Dreams, the Heavy Ones

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TWO WRITING TEACHERS

Dreams.  Have you ever thought about how heavy that one little word is?

I am not talking about the dreams illustrated in the dream bubbles in children's books.  Or the daydreams on lazy summer days.

I am talking about the dreams where I want to do something, be someone, or make a difference.

I am talking about the dreams that live deep in my heart and slowly surface until they force me to think about about them or act upon them.

I am talking about the dreams that sometimes make me feel silly

          the dreams that someone laughed at,

                    the dreams that someone told me I could never do.

You know which dreams...the heavy ones.

Dreams push me, but also scare me.  Maybe it was because I didn't believe I could do it, or someone told me I couldn't.  Maybe I didn't know how.  Maybe I thought it was silly.  Maybe the timing wasn't right.

All are reasons why I push my dreams aside.

Dreams are made for somedays.  Not yesterday, today, tomorrow, or never, but some...day.

Last year my one little word was search.  I was searching for something.  I found a seed that is now growing into something more, something better...a dream.

When I chose my one little word for 2014 - REACH,  I didn't choose it with reaching a dream as the focal point.

I chose it because I want to reach out to make my life bigger.  To reach out of my comfort zone.  To reach out to others.

Reaching my dream would just be a perk along the way.

But I do have a dream.  It may take a different path than what I had imagined, but it is mine and I am ready to reach out...to live it...to be it.

      

Celebrate Good Times, Come On! - 1/1

Each Saturday  Ruth Ayres invites us to share and celebrate events from our week. Looking for small celebrations has certainly improved my outlook on my week. For that, I am certainly grateful to Ruth and to all of you who choose to celebrate with us.

First celebration of the new year!  My celebrations are usually connected in some way or have a theme.  This week is a mish-mash of small things.  Maybe if I number them, they will be a celebration of numbers!

1.  Celebrating an end to a great two week break.  It has been filled with food, family, books, writing, and a new addiction.  I seriously think I have become addicted to Twitter.  I am still scared of it, but wow it is so filled with learning opportunities.  Although it has been nice having two weeks off, I am ready to get back to a normal routine...just in time for snow days.  (Snow hits tonight followed by sub-zero temps)

2.  Celebrating a new small group table.  Before Christmas I received a new table for my classroom.  I have not used it yet because the last two weeks of school were filled with assessment and holiday activities.  I am super excited about this because it is so much bigger than what I had before.  Can't wait!

3.  Celebrating a new mounted projector.  This year I have gone from my cart in the middle of my room (where no students can sit behind me) to the projector on a small desk and the cart off to the side, to the projector mounted on the celling.  I can't believe how much more room I have now!

4.  Celebrating heroes.  My daughter has been a HUGE University of Tennessee fan since she a little girl.  She hopes to coach basketball, and Pat Summitt is her hero and role model.  She has attended many games and even met Pat in person.  This week she returned to UT and snapped a picture next to the new statue of Pat which was dedicated this past fall. Everyone has to have a hero!

5.  Celebrating professional development.  This is actually a pre-celebration.  I have been asked to give a PD for teachers in our corporation this Tuesday. My presentation is Blogging in the Classroom.  A little nervous but also excited because I think many teachers and students would enjoy using this in their classrooms.

Have a great week and may you be blessed with many things to celebrate!

Receiving Lots of Sunshine

The Sunshine Award has been making its way through blogs like the stomach flu, and I am lucky and honored to have caught it three times.

So, thank you Amy Rudd, Michelle Haseltine, and Julieanne Harmatz, and for thinking of me.

It has been fun reading everyone's random facts and answers.  Here are the rules:

1. Acknowledge the nominating bloggers
2. Share 11 random facts about yourself
3. Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger creates for you
4. List 11 bloggers
5. Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer and let all the bloggers know they've been nominated.  (You cannot nominate the blogger who nominated you.)

11 Random Facts about Me

1. I eloped with my husband 23 years ago.  He was the only child out of 7 who his mother did not see get married.  Good thing she liked me!
2. I have two children, Megan 21 and Ethan 17.
3. I was blessed to be a stay-at-home mom.
4. I had a midlife crisis at the age of 40 and returned to school and became a teacher.  (Best decision I ever made with the exception of #1, #2, and #3.)
5. I have a degree in fashion merchandising, but you couldn't tell by what is hanging in my closet now.
6. I have an enormous fear of drowning and tornadoes.
7. I have only read two Harry Potter books and really didn't like them.
8. I am a "piler."  When I clean, I just move piles, but I can always tell you which pile something is in.
9. I have two dimples.
10. I am a retired quilter.
11. I turn 50 in 17 days and if I told you it doesn't bother me...it is only a number...I would be lying.

