into a big mistake.

We dropped the car off, and I returned home to shower before I ran my Saturday errands. Since I was going to Walmart to do some shopping, my husband asked, "Could you check on the car while you are there and let me know if it's ready. I'll bring Ethan and pick it up."

Sounded like a good plan. I approached the service area and asked if it was ready. The technician seemed a little confused, but I didn't think anything about it. When he said it had already been paid for, I should have known something was up.

I called my husband to ask him if he had paid for it when he dropped it off. Nope.

The tech kept looking in the service pouches, going out into the service area, and looking at the printed service tickets on the counter.

I knew then that something really was up; I just didn't know what.

He finally said, "It's ready. Just tell him to come and pick it up, and I'll have it figured out by the time he gets here."

I left and was finishing some more errands when my husband texted me:  "They lost the fob...it's a mess."

Long story short. They "lost" the fob (we actually think someone took it). Our oil change was never done. Another Chevrolet that was there at the same time got our oil change and never received the service they needed. Ethan's extra fob was at his apartment, one hour away. The car was locked, and we had no way of getting in.

They called in two managers, and they watched the security cameras to see if they could determine what happened to the fob. This is the same car that was stolen about a year ago, so my husband wasn't leaving until he had that fob in his hands. 

Almost four hours later our car was towed to our dealer where it will be kept in a secured service bay until Monday. They will have to order new fobs and reprogram them. My son received a loaner car that he will drive home, and we will have to trade cars with him once his is done.

What should have been a thirty-minute oil change turned into an all-day nightmare...that isn't even over yet.

So much for a typical Saturday, huh?

Edited to update:  Walmart management was very nice about the whole thing, and yes, they are paying for it. However, after all this happened, we have heard other similar stories. Some even worse than ours. We are grateful that even though our situation was frustrating, ours could be fixed.

 . 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
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No More Libraries #SOL23

Sometimes I hear about decisions in different school systems that are made that leave me scratching my head. I know that teachers don't always know why the decisions are made or what factors beyond teacher control are a part of the decision. And I get that. 

Someone told me today about a decision that leaves me feeling very sad. Some schools are eliminating their librarians and school libraries. I heard that one principal allegedly said, "Libraries are becoming a thing of the past."

As a middle school reading teacher who has about 60% of her students not at proficiency and who has students who do not enjoy reading and who works who butt off to change that, I shudder at the thought of not having school libraries and librarians.

Are teachers wrong to question this decision? Should they be concerned? But most importantly, can they do anything about it?

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
share a slice of life during the month of March. 

I'm lucky because... #SOL23

In honor of Saint Patrick's Day, I am listing 17 reasons (in no particular order) why I am lucky. I have done this post before, and this time I wrote this post before I looked at the previous years.

I am lucky because...

1. I'm married to my best friend of almost 33 years.
2. I am the mother of grown children.
3. I have a daughter who is a teacher and coach and loves what she does.
4. I have a son who works with at-risk kids and is a great role model for a lot of boys who need him.
5. my mother still remembers me.
6. I have siblings who work together to make the best decisions for our mother.
7. I get to be with middle school kids and share books with them every single day.
8. I have the best colleagues who make me laugh.
9. I understand the power of written words.
10. I am surrounded by books to read.
11. I belong to the best supportive writing group ever.
12. I have administrators who support me as a teacher and a learner and who want me to be my best self.
13. I am in good health.
14. I am free to live out my faith.
15. I am on spring break next week.
16. bath and a book (with Dr. Teals) is next on my to-do list!
17. I have another slice written.

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
share a slice of life during the month of March. 

It's Party Time #SOL23

For the past several years, I have held a "Slicer Party." I have always questioned doing it because I didn't think it followed the challenge guidelines. But I was asked about it last night, so I thought I would oblige.

We are at the half-way point of the challenge, and this is usually where writers begin to struggle with finding ideas. As the month wraps up and when you need a slice, (and yes, you know it WILL happen!) accept this invitation to the slicer party.  The best part is that you can join the party anytime during the month when you are struggling or need a quick idea.

In the past, we have brought our five favorite things twice. Then I started getting a little more creative where we brought our IDs in the form of a when you met me slice, our favorite ways to take care of ourselves, and our favorite quotes and writing retreats. These slicer parties are a lot fun and would be a blast in real life.

This year, I am inviting you to think about your best colors. Back in the challenge of 2021, I came across this slice by a fellow slicer and decided to use it as your party RSVP.

"The best colors are everywhere because they are in the things I love." ~ Deborah Dillon

Here is what I would bring in the form of the best colors:

The best pink is the mum in my landscape that I have had for over 26 years, which was given to my daughter from my mother-in-law the year my son was born.

