I started the Happy Teacher Challenge today! It was my first day back to school and so I thought it was a fitting time to begin. It's all about finding and keeping your happy! If you don't follow Sheila Jane, check her out on Facebook and Instagram. She's fabulous! |
I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for her Five for Friday linky! I'm really going to try and link up more often! Speaking of going back to school... Today was a work day and one well-spent. I got loads done. Not everything on my list, of course, but isn't that the definition of a work day? Two of my favorite projects were my new door banner and Mrs. Hebert Reads board. I made a banner to welcome my kiddos back on Monday. I love it. I also put together a display to show what I'm reading now, what I'm reading next, and what I've recently finished. My kiddos tend to be book hoppers and they don't typically make a plan for reading. I want to show them how intentional my reading is. It is important to me and so I plan for it. What I love the most about it is that it is visible to EVERYONE who walks by my door. I'm hoping that it will be the catalyst for many fabulous conversations about reading. I've spent most of my time this week snuggling this little muffin. Do you see a theme? We like to sleep in and eat. I'm so very ready to get back into my school routine, but I do miss this little bean so very much while I'm away. I've soaked up every last moment possible. The life of a teacher mom... Those are the highlights of my week! Next week, it's back to school for real. I'm excited to see my kiddos and can't wait to see what kinds of learning we're going to get up to in 2016!
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I have been a reading machine over the past month or so. Being honest, I just started reading again over the summer. My check out from the professional world also included a rather ridiculous check out from everything that wasn't directly related to surviving my new baby. I just couldn't focus on anything. My go-to time filler was Candy Crush...sadly. It had bright colors, a pretty straight forward purpose, and I only had to concentrate for five minutes (or less) at a time. I tried to read...really, I did...but I just ended up staring at swirling letters after about thirty seconds. I really missed it. Really. I had always been a pretty avid reader previously, but nothing like what I've been up to now. I started this summer with a "to be read" stack of several children's chapter books. My stack included Tuck Everlasting, Esperanza Rising, The One and Only Ivan, and Counting by 7s. I had pulled those titles from my own bookshelves while packing up at the end of the year, encouraged by some Instagram or blog posts that I'd seen. I was also fortunate that an eighteen-hour car ride for a family trip to Chicago afforded me LOTS of time for reading. I blew through Counting by 7s and The One and Only Ivan on the trip home. I was hooked again into the reading world. I read Move Your Bus, and then The Book Whisperer, which fueled my desire to be a wealth of reading knowledge for my students. Of course, getting back to school slowed me down a bit. But it didn't stop me. I ended up reading 24 books between June and December. (Thanks to GoodReads for keeping track for me!) I've loved being able to recommend new books for my students and to chat with them about what they are reading. I'm working hard to make my class at least somewhat resemble Donalyn Miller's. I'm not there yet...not even close. But reading what my kids are reading has helped to shape a lot of what I do. I'm working on creating a board where my reading is more visible to the students. My students love to read, but they tend to book hop. They also don't often make plans for what to read next. I want to show that reading is not only fun for me...because that's the most important part...but that it is intentional. I set goals for how far I will read each day. I want to make my reading life as clear to them as possible so that they can begin to internalize some of the strategies lifelong readers use. Over this holiday break, I have read and read and