#SOL17: First Day
The bus turns the corner.
My last check to see that everything is in my car.
One picture down. It’s kind of gloomy. No sunshine for this auspicious day.
The brakes squeak as the bus pulls to a stop in the road. I hear the stop sign pop as it is extended. “Smile! Just one more picture!”
He takes three steps, turns, and looks. I snap the photo. He starts up the steps.
I’m sure it’s blurred. Tears stream down my cheeks.
This would not be the day to take a lousy picture.
I watch as he walks down the aisle and chooses a seat. Third row. Behind his friends. He looks happy but he was so quiet this morning. Only the top of his head is visible from outside the window.
The driver looks down. Closes the door and the bus lumbers down the road.
I hop in my car. Five miles and I will be at school for my son’s second “First Day of School” picture. It’s 1995. The First Day of School. No digital pictures.
As a teacher, how do your own personal “First Days” impact your attention to detail in your classroom?
What are you planning for this year? Why?
Thank you, Betsy, Beth, Deb, Kathleen, Lanny, Melanie, and Stacey for this weekly forum. Check out the writers, readers and teachers here. 
#SOLSC22:19
Today is Day 19 of the Slice of Life Story Challenge 2022.
As I began planning for this slice, I had a difficult time with my focus. There are so many facets that I could highlight especially on this day of virtual learning at TCRWP. Which ones? #NCTE15, TCRWP Saturday Reunion learning together, BookLove, or the virtual book baskets. Thanks for so many “gifts” to choose from!
I remember NCTE15 when I arrived early for a session about reading assessment. I was eager to meet the authors. Others in the room were Lynne Dorfman, Vicki Vinton, Ruth Ayres, and Jennifer Serravallo to name a few. As the session began I looked around and folks were sitting on the floor because they were anxious to learn and we had “exceeded the room capacity” for the number of chairs in the room. (link) This session about Assessment in Perspective was near and dear to my heart as it matched my own values and views of assessment.
I want to remind readers that the deadline for BookLove grants for classroom libraries is April 1st. You can find more information here.
The biggest gift to teachers during the pandemic has been this virtual bookroom. (Link) Thank you for this resource and the many hours of work it represents, Clare Landrigan.
How to use the book room . . . (link)
How do you “meet needs” of students and educators? How do you promote book love?
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this daily forum during the month of March.
Check out the writers and readers here.
#SOLSC22: 18
Time. There’s always a shortage of time. Time to thoroughly discuss and vet ideas and processes. Time to see if “this” really works with my students. Time to see if there truly is a match between needs and resources.
These kinds of conversations are necessary and can take place at different stages. Maybe I’ve already stuck my toe in the water. Maybe I’ve had the conversation with someone from a different building/school/state. The easier that it is for me to explain my “WHY”, the easier that it is to be brave, walk out onto that limb and try something new.
For me, it was the decision a long time ago to use action research to decide if a “popular” and “parental requested program” would work for my students. We collected baseline data. We implemented with regular checks. The students knew what we were doing and why. The parents were informed. We made some time adjustments, however, when our results were not what we expected we did not “double down” on time. We increased the intensity instead. We did have positive results but not in the area we had targeted. That willingness to try something different, to find the right methods for the right students is a very necessary action for today’s teachers.
Fortunately, there are now decision-making guides that should be part of a teacher’s repertoire. This is one.
Thank you for this decision-making guide, Dr. Towanda Harris, #G2Great Advisory Team Member. Thank you always for the conversations about student and educator learning.
When do you make the decisions? When do you need to be more collaborative in decision-making processes? How does that go?
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this daily forum during the month of March.
Check out the writers and readers here.
#SOLSC22: 17
What is your passion? Reading? Writing? Both?
I love to fuel my literacy passion with #G2Great. It’s a Thursday night Twitter chat group that interacts with educators, reads and discusses new books, and whose members implement innovative work in classrooms and schools around the world.
How do we show up to every conversation? Is it listening with my ears and my heart? Is it with a phone attached to my hand? I’m notorious for leaving my phone in my car when it’s a day for classroom observations. I have the schedule on my iPad and the time is displayed. Some days I have wished for a timer to do some interval timing but if there’s a clock in the room, I don’t need a separate timer.
A teacher once asked about my “no phone” rule. My response, ” You and your students are my focus. If someone needs me, they have access to my schedule and can contact me through the school.”
That was a fierce conversation.
There is a book about that. There are protocols. There is a process piece that makes the conversations easier but they often are still tough. They require thought. They require honesty. They require eye contact. They require a search for the truth.
One teacher who is quite good at fierce conversations is Brent Gilson.
I really appreciate the fact that he is willing to “interrogate” me on social media or Zoom. (F2F doesn’t work when his Canadian home is in another time zone.) He’s willing to call folks in just as he also calls them out in