Celebrate Turn #30

 

Each week Ruth Ayres extends an invitation to share and celebrate events, big or small, from our week.  Please join us and celebrate your week!

Today, I celebrate collaboration.

I am actually posting this celebration on Friday night because I am leaving in the morning to present at a conference at Indiana State University.  

Two months ago I received an email regarding proposals for this conference.  I have only presented a PD for our own district, and the thought of presenting at a bigger venue excited me.  Although I was intrigued by the idea, I knew I did not want to do this by myself.  So...

The search began.  

I knew what I wanted to present, so I knew I needed to find a teacher who had similar beliefs. 

The search continued.

I knew I needed to find a teacher who was passionate about reading.

The search continued.

I knew I needed to find a teacher who loved professional development.

The search continued.

Soon after I received the proposal email, I moderated our district's second Twitter chat.  One teacher "showed up."

The search ended.

Although I knew of this teacher, I can't say that I actually knew her well.  We taught at different schools and taught different levels.  (She lives in that scary world of kindergarten!)  I had no idea how she felt about reading, but I was willing to take a chance.  That night after the chat, I messaged her and asked if she would be interested in presenting with me.  The next thing I knew she said yes and "volunteered" one her colleagues, and we were submitting a proposal.

The three of us have worked together this past month trying to contain our passion in an hour long presentation.  It has been a wonderful experience getting to know them, sharing ideas, and collaborating.  This is a TURN I was not expecting, but one that is stretching me professionally.  I am so thankful they said yes, and have had the opportunity to work with both of them.

Next week I hope to be celebrating our presentation.

Have a great week, and may you find many celebrations along the way!

My Ideal Life

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating a place to share our Slice of Life.  Read more slices or add you own here.

This week I discovered a new website from Jen Vincent from Teach Mentor Texts, called Story Exploratory.  This website is a place to "find out how to discover the story inside of you!"

In one of the posts Jen reflects on her ideal life and finished this statement:  My life is ideal when...  She states, "I found that my life is most ideal when I'm spending time with my family, when I'm reading, when I'm writing, and when I'm taking care of myself by exercising, eating healthy, and spending time with my friends." 

She concluded that taking care of herself and her family was the most important part of her ideal life, but realized that she was spending a lot of time working. I know she has small children, and I am sure at many times, she feels that "mother guilt" that we feel when we do not always put our families first. She knew she had to make some changes to live that ideal life.

As I was reading this, I realized how my "ideal life" has changed. I didn't have to make changes; the changes were made for me.

I gave up my first career to stay at home with my two children. At that time, my ideal life was when I let the dirty dishes sit because I was playing outside or watching Barnie, when I read bedtime stories, when I got goodnight kisses, when I made homemade chocolate chip cookies and when we played in the wading pool in the backyard.  

That was my ideal life, and I do not regret one single day of staying home with them.

Now, my two children are almost adults, and I find that I have more time to put into my career. I will admit that when I first read Jen's post, I felt that guilt resurface.  I asked myself, Am I putting too much time into my career? Am I wrong for doing this? Am I neglecting myself and my family?

But now I realize the dynamics of my ideal life has changed. My family has different needs.  I have time to do some things just for me.

Now it is my TURN...which happens to be my one little word for 2015. I have several professional goals that I want to achieve, and at my age, I know I do not have as many years as most teachers in which to accomplish those goals.

I think our ideal life changes as our life takes TURNS.  Guilt should not be a product of those changes.

Right now, on this very day, my ideal life is when I'm cooking meals and cherishing the time to eat together, when I am handing out a couple of dollars here and there, when I'm doing laundry, when I am listening to their problems, and when I am going to bed knowing they are both safe at home.  

But it is also when I'm sharing my reading life with my students, when I'm writing my story, when I'm attending PD to become a better teacher, and when I'm setting and trying to achieve my own professional goals.

My ideal life may be different tomorrow or next year, but for right now, guilt is not a part of my today.

Celebrate Turn #29

Each week Ruth Ayres extends an invitation to share and celebrate events, big or small, from our week.