I really don't want to answer 33 questions so I will choose 5 from each person.

5 Questions from Amy

1.  How do you prefer to read books, paper or electronic?  Definitely paper!  There is nothing like the feel and smell of cracking open a new book?  However...I did just download my first electronic book last night.  I am writing a review for the Nerdy Book Club and our public library no longer has it.  So, I had no other choice.

2.  What do you think is an important trend in education right now?  I don't know if this would be called a trend, but certainly important - the Common Core State Standards.  The state in which I live has put CCSS on hold which I am fine with, but I know teachers in other states view this as a major concern.

3.  What's your favorite family pastime?  Friday night pizza and donuts.  My husband and I have eaten pizza every Friday night since we started dating.  It is my favorite day of the week because I don't have to cook!

4.  Tell about three highlights of 2013.  These would be professional highlights.  In February I was recognized as a  Peabody Leader in Education.  In June I started my blog.  In December I was asked to do a professional development presentation which will be this Tuesday.  YIKES!

5.  Favorite snack food?  Anything salty!

5 Questions from Michelle

1.  What is your favorite quote and why?  Never underestimate the power of a great book in the hands of a teacher who knows how to use it. -- Steven L. Layne  This is from his book Igniting a Passion for Reading.  It has become my motto, my mantra, what I teach by.

2.  All time favorite book from childhood.  This is a tough one, but I would have to say the Trixie Belden Mystery Series.  She was a "cooler, hipper" version of Nancy Drew.

3.  What's your one little word for 2014?  My one little word for 2014 is REACH.  I want to reach out and have my life grow larger.  I wrote about my OLW here.

4.  What's the best part of your day?  I end every day with a hot bath and a book.  I can sit, soak and read for hours...or until someone starts knocking on the door wanting in.

5.  What are you reading right now?  I am reading The Center of Everything by Linda Urban.  It is one of my 2013 books still on my TBR list. 

5 Questions from Julieanne

1.  What motivated you to start blogging?  My one little word for 2013 was search.  I was searching  for several things in my life, and one of those was the confidence to write.  My blog became my avenue to express myself.  My biggest inspiration was Katherine Sokolowski at Read, Write, Reflect.  Now the interaction with this community is what keeps me going.

2.  What are you most proud of?  I am most proud of raising my two children.  They are great kids who are becoming wonderful young adults.

3.  What do you find exciting and challenging about growing up today?  The most exciting thing is also the most challenging thing - social media.  The information kids have at their finger tips is amazing, but I also see the issues kids have with being responsible.  I don't think they realize how putting pictures or words "out there" may come back some day to haunt them.  

4.  What did you like about school?  I liked everything about school except 2nd grade.  My teacher made me eat dried apricots and I never liked her or school the rest of the year.  

5.  Why teaching?  As I said before, I was a stay-at-home mom.  I volunteered at my children's school a lot.  When my son entered first grade, I did not like being home by myself.  I started substitute teaching and eventually became an aide in a first grade classroom.  I loved that job and decided I wanted to teach.  So, when I was 40, I returned to school and became a teacher.

My List of Bloggers

(Please do not feel obligated to participate!)

Trying to find people who have not already been chosen has become quite a challenge.  My list is a mixture of people consisting of new bloggers, new Slicers, bloggers new to me or who have been away for while.  Please take time to visit them and help spread a little sunshine!

Dylan Teut

Stephanie Marshall

Chris Leish

Elisabeth Ellington

Loralee Landers

On a Thought 

Bernadette Laganella

Jennifer Reed

Jen Ferguson

Beth Scanlon

Deb Bussewitz

My 11 Questions

1.  What is the best gift you have ever given?

2.  What is the one thing you would change about yourself?

3.  Which teacher had the biggest influence on you and why?

4.  What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now?

5.  What is your most favorite teaching moment?  If not a teacher, family moment?

6.  Hot drink or cold drink?  

7.  What are you passionate about?

8.  What are you reading currently?

9.  Which season do you like the best and why?

10.  Did you have a favorite outfit as a kid and what did it look like?

11.  How/why did you start blogging?

Thank you so much for sharing yourself with us and please do not feel pressure to participate.