read. I've been reading a mix of professional books and children's chapter books. What's been on my list? My favorites were The Innovator's Mindset, Echo, Circus Mirandus, and The Night Gardener. The others were lovely, and I am planning to implement LOADS of ideas from Word Nerds, but these are my MUST reads. The Innovator's Mindset is by George Couros. If you don't read his blog, Principal of Change, go read it now. I can wait. You should also follow him on Twitter. He's fantastic. If you're looking for inspiration, look no further. If you're already inspired and need to know you're not alone, he's your guy. I think that every educator should read this book. Every. Single. One. Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan is also phenomenal. It's written in four separate parts. You get to know a character deeply, are totally invested, and then suddenly...they're gone and you get to know another character deeply who is totally unrelated to the first one. Only a special harmonica unites them. Until... It's just so, so, so good. I finished it while sitting at a table with my husband and I kept poking him and exclaiming out loud and he thought I was completely mad. It was that good. The Night Gardener is a bit dark and creepy, but also fabulous. It inspired me to go on and read his (Jonathan Auxier) first novel. And Circus Mirandus, well, just go and read it right now if you haven't. It has magic and endearing characters and characters you'll despise, and such goodness and light. Currently, I'm reading Passionate Learners by Pernille Ripp. She is the creator of the Global Read Aloud. If you don't follow her blog, go and do it now. Don't worry... I'll still be here when you get back. Her tone and focus is a bit like Donalyn Miller (LOVE!) and this book continually reminds me of ideas from The Innovator's Mindset. I've joined a book club through Facebook with educators around the world (and facilitated by Pernille Ripp herself...so awesome) that begins on January 10. I've only read the first three chapters, but it's wonderful. If you loved The Book Whisperer, then you'll love this one. Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is Jonathan Auxier's first book. It's darker than The Night Gardener, but I like it even more. Peter Nimble is the world's greatest thief, and a ten year-old blind orphan. He is magically gifted with three pairs of fantastic eyes that are to help him on a quest to save a lost kingdom. It sounds a bit dodgy, but it's amazing. It's hard to put down. Kate Atkinson's Life After Life was the only book I read in the "baby stage." I started A God in Ruins, her follow-up to Life After Life ages ago. I'm not sure what made me stop. I haven't made much progress with it, but I NEED to have a book ready on my tablet. Since I'm reading about Peter the old-fashioned way, I returned to this one. I also felt like I should include some type of reading that isn't written primarily for children or educators. Once I finish my current lovelies, I'll be moving on to these...
In preparation for my visit to Ron Clark Academy in March, I'll be reading The End of Molasses Classes. I'm so very excited to have the opportunity to visit there and can hardly contain myself while I wait. Immersing myself in all things Ron Clark should help...I hope. I'm also really excited to read The Doldrums. I heard about this one from Literacy for Big Kids. I love every single thing she does and so I started taking her book recommendations as well. I got Echo and The Night Gardener from her. It seems in keeping with my kids, on a journey, with a bit of magic theme. So... Reading. My current obsession. I hope you've found a few titles you'd like to add to your "want to read" list. What are you reading right now? What is on your must read list? What books are you so excited to read next? I'd love your suggestions! (PS ~ Pop over to GoodReads and connect with me! I'd love to widen my reading community!) I'm hooking up with Farley for her Currently linky! I love this one! I hope to be a bit better about keeping up with it in 2016. Ahh...the optimism of January 1. Pretty much everything is self-explanatory...