The best blue is the cerulean sky that welcomes me to the pool on hot summer days.

The best white is the blank page of a notebook waiting to be filled with words.

The best brown is the sandy beaches where I will sit this summer and let the ocean waves crash over my feet.

The best yellow are my brown eyed Susans, my favorite flower that I have around the perimeter of my front porch.

The best orange is the basketballs bouncing in the gym when I watch my daughter coach.

The best red is the jelly in jelly donuts because they remind me of my high school friends.

The best black is the nighttime sky when it can make the moon seem brighter.

The best green is the peeks of spring that always seem to brighten my mood.

I hope you consider coming to the party sometime this month by writing a slice about your favorite colors. Just let me know you have joined, and I will include you on the guest list down below. I can't wait to see who else is coming! 

Guest List

Erica J. from The Biblio Bard Blogger

Heather at Writing My Way

Cathy at Doodads and Doodles

Denise at Dare to Care

Terje from Just for a Month

Carol at Beyond Literacy Link

Debbie at Moon Snails, Daisies, and Marmots

Rita at Daily Scribbles

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
share a slice of life during the month of March. 

How is your writing life going? #SOL23

This past weekend I attended and presented at a conference at Notre Dame (which is giving me more slices than I ever anticipated!).  Friday night, Donalyn Miller gave a keynote about reading lives and how people, adults and children, are struggling with finding that reading joy again.

It was a phenomenal keynote, and at one point, she had us turn and talk about how our reading life was going. The room buzzed with conversations from every table. 

My presentation was on journaling as a way to well-being. I decided to add that question to start off my presentation:  "How is your writing life going?" 

After asking this, some just looked at me with a blank stare, some looked down, and some let out a chuckle. It was obvious to everyone there; writing was not something they did regularly.

I asked them what the last thing was they wrote outside of school. When the only things mentioned were a grocery list and a to-do list, I knew this audience needed to hear what I had to say.

Since we are a part of this writing community, we understand the importance of having a writing life. But it's also important why we must continue to share its value with others who are willing to listen.

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
share a slice of life during the month of March. 

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!

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
share a slice of life during the month of March. 

Currently #SOL23

Between deadlines and presentation preparation and packing for a weekend conference, I am relying on a tried and true I-need-a-quick slice on Thursday night for Friday morning's call for slices!

I am currently...

worrying about the snow forecast in South Bend for tomorrow.

thinking about my journaling presentation on Saturday.

hearing nothing but silence and maybe the slight snore of my husband in the other room.

writing with some of my Teach Write friends during our new "Write Before Bed" time.

eating a cheese stick because I was diagnosed as prediabetic in December.

wanting some of those Oreo cookies in the kitchen.

remembering that I haven't played Wordle yet today.

hoping I am able to turn off my brain and go to sleep tonight.

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
share a slice of life during the month of March. 

Slicing to a Deadline #SOL23

I am a yearbook staff and procrastinator of one. The clock was ticking, so here is a timeline slice about making my deadline!

Wednesday, February 1:  materials were given to me and told the deadline was March 1 (although I know I have longer than this!)

Monday, February 20:  logged in for the first time and had problems. Nothing started.

Saturday, February 25:  successfully logged in but could not upload pictures-Gave up and went to bed with nothing started yet again.

Sunday, February 26:  tried again---discovered my Google account was "paused" so the program didn't recognize me. Process began!

Wednesday, March 1:  deadline date--took the day off to complete start it. After a full day's work, sent email to our photographer (she's in charge) with five issues I couldn't fix. Everything else was done!

Thursday, March 2:  she forwarded the problems to the yearbook company.

Friday, March 3:   sent a follow up email. Didn't hear anything.

Monday, March 6:  four issues were fixed, leaving one more to finish.

Tuesday, March 7:  received the information to add color to the background--last thing to do.

Wednesday, March 8:  felt really stupid because I let technology get the better of me. 

Thursday, March 9:  should be submitted today!

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
share a slice of life during the month of March. 

He knows; he always knows #SOL23

"He knows; he always knows."  is a line from the movie, A Christmas Story. My family watches the 24-hour marathon starting on Christmas Eve and running through Christmas night and can recite most of this movie.

But these words have taken on a different meaning over the last few years.

The other night my husband made a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up just a few items. He comes back with a large bag of Oreos--one of my daughter's favorite cookies.

They talk about Oreos, laugh about Oreos, put Oreos on their eyes. You know, those stupid little things "adults" do.

It wasn't long after the Oreos were eaten that Megan was scrolling through Facebook. And what should appear, an ad for Oreos. She never searched for Oreos or typed in Oreos on her phone, but there they were.

So yes, he knows; he always knows, and to me, that is very worrisome.

 

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we 
share a slice of life during the month of March.