Check Off Your Reading List Challenge 2014

As I was reading everyone's posts reviewing their year of reading, I realized that I am about 6-8 months behind everyone.  I jumped on board with blogging and Goodreads this past summer.  After reading all of the recommendations, my TBR pile grew exponentially.  Books many of you were reading in January - June, I was reading in July - December.

Needless to say, I have a large stack of books from 2013 still on my shelf, and there are so many more I want to add.

So I am joining Gathering Books for the Check Off Your Reading List Challenge 2014

and

Carrie Gelson of There's A Book For That 

Maria Selke of Maria's Melenage

Linda Baie of Teacher Dance

who put together the hashtag #MustReadin2014

to celebrate crossing books off my TBR list.

My list consists of books that I own or have pre-ordered thanks to Christmas gift cards, but did not get read in 2013.  This doesn't even count the books I know I will purchase in 2014!

Happy Reading!

Half a Chance by Cynthia Lord (2014)  Read 3/21

Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur (2009)

The Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher (2013)

The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool (2013)

Maggie and Oliver by Valerie Hobbs (2013)  Read 6/25

The Water Castle by Megan Frazer Blakemore (2013)

Beholding Bee by Kimberly Newton Fusco (2013)  Read 7/5

Rump:  The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff (2013) Read 5/29

A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff (2013)  Read 6/28

Paperboy by Vance Vawter (2013)   Read 1/1

Hold Fast by Blue Balliett (2013)

 

This Journal Belongs To Ratchet by Nancy Cavanaugh (2013)  Read 7/6

Doll Bones by Holly Black (2013)

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes (2013)  Read 2/24

The Real Boy by Anne Ursu ((2013)

Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo (2013)

The Center of Everything by Linda Urban (2013)  Read 1/12

Bigger Than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder (2011)  Read 3/14

Seven Stories Up by Laurel Snyder  Read 3/2

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee  Read 3/20

The Colossus Rises by Peter Lerangis (2013)

A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd (2014)  Read 2/6

Jinx's Magic by Sage Blackwood ( 2014)

Duke by Kirby Larson (2013)  Read 6/6

Falling in Love with Close Reading by Christopher Lehman

Notice and Note by Kylene Beers (2013)

Book Love by Penny Kittle

Chalking in the New Year

I am joining Betsy at Teaching Young Writers for her Chalk-A-Bration.  Join her the last day of each month for a celebration of chalk and poetry.  Stop by her blog to read more about it.

This is my first experience at chalking (as I am sure you can tell)  and is tied to my one little word for 2014 - REACH.  

This year I want to reach out and embrace new things, push my thinking, and challenge myself.  I loved writing poetry when I was younger, so this may be a way for me to reach out and try something new with my writing.  

2014 One Little Word - Reach

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Two Writing Teachers

Before I can explain how this year's one little word came to me, I need to go back to last year. Although I did not have my blog this time last year, I did have a one little word.

Last February I realized something was missing in my life and my career.  I wanted more.  I wasn't sure what it was, and I certainly didn't know where to find it.  I felt like I was just going through the motions each day, hoping something would eventually change.

I had been following a few blogs pretty regularly, and I just happened to be in my bedroom reading a post written by Ruth Ayres about a website that was recommended to her.  Reading through that blog changed me.  It was an unbelievable God moment for me, and I sent this email to three of my teacher friends, wanting to share my experience.

Many bloggers at the beginning of the year choose "one little word" that they focus on for the year.  I have thought about this a lot...trying to find my word.  I have played with the word "search"...the search to be a better mother, wife, daughter, sister, person and teacher...the search to find God in a better place in my life...the search to find where my faith fits in...the search to find the confidence to write.  

Tonight I stumbled on this beautiful website, and I knew that I had picked the right word.  I know it was not a coincidence....I was lead here.  

Tears came to my eyes until I was almost sobbing, and I honestly for the first time in a long time felt His presence in a way that I have desperately needed and have been "searching" for.  Just listening to the music is enough to bring tears.  I have just started perusing the site and wanted to share it with you...

Tonight I begin my "search" to become all of those things and more....I think I am ready!

http://www.aholyexperience.com/ann-voskamp/

That is how my one little word for 2013 found me.

Searching,  I made some positive changes and became a much better person, I challenged myself, and YES...I started writing.  I can look back on 2013 and believe with certainty search was the right word for me.

