Slice of Life.
It was Friday, February 13th, and I was thinking about lots of things and trying to wrap up a lot of loose ends.
I spent some delightful time with the #PoetryFriday community at the Happy Birthday party for Lee Bennett Hopkins over at Robyn’s place, Life on the Deckle Edge. In case you missed it, I shared “Crows and a DEET-ed Tick” — two poems I wrote with a nod at two of Lee’s poems.
I posted my Poetry is.. #13 quote and image. To celebrate #NPM2018, I took on a challenge to pair a poetry quote with an image each day during April.
Poetry is… #13. Of course, it was a quote by Lee Bennett Hopkins.
I prepared my Poetry is… #14 quote and image for Saturday’s post.
Poetry is… #14
I texted and then talked to my granddaughter Madison, wishing her a Happy Birthday. She’s celebrating her 21st. YEAH for being 21!! She’s completing her junior year at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, studying to be an elementary teacher with certification for special needs students.
Madison
I checked posts by Amanda, Madison’s sister. She graduates with a teaching degree from George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, in a couple weeks. YEAH for graduations!!
Amanda
And on Friday she completed her student teaching and said goodbye to her first students — fifth graders in Room 20. I love the snapshot she shared.
Saying goodbye
In Amanda’s words,
“I said goodbye to the students who taught me more than I could have ever taught them. . . . Saying goodbye to this class of fifth graders felt like I was saying goodbye to a part of myself. Each of them has taught me something different. I will treasure this experience for the rest of my life. A chapter has been closed. But another one opens. I am excited to do this for the rest of my life.“
I bought a book!
I was on a major delete roll, cleaning out my email box. The routine is simple: read sender line as I swipe and drop into the red trash can. I must have swiped one a bit slower because I read a line in the email, near the bottom: “You can also preview the book in its entirety online.” Well, there’s one thing I can’t resist: previewing a new book on writing.
If you want to know more about Ruth Culham’s book, click this image to go to Stenhouse Publishers.
I read a few chapters and then dropped the book into my cart. I told myself I’d get it in May, maybe June after my youngest son and his family had completed their visit and returned to Ecuador.
Then I read the bottom of the email again: “Preorder your print copy of Teach Writing Well by May 10 with code TEACHWELL and get the e-book immediately for free.” You guessed it. I completed the important information and clicked “purchase.”
For now, I’m skimming my first reading in the e-book. When my paper copy arrives, I’ll deep read. I’m a hold-in-the-hands, underline-the-text, write-in-the-margin reader when I deep read. I’m sure I will write more in future posts.
Hmmm…. I’m wondering if anyone else has ordered or plans to order Teach Writing Well.
Head over to Two Writing Teachers for more slice of life stories #SOL18
How wonderful that two of your granddaughters are entering the teaching profession. Congratulations to you and them.
I feel it is such a high calling and a place to truly make a difference. My 2 daughters are in, and entering, this profession, too. My oldest is a middle school music teacher, and my youngest just finished her student teaching and will graduate in May. She will be a secondary math teacher.
What is #PoetryFriday?
By the bye, I ordered the book. This is getting expensive…ha, ha.
How wonderful! … about your daughters and about you purchasing the book! #PoetryFriday is a community of bloggers (teachers, authors, and others) who link up on Fridays. Every week a different blogger hosts the linkup. The schedule is at the bottom of this post. You can read about it here: http://www.nowaterriver.com/what-in-the-world-is-poetry-friday/ You should join. A lot of the #SOL people participate in it also. BTW, you don’t have to write poetry… you can share about favorite poems, about teaching poetry, etc…. but like me, you’ll probably end up writing them too. 🙂
Thank you for the information. I’ll check it out.
Your granddaughters are lovely, Alice! I too have a graduate coming up – my 3rd of 4 daughters will graduate from high school June 1. I am beginning to put together a slideshow of photos and video clips, so presently I am spending time looking through many wonderful memories. How time flies.
I so love your poetry is… quote and image challenge! I may have to try that for #poetryfriday if that’s ok! I am deep into teaching and writing poetry with my kinders. It’s new for all of us, and they continue to amaze me with each passing day.
Ah, thanks, Dani. Graduations are always such fun. Please feel free to use the quote/image idea. I’ve found most images on Pixabay, site that has lost of images and videos released under Creative Commons CC0, no attribution required.
I was just perusing my new Stenhouse catalogue and saw “Teach Writing Well” and then saw it’s an elementary title. I need to look at the preview copy.
I love these little snippets you shared today. They speak to the totality of a teaching life. I just started participating in Poetry Friday and am getting a feel for that community. I hope I can devote more time to reading others’ posts after April when I’m only writing one poem a week.
Thank you, Glenda. I’m really pleased that both girls have chosen to become teachers. In Feb, I wrote a poem every day, and then in Mar, an SOL every day. So I just couldn’t write every day in Apr. 🙂 Writing Tues #SOLs and #PoetryFriday is about all I can handle regularly. I try to read and comment a lot and I also take notes on ideas people share so it is informal PD. I’m so glad you’ve thrown in.
I want that Culham book -! But first: Your granddaughters are beautiful and I wish them much joy in the next chapters of their lives. And I love that Engle poem. So much wonder, celebration, and LIFE in this post.
Oh Fran, you must checkout the online copy… that’s what I love about Stenhouse Publishers, when they release a new book you can read the whole thing online for several weeks. I’ve been looking for something that really gets to the heart of formative assessment for writing that is connected to instruction. I think I’ve found it in Ruth’s book. I’m proud of my princesses (as we’ve called them since they were very little girls)… these are my oldest two. I have 6 more. 🙂
I will check that out – thanks, Alice.
What a lovely day you had! Congratulations to your granddaughters. I adore the Paul Engle quote you shared and the image you chose to accompany it. Fabulous! Happy reading!
Thanks so much! 🙂
What a busy day and ending with a bargain you couldn’t pass up. Congratulations to both of your granddaughters. Amanda’s words are so true. They remind me of the lyrics in “Getting to Know You” from The King and I: “It’s a very ancient saying,
But a true and honest thought,
That if you become a teacher,
By your pupils you’ll be taught.”
That is a perfect quote. Thanks for reminding me of it.