Have you ever one of those weeks where everything just seemed to fall into place and go better than expected?  That has been my week.  Many celebrations!

1.  We started a research unit and I taught new lessons for the first time.  They just flowed perfectly, the students were engaged, and we are ready to research.  

2.  I wrote my 300th post this week.  When I began blogging back in the summer of 2013, I had no idea where it would take me and how it would change me.  Thank you to all of my writing community for sticking with me and encouraging me.  A special thank you to Ruth who inspires me to be a better writer.

3.  Every day I get to share my love of reading and writing to 100 students and be around people who just make me laugh.  I end my day grateful that I am able to wake up and do it all again the next day.

4.  I have another life turn coming my way in the next couple of weeks.  It was actually more of a detour, but sometimes it is on those detours when we realize just how lucky we are.

5.  Next Saturday I will be presenting at Indiana State University's Educator's Day along with two other teachers in my district.  This is my first opportunity to work with these two amazing teachers, and it has been a wonderful experience to get to know them and to realize how like-minded we are.  I hope to share more about "Leaving a Reading Legacy in a Culture of Testing" soon.

Have a great week and may you find many celebrations 

along the way!

Proud Teacher Moment

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating a place to share our Slice of Life.  Read more slices or add you own here.

Last week I had a proud teacher moment.  No, it wasn't a brilliant lesson I planned or taught.  No, it wasn't a wonderful assessment that all my students passed.  No, it didn't even happen in my classroom.

It was a single moment.

I stand outside the convenience store talking to my sister on my cellphone because I don't like talking on it in public.  I hang up, go inside, and fill my cup with ice.  As I stand there at the soda fountain, I feel a tap, tap on my shoulder.  I look up and see a nice looking young man standing there.

"You probably don't remember me," he says.

I think, oh this is a former student.  Please, oh please memory, don't fail me now.  As I look at him, he twitches his nose and I reply.  "Of course I remember you Avery!"  (Luckily the nose twitching gave it away.)

Knowing that he was in my very first class, he should have graduated last spring.  "So, what are you doing?  You graduated, right?"

"Yea, I am going to VU for welding and I am a mechanic at Westport Auto."

"That is great!"

"I also have a daughter who is a year old now."

"Do you have a picture?"

He whips out his phone and shows me his beautiful little girl.  

"She is adorable.  What is her name?"

"Ava.  And here is my fiancé.  I thought that was you standing out there on your phone.  I wanted to wait until you got off the phone before I said anything to you."

I hug him and say,  "Avery, I am so proud of how you got your life together.  You have a beautiful family and a wonderful career ahead of you.  I am so glad you said something to me."

Avery was a student in my first class.  After 5th grade, he moved to the county school, and I hadn't seen him until that night.  Avery was also one of those students who I worried about. Who I wanted to take home and just show him what a family looked like and how it felt to be loved unconditionally.  

I know he didn't have to stop and say hello.  But he did.  

It was a single moment this teacher won't soon forget.

Words Matter

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating a place to share our Slice of Life.  Read more slices or add you own here.

As bloggers and writers, we understand the power of words.  It is serendipitous that I am writing this post on NCTE's National Day of Writing when many are thinking about the power of words.

We know that words heal and words hurt.

They make us laugh and make us cry.

They move us forward yet keep us marking time.

They can hold us hostage, and they can set us free.

Words matter.

Last week I was going through some old emails and came across one that was sent to me two years ago by a former colleague.  I thought about deleting it then and have considered deleting it many times since.  But for some reason, I haven't.

When I received the email two years ago, I was confused because these words were not typical of the person who sent them.  I respected her as a colleague and as my own children's teacher, so I did not understand and wanted some answers.

The next day I walked down to her classroom.

I left in tears.

The words hurt.

Words matter.

I wanted to believe she didn't really mean the words she said to me that day.  She was going through a rough time professionally.  Sadly, she was hurting as many veteran teachers do in their last years of teaching.  I seemed to inadvertently be the cause of the pain, as many new teachers are.