A few months ago, I thought I had found this year's OLW.  We were talking in our Bible study group at school about being intentional in our relationships.  The word "intentional" was speaking to me.  My search was successful, and I thought I needed to become more intentional.  I was all ready to write about my OLW until I saw a tweet the day after Christmas from Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience about her Christmas tree.  Being curious, I clicked on the link and found this amazing story...and my word.

In November they hung an evergreen branch, their Christmas tree, upside down.

Pictures are taken by Ann Voskamp from A Holy Experience

By Christmas Eve, the branches were reaching out.  These are the words she wrote:

If you hang your life upside down, if you live the upsidedown Kingdom, your life never dies, it’s never small — it reaches out. It grows larger.

Pictures are taken by Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience

This one little word, REACH, unexpectedly found me.  I thought I already had my word, so I really was not looking for a new one.  Here again, on this same website, I found my one little word.

There are times when I feel like my life is upside down.  But now I know that living my life upside down will help me to REACH out and become a better me...that ME I searched for and found last year.

I have many new goals personally and professionally that I want to REACH.  I have relationships that I want to REACH out to and make stronger.  I am ready to REACH out and embrace what may come my way in 2014.  I am ready to REACH out and have my life grow larger...just like the evergreen tree.

Happy New Year!

If you have the time, please take a moment to go to A Holy Experience.  It will be an experience you won't soon forget.

2014 Reflection

Beginnings and endings naturally lead to reflection.

This week, I have been reading many 2013 reflections, lists, and "best-of's."  Although I don't have as much to reflect on, I still have some important events that have happened this year on my blog.

First Slice - I actually started my blog in April of this year, but it took two months for me to gain the confidence to actually write a real post, which was a Slice of Life found at Two Writing Teachers.

Personal Favorite Post - This post celebrated several firsts for me.  I had followed Katherine at Read, Write, Reflect for about a year.  She unknowingly became my silent mentor, and this post celebrated her first comment on my blog.  Since then, I have made connections with many people, and I continue to be inspired by their writing every day.

Most Commented-On Post - This post was about my relationship with my dad.  This one was hard.  It hurt.  I have not shared my feelings about this with many people, and I was a little apprehensive about putting it out there in the blogosphere.  I found through the comments that many people had similar experiences.  People connected with this post, and I knew that my words were healing for me and possibly others.

Most Viewed Post -  This post was a letter to my colleagues and had the most views.  Although this was written for a small group of teachers I work with,  I hope many teachers felt inspired to lift up each other and to find the importance of surrounding themselves with positive people.

I look forward to 2014 and all of the challenges, inspiration, and learning it has to offer!

Celebrate Good Times, Come On! - 12/28

Each Saturday  Ruth Ayres invites us to share and celebrate events from our week. Looking for small celebrations has certainly improved my outlook on my week. For that, I am certainly grateful to Ruth and to all of you who choose to celebrate with us.

I have enjoyed spending Christmas with family.  Ending the Christmas season and anticipating a new year is certainly a celebration.  We have one more family event tonight, and I am looking forward to spending time with my sister and my nephew from Tennessee.  

This week I am celebrating nothing...

Have you ever thought about when you have many things to do, you get many things done?

Have you ever wondered why you get nothing done when you have nothing to do?

That has been my last few days.  I have had no deadlines, no to-do list, no demands.  So I have just done nothing...and it has been deliriously delightful.

Slept in

No alarm clock

Stayed in my pajamas 

until whenever

Took a shower...whenever

One day...did not even take a shower!

Wore sweats

No make-up

Read many books

Read many tweets

Wrote many words

Ate many cookies

Too many cookies

Stayed up late

Today I celebrate nothing!

I hope each of you get a chance to celebrate "nothing" during your break!  For me, my to-do list starts Monday!  Have a great week!

Reflection Fest - Day One

The end of the year brings with it a natural time of reflection, whether it be personal, professional, or spiritual.  As a teacher, I find myself reflecting before the school year starts and as a new calendar year starts.

Today as I was Twitter stalking, I came across a tweet about reflection from Any Rudd at The "Rudd"er.  Technically, I guess it was a retweet because it came from Teachingchannel.org.  For the next five days, they will pose a reflection question and ask teachers to share their triumphs, challenges, and goals.