The hubs is watching football and the baby is squirming on my lap as I attempt to be productive. You know...a standard day in the life. This holiday was a pretty techie one for me. In keeping with his "supporting my dreams" theme (my birthday gift was a trip to Ron Clark Academy in March...can't wait), he got me a Surface tablet/laptop that I absolutely LOVE. I also upgraded my phone yesterday so I'm flying high on the tech express. I had the BEST idea today (in the shower...it's where all of my best ideas happen)! When we come back from break, we're going to be learning about Europeans settling in what is now our state. I decided (in the shower) that we're going to do it Oregon Trail-style. We'll learn it like a game where you have to travel from Europe to (what is now) North Carolina, but you'll have to weather all of the pitfalls...passage, economics, illness, etc. I started to worry that I could NEVER get it all together in the time I have before we return to school and then BINGO! The next BEST idea...the kids will do it all! They will do the research...who came, what they faced, etc., and THEY will create the game. It's perfect! I'm so very excited! Now to get working on it... ...which leaves me wanting MORE TIME. We have another week of break after this one, but with four kids and all that we always have going on it's really hard to sneak away to get work done. I always need more time. But don't we all??? I don't need a single thing. I have my family, we're all healthy, and all is well. I couldn't ask for a single thing. My one little word is FOCUS. I wrote a blog post about it last night, if you'd like a bit more explanation. Happy January! Thanks for coming by! I haven't read the book. I'll admit it. I have, however, seen lots of posts about it on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook. I like the idea of one word to guide my path throughout the year. And so I started thinking about it... There were many words that bounced around my brain and I thought I had settled on one over and over and then another would pop into my head and I would begin to mull that one over. Learn. Grow. Inspire. Develop. All of these were contenders. And then it hit me... The reason that I was having trouble narrowing it down is similar to an issue I've been having in my professional life...and there was my word. Since re-entering the teacher world this year, I've been a little all over the place. After such a long learning dry spell, I felt (and still feel) that there is SO MUCH I need to catch up on. And so I've been dabbling in a bit of everything. Reading pedagogy? Yes, please! Teacher leadership? Of course! Blended learning? Why not? Standards based assessment? Sure! Teaching like a pirate? Sounds great! Move my bus? Please! I looked around at amazing educators on Instagram and Twitter (and Facebook and Periscope) and saw them creating resources on Teachers Pay Teachers and presenting at conferences and attending EdCamps and blogging... And I felt like I wasn't doing enough.
Never mind that I'm still not completely where I want to be in knowing my curriculum content. I'm still learning as I plan and develop. Never mind that I still have all of the family obligations that kept me out of the game in the first place. I've been feeling stretched and pressured and all sorts of unpleasant things...all of my own doing. And so... I'm going to FOCUS on what's important. I'm going to keep reading and learning so that I can make my classroom the very best place for learning. I'm going to plan and develop engaging, integrated lessons that are personally relevant to my students. I'm going to reflect (daily, I hope) on what I'm doing through this blog. I'm going to FOCUS my efforts on the students that I have today and empower them to follow their dreams. In my new FOCUSED efforts, a new TpT resource may be created. With my new FOCUS, this little blog might gain more followers. That would be fabulous. If my FOCUS on reading and learning takes me to EdCamps and connects me with other amazing educators, then that's a bonus as well. I think that all of the things I'm hoping for will happen in their own time if I FOCUS on what's most important and keep my students and my classroom at the heart of what I'm doing. All of those things are lovely, but they are not the FOCUS of what I do. I am a teacher and a learner at my core. If I FOCUS on being the best teacher and learner that I can be, then only good things will happen. It's just so simple. I don't know why it's taken me so long to figure it out. I'm in such a good place these days. I'm reading and learning and growing as an educator every single day. With my new focus on what's important, I think 2016 will be the best year yet. (As a side note... My word also applies to my personal goals. I hope to FOCUS on my family when I'm at home. I need to get better at unplugging from my teacher thoughts and FOCUS on being present with those who are dearest to me.) I have had big hopes for this little blog, but I've had a problem...
I haven't known who or what I want to be. I've seen many of the Periscopes and articles and whatnot talking about how to make your blog the best it can be. I've done the "how to make Instagram work for you" stuff. And I tried the schedule out all my ideas and posts...and failed. I felt compelled to be all of the things...Teachers Pay Teachers juggernaut, Instagram aficionado, Twitter expert, professional development prod...and I'm not being any of them. I don't write or post because it isn't what my "readers" will want to read. And there's all of this pressure. But to be honest, I don't really think I have any readers. Or maybe I do. I don't really know. And I do know that I won't have any readers if I don't ever write anything. I do understand the math of this thing. And then today...while I was mentally berating myself for not posting anything lately, AGAIN...it hit me. I don't have to be any of those things. I have to be me. I need/want to use this blog for reflection...for myself. I think that if I sit down to write (regularly...for real), that this blog will be for me what I need it to be and might be helpful for someone else at some point. So... Here's for a clean slate and less pressure. Let's hope it works a bit better. |
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