I wanted to believe those words were coming from the pain inside, not from her heart.  But the year ended, she retired, and I moved schools.  Our words became silent.

Words matter.

Ironically, I ran into her last week.  The silence was broken, and we both said words I wished we would have said a long time ago.

I came home and deleted the email.  The one I should have deleted a long time ago.

Yes, words matter.

Celebrate Turn #28

Each week Ruth Ayres extends an invitation to share and celebrate events, big or small, from our week.

This week we were on fall break, so we headed south to Tennessee to my sister's house.  It was a girls' weekend with my two sisters and my daughter.  Three of us are teachers, so it was rejuvenating to get away and not think about things we needed to do, but things we wanted to do.

We ate.

We shopped.

We laughed.

We watched a movie.
We stayed up late.

We slept in.

We sang.

We danced...well some of them did.
We laughed some more.

We took a selfie.

We did what we wanted to do.

And it was something to celebrate!

Here we are trying out the selfie stick - daughter, older sister,
younger sister, and me!

To Live Forever - A Reflection on Tuck Everlasting

My students just finished reading Tuck Everlasting during our unit on "Making Choices." They were asked if they would want to live forever and, of course, we wrote about it.

I have been playing with an idea for the Slice of Life March Challenge where I write for 31 days using only 31 words in a slice.  It has been challenging, but it certainly focuses on word choice.   This makes an interesting twist on writing about reading.

Here is my reflection on if I would want to live forever...in 31 words.

I would not chose

to live forever,

but instead,

to live

to love

to die,

each one

dependent on the other,

each one its own spoke 
on the wheel of life.

The Transformative Power of Reading

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating a place to share our Slice of Life.  Read more slices or add you own here.

Each week my students read an Article of the Week (AoW), an idea I borrowed from Kelly Gallagher.  When I choose the articles, I try to find something I think will interest them.  So, when I found an article about how reading changed a presidential candidate's life, I was a little skeptical. Boy, was I wrong.  My students responded to this article in ways I never imagined.

The article is an interview of Dr. Ben Carson by a man named Michael Hyatt.  He talks about how Dr. Carson grew up in poverty in Detroit, Michigan and was raised by a single mom.  But the one thing that turned his life around was reading.  His mother noticed that wealthy people read a lot of books and avoided watching too much television.  So she turned off the tv and made them read, which ended up changing his life.

I have five classes of 6th graders.  In one class, several students have IEP's; some need additional support with reading;  some have behavior problems, and almost all of them do not like to read.  I was overwhelmed with emotion by how they connected with this article.  I think many of them saw themselves in Dr. Carson's early life because they come from poverty and broken homes, and many are at the "bottom of the class" - right where Dr. Carson was.  By reading this article, they realized their life situations could change, but they have to make choices which will affect them in a positive way - like choosing to read and to become educated.

I would love to share all the comments by my students, but they were too numerous to write in a blog post.  Here are a few of their thoughts after reading the author's last line in the article:

"I've always believed in the transformative power of reading, especially in books.  Dr. Carson is a living example of why."

When I read this I was in a different world.  I can't believe reading did that to him!

Well, knowledge is powerful.

I bet Mrs. Eck likes that guy. 

(This one made me laugh out loud.)

Reading can be powerful.

That is a good thing to believe in.

He sets a very good example for kids, and honestly, I think that everyone should read this.

THIS is why you read.

One of my students told me a couple of weeks ago, that he started reading because of me.  He said, "Mrs. Eck, you know, you got me reading.  I didn't like reading before this year."  He now enjoys reading and sees the pleasure in it.  He knows reading has changed him and now he knows how powerful reading can be in his life.

Here are comments he wrote on his article.








Whatever your political affiliations or beliefs are, I encourage you to put those aside, read this article and share it with your students.  I think you will see just how powerful this story is.

Click here to read the entire article.

Celebrate Turn #27

Each week Ruth Ayres extends an invitation to share and celebrate events, big or small, from our week.

Today, I celebrate a glimpse into my school year.