Teachingchannel.org

Today's reflection:  Most Inspiring Moment

As teachers, I am sure we have many inspiring moments throughout our school year.
Some may be planned teaching moments, while others may be totally unexpected.

Sifting through my year, I have many that I could share, but this one stands out the most...maybe because it is the most recent.

I have a very athletic class this year.  Many of my boys and girls play multiple sports and are very competitive.  The week leading into Thanksgiving, our school had a food drive/competition.  The winning class was to receive an ice cream party.  As the days dwindled and the competition drew to a close, I knew we were not going to win.  I hesitantly approached my class with an idea that I had.

The contest was based on the number of food items per student in the class.  At our school we have a Life Skills special ed. class with around 10 students.  Several of our 4th graders are their "buddies" and they come to our special classes and a go out to recess with them once a week.

I asked the kids if they would be willing to give our cans to Mrs. Jones' class so her students may experience the joy of winning.  Knowing how competitive they are, I could not believe now excited they were about the idea.

We counted our cans, crossed out my name, and wrote Mrs. Jones as the teacher.  The day they announced the winners, my class waited with anticipated as the winning class was announced over the intercom.  When they announced that Mrs. Jones' class was the winner, my class jumped up and down, hollered and clapped.  One standing in the hall would have thought my class had just been announced the winner.

I was so proud of them for putting aside their competitiveness and desire to win just to make someone else feel special.  I think we all learned a valuable lesson in what giving is really all about.

I hope you will join us for Reflection Fest!

Because of My Mom...

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at Two Writing Teachers

When I think about the people who have made the most impact in my life, two amazing women come to mind:  my mother and my mother-in-law.

Monday was my mom's 70th birthday.  When I think about what all she has accomplished in her life, I am amazed.  Life wasn't easy for my mom.  She survived a tough childhood, struggled through a divorce, raised four great kids, and worked hard to keep our family together.  Along the way, she taught us lessons in life...and back then of course, we weren't paying attention.  They weren't important.  We didn't want to learn them.  It wasn't until we became adults that we actually realized what all she has taught us.

I know that I have evolved into the person I am today because of her.  So, today I reflect on who I am...because of my mom.

Because of my mom, I am a reader.  My mom (and my grandma) has always been a reader.  Every Saturday mom would clean our house and shop for groceries. Nothing else happened until those two chores were done.  During the afternoon, we would go to the library and choose books for the next two weeks.  Saturday nights, we would fix popcorn, relax on the couch, and read our books together.  She taught me how books could take me places and change my life.  This is one of my favorite childhood memories!

Because of my mom, I can cook.  My mom worked extremely hard when we were kids, but dinner time was always important to her.  For the most part, we had home cooked meals everyday, and we were always at the diner table together.  As our high school schedules became more hectic, it became more difficult for this to happen.  But there was always one thing she made sure of - Sunday dinner was a family day.  She orchestrated and juggled schedules, and we may have eaten any time between 12:00 and 6:00, but we always sat down together on Sundays.  To help mom out during the week, I would often come home from school and start dinner for her.  By the time I finished high school, it was nothing for me to have fixed a complete family dinner...although I never have learned her knack for making gravy!

Because of my mom, I can sew.  My mom could sew anything from curtains to clothes.  Back then it was cheaper to make things than it was to buy them.  There were many times when she would make matching outfits for me and my sister.  We were only a year apart, and many people thought we were twins.  I remember mom making many of her dresses that she would wear to work...a Carol Brady look-alike...she even had the hair!  One year she even made my formal for a New Year's Eve dance.  She taught me how to sew at an early age.  The earliest sewing memory I have is when I was eight, and I received a sewing machine for Christmas.  I was sewing doll clothes from a kit, and I dropped a needle on the floor.  While I was down on my hands and knees looking for it, it went in my knee and broke off.  That landed me a trip to the emergency room.  Although I don't have time to sew now, through the years I have made clothes for myself and my children, curtains for my house, and quilts for many people.

Because of my mom, I became independent.  At the age of 40, my mom became a single mom with two kids in college and two still at home.  After my parents were divorced, she took a job four hours away from our home town.  She did not know a soul down there, yet she packed everything she owned and made a new life for herself.  My sister got married right out of college...but not me!  I wanted to explore the world...Ok, maybe just a few hours from home.  After I graduated from college, I began a career in retail and moved four times in four years.  I had the courage to be out on my own because my mom taught me it could be done.