It is hard to believe that October is here, and we are in our last week of the first grading period.  The sad part is that I have been so wrapped up in my home life, that I have not celebrated my school year since our first week of school.  And there has been so much to celebrate.

The first week of August Kate Roberts, the co-author of Falling in Love with Close Reading, tweeted asking for teachers who had already started school.  I tweeted back, and she wanted to know if I was interested in piloting a few lessons for her new book.  After several emails back and forth and picking my confidence up off the floor, (I mean, this is Kate Roberts for crying out loud!) I taught the lesson and submitted photos of our work, including student writing.  I have seen the "unedited-rough-draft-email-version" of the our pages and my kids (along with their teacher) are so excited about it.  Not sure when the book is to be published, but I will certainly be writing more about it!

My 100 students have read almost 400 books so far this year.  It has been so much fun talking about books and sharing books with them.  When I decided to change grade levels, I knew this was my dream job, and they are certainly making this teacher's dream come true.

Last week I wrote a post about a former student who I had the privilege of teaching for two years.  I received an ineffective on my evaluation the first year because of his behavior in my classroom.  But he has come such a long way.  After I showed him the post, he got teary-eyed.  I later learned that while he was in study hall, he Googled my blog and found it.  He left me a comment and then I got teary-eyed!  You can read the post here if you would like.  He makes me proud to be a teacher (although his grammar still needs some work!)

So this is a quick glimpse into my school year.  Writing is slowly making a much needed entrance back into my life, and I hope to continue sharing it with you.

Have a great week and may you find many celebrations along the way!

The Other Side

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating a place to share our Slice of Life.  Read more slices or add you own here.

Twenty-three years ago we built our house next to my in-laws on a dead end street. At that time we were surrounded by elderly people.  As we had children and as they grew up, they would visit our neighbors. There was Jan across the street, Pat and Lee behind us, and Glen on the corner. I am sure our children brought each of them a little smile and a daily dose of sunshine.

Some of the neighbors have passed on while others have moved closer to their own children due to health reasons.  Our neighborhood has changed dynamics.  We now have five year old Lizzie behind us, two year old Courtney on the corner, seven year old Lane and the newest kids, Zoe and Sam across the street.  New children have arrived to provide the smiles and sunshine.

And we have become the "old" neighbors.  

Now, Courtney, while running barefoot in the grass, waves to Dave as he rides his bike up the path.  Lizzie brings us cherry tomatoes from her garden and "baby" pine cones from under the hemlock tree.  Lane draws us pictures for the refrigerator and "works" with Dave in the yard, and Zoe and Sam create and play in imaginary places on our bridge in the ditch.

Maybe being on the other side is not so bad after all.

Celebrate Turn #26

Each week Ruth Ayres extends an invitation to share and celebrate events, big or small, from our week.

When I chose my OLW - turn, I knew my life would be full of turns this year.  I have had to take an extended break from blogging because all of my extra time and energy needed to go toward my family.  So, although I have not celebrated through my words, I have celebrated with you in spirit and through my heart.

I have come to the point in parenting where a kiss and a bandaid no longer make things better.  And realizing this has been very hard.  I have mentioned that my daughter is a first year teacher.  Her road has been anything but smooth.

This week she and I sat and watched The Voice together.  There were no tears, no frustration, no lesson plans, and no emails.  Only smiles, laughter, and a bowl of popcorn between us.  That might seem small to many, for us it was huge.  It has been a long time since we have had a moment like that.

That night after I took my shower and came out of the bathroom, the house was dark and everyone was in bed.  I sat on the couch and listened to the rhythmic breathing of my life. Sitting in the dark living room with only the nightlight illuminating the room, I smiled and tried to hold back the tears.  All was well, even if it was just for one small moment.

When we are going through the hard parts of life, we wonder if we will ever get through them.  When we are going through the easy parts, we don't want them to end. But I know that both parts are necessary and both parts need to be celebrated.  

I don't have a specific celebration this week like I usually do.

I am just celebrating...

the hard and the easy

the smiles and the tears

the past and the present.

And for now, that is enough for me.

Have a great week and may you find many celebrations along the way.

Taking Responsibility

Two years ago when I was observed by an administrator, I received an ineffective mark on a classroom management category due to the behavior and talking out by one particular student.  This student was one of those who made me want to pull my hair out and question my decision to become a teacher and at the same time, reminded me of why I did.

I argued the evaluation, pleaded my case, and reminded my administrator of the progress Dante had made that year due to the interventions I put into place.  I was told that I was ultimately responsible for my students' behavior in my classroom.  Although I disagreed, I accepted it and moved on.

Because I switched grade levels last year, I had the privilege of having Dante as a student again.  I have to admit, this was not something I was looking forward to, but what a joy it was to have him for the second time.  He has made so much progress, and I could see the caring, young man Dante has become.  He has a heart of gold.  And if I ever need anyone to save me or to stick up for me, Dante would be first in line.

When I had Dante read this and asked for
permission to publish this post, he got a little teary-eyed.

This year he is an office cadet and frequently delivers messages to me.  The first day that he came to my room, he stood at my door, smiled, and said, "How is my favorite teacher of all time?"  Then he came in and gave me a hug.  Believe me when I say, he would not have said this two years ago.

Looking back on that evaluation, I know I cannot possibly be responsible for our students' behaviors, but we can be responsible for those relationships.  Those relationships that make a difference.

I am proud to have that ineffective on my evaluation because it reminds me that relationships do matter.  It reminds me of Dante and all the other future students I will have who need someone to believe in them.  I know I gave him all I had, and I believe it has made a difference in his life.

And I will gladly take full responsibility for that.

Turns

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating a place to share our Slice of Life.  Read more slices or add you own here.

It has been over a month since I have written a slice.  

Many reasons.

Experiencing...

        the life turns of parenting young adult children.

Questioning...

     what to do when a kiss and a bandaid no longer make things "all better."

Remembering...

     to breathe when it seems that every breath I take is momentarlily held

Releasing...

     tears...mine...theirs...ours

Praying...

     that through hard turns we become stronger.

Celebrate Turn #25

Each week Ruth Ayres extends an invitation to share and celebrate events, big or small, from our week.

Today I celebrate "those moments."

My daughter has been on a roller coaster these last two weeks.  And I don't mean the exhilarating raise your hands in the air and scream with excitement thriller rides.

I mean the one with jerky turns that smash you against the sides and where you are holding on for dear life and wondering when and if this nightmare is ever going to end.

She started her first year of teaching.  I am sure you all remember it well.  But sitting on the sidelines and watching as a mother has left me emotionally drained.  I leave my school literally sick to my stomach because I am so worried about what state of mind Megan will be in when she comes home.  I look at her face when she walks through the door, and I know what kind of day it was...again.

But this week we had a breakthrough.

She has a student who is making her day tough.  She spent hours creating behavior interventions to put into place for this student.  She talked to the special ed teacher, who was also her student teaching cooperating teacher, and she thought it looked like a good plan.

One day this week she came home with a different look on her face.  I didn't ask about her day; I waited for her to tell me.

And she did.  And she had that look we have all experienced.  She told me her interventions worked and the class had a wonderful day.

I said to her while holding back tears, "Now you know how it feels to believe you have made a difference.  You have to celebrate this moment and hold on to it tight.  Because these are the moments that are going to get you through."

I know she is going to make it through this difficult first year.  We all made it by holding on to those moments when we knew why we decided to become teachers.  I know she will too.

Today I celebrate "those moments."

Have a great week and may you find many celebrations along the way.

Celebrate Turn #24

Each week Ruth Ayres extends an invitation to share and celebrate events, big or small, from our week.

Today I celebrate the first day of school.

There is nothing like the first day school ~ the excitement AND all the chaos that accompanies it!

We started school this week, and looking at the first two days, I think it will be a great year. Two years ago I moved from 4th to 6th, which means I have many of the same students I had during my last year at 4th grade.  That class holds a special place in my heart, and I am excited to share a classroom with them again.