Because of my mom, I am a hard worker.  When my mom moved to Tennessee, she worked for an automotive company which was eventually sold to a Japanese company.  She worked her way up in the company, and towards the end of her career became the purchasing director for North America.  She traveled all over the world and even lived in China for a a year and a half to start up the purchasing department for a new plant in Shanghai.  Two things are amazing about her career.  One is that women typically do not hold management positions in Japanese companies, yet she was promoted and earned the respect of the Japanese men.  The second is that she was successful, but she does not even have a college degree.  She married my dad at 18, had my sister at 19, and me at 20.  That didn't leave much time or money for college.  She took a few night classes occasionally, but she was successful because she was driven and because of her work ethic.  I learned from the best what hard work is all about.

To those of you with young children, remember you are giving them a gift...the lessons of life... which may not be opened for years to come.  But it will.  And they will appreciate and understand.

To those of you with older children, I hope this Christmas season your children will share the gift you have given them...the lessons of life...and thank you for what they have learned.

Merry Christmas!

Celebrate Good Times, Come On! - 12/21

Each Saturday  Ruth Ayres invites us to share and celebrate events from our week. Looking for small celebrations has certainly improved my outlook on my week. For that, I am certainly grateful to Ruth and to all of you who choose to celebrate with us.

This week I am celebrating the start of my Christmas break.  I absolutely love teaching, but I love my breaks!  A time to relax, restore, and rejuvenate.  

I celebrate taking a break from my responsibilities at school so that I can enjoy time with my family, especially my children.  They are the age where they usually just want food and money, but I am ready to spend some quality time with them.  My son asked me the other day if we could make Christmas sugar cookies...his favorite!  I said absolutely, thrilled that he still wanted to do this with me.  

I celebrate taking a break from setting the alarm so that I can stay up late reading, sleep in because I "just had to finish that book" and wearing my pajamas for as long as I want.  I have many books to read and will certainly find some to read on the Winter Pop-up Library.  
Check it out - free ebooks from December 21 - January 5!

http://starwalkkids.com/index.php

I hope each of you have a great break and find many reasons to celebrate!

Now, I am off to continue shopping!

Blind Auditions

Read more slices at 
Two Writing Teachers

Watching television is not something I typically do, and my students never believe me when I say I don't watch TV.  I would much rather read a book, but the one show I never miss is the The Voice.

Singing is something I would love to be able to do.  Oh, yeah, I sing in my car by myself, but my singing career is limited to singing on Preference Night during my college sorority days!  (Anyone out there an Alpha Phi?)

Last night as I was watching the finals, I thought, "I am going to have blind auditions in my classroom next year."

Now, before you start thinking...what in the world is she talking about?  Let me explain.

For those of you who may have never seen The Voice, contestants sing with the judges' chairs turned around.  They base their decision strictly on the contestant's voice, not by their looks.  They don't even see them until they have chosen to turn around.

Every spring teachers at our school divide up their students to be placed in classes for the following year. The grade levels then get together and discuss the new class.  We have discussions about the students' strengths and weaknesses among many other things.

Before I even see my class, I have these preconceived thoughts about them.  I hadn't really thought about how unfair this was until I started watching The Voice and heard the contestants talk about how important it was that the judges chose them only on their voice.


I am thinking I will not have these conversations with my colleagues this year.  By having "blind auditions" for the students in my classroom, I will get to know my students without any bias, hearsay or preconceived thoughts.  I will get to know them for who they are the day they arrive in my classroom...my own blind auditions.

A side-note - Go TessAnne!

Remembering Sandy Hook

Each Saturday  Ruth Ayres invites us to share and celebrate events from our week. Looking for small celebrations has certainly improved my outlook on my week. For that, I am certainly grateful to Ruth and to all of you who choose to celebrate with us.


I had my celebration post all ready to go, and then I came across this at Teaching Tomorrow's Leaders.  Suddenly, my celebrations - getting a new table - seemed so small and insignificant.

Robin, along with Greg Smedley-Warren from the Kindergarten Smorgasbord are asking us to remember the anniversary of the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School by completing a simple act of kindness.

So, share this picture, spread the word, and do something kind today in honor of those children whose dreams were taken away and the courageous teachers who lost their lives while trying to protect them.  Think about what a true celebration it would be, if we all showed kindness today!

If you would, come back and share.  I would love to hear what you did to remember Sandy Hook!

Have a great week and may you be blessed with many reasons to celebrate!