Here they are together as 4th graders ~ my how they have changed!

It was also the first day of school for Megan, my daughter! Here we are on our teacher day...and no, we had no idea what the other one was going to wear!

To those of you returning to school this week ~ I celebrate your first day.  May you have a wonderful year with your new students and as always, may you find many celebrations along the way!

Today I celebrate the first day of school.

An Unplanned Book Talk

Today was my first day of school.  Our periods were shortened, each one only 25 minutes, due to teaching school-wide behavior expectations.  I did not have any book talks planned because I did not think I would have time.

After I taught the lesson, I found myself with a few extra minutes to spare.  As any prepared teacher would do, I pulled something out of my "bag of tricks."  Our first unit is Making Choices, so I had prepared ahead of time a stack of cards with some "would you rather" questions.

I asked a student to pull one out and to read it.

"Would you rather know the future or be able to fly."

As they turned and talked about their choices, I immediately thought about the book, All the Answers by Kate Messner.  The main character in the book finds a pencil, and it gives her a glimpse of what it might be like to know the future.

Perfect tie-in to the book!  Instant book talk.

I immediately went to my bookshelf, pulled the book, and talked it up.  I knew they were hooked when many of them asked, "Oh, can I read that one first?"

I love it when I stumble upon a book talk.

A Letter to a First Year Teacher

My daughter's first day of school is tomorrow.  She will be in the third grade...as a teacher.

Today, I offer some words to not only her, but to all new teachers.

Dear Megan,

I know you are experiencing many different feelings tonight as you think about your first day of school tomorrow as a first year teacher.  You are excited, nervous, scared and probably every feeling in between.

As you open your door and your heart to your students, I want you to remember three things.

Relationships matter.  These first few days and weeks you will spend time teaching classroom rules, procedures, and behavior expectations.  You will plan lessons with student-friendly objectives which meet your state standards. But none of these mean a thing if you do not build those relationships first.  Student learning will not occur without a meaningful relationship with you, their teacher.  Each child needs to know they matter.

Your students have names.  Many people will tell you your students are a number, a test score, a reading level, and even a label.  But they are your students first and foremost.  Don't let the educational culture get in the way of your passion for teaching or the reason why you are there.  Look at that class list and remember Jaxon and Brooklyn and Alexis and Zach and...

It is not going to be easy.  Teaching is one of the most rewarding professions, but also one of the most difficult.  You will come home frustrated, exhausted, and some days even in tears.  I will help you pick up the pieces because that's what moms do, but I will also tell you to hold on to the memories that will become permanently etched in your heart.  

Those smiles when the lightbulb comes on.  

The high fives when they finally "get it."  

The hugs you freely give because you know they don't get one at home.

The time you spend together reading books like Charlotte's Web and The One and Only Ivan.

The stories they write which will make you laugh and will even break your heart.  

Hold on to these and remember why you became a teacher in the first place.  Not everyone receives the privilege of going to work everyday and making a difference in the life of a child.

You do.

I am proud to call you my daughter, and now honored to call you a colleague. 

Love, 
Mom

Celebrate Turn #23

Each week Ruth Ayres extends an invitation to share and celebrate events, big or small, from our week.

Today I celebrate little love!

This past week my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary.  Twenty-five years ago we eloped.  Click here to read the story about My Elopement Day.

The funny thing is, we both forgot about it being our anniversary.  I think summer has gone by so fast they we both didn't realize the end of the month was upon us.

But this is characteristic of our life together.  We don't need special days, big celebrations, or any other type of pomp and circumstance.  We have little love.

Little love is helping out without asking or without expecting.

It's knowing I am taken care of and knowing he is proud of that.

It's looking at our children and seeing a part of him, a part of me, knowing that our love will be carried on.

It's sitting together without saying a word, yet finding comfort in the silence.

Little love is simple love.  And that is all I need.

simple people
simple ceremony
simple bands

simple love

...simply forever

Today I celebrate little love.

Have a super week and may you find little celebrations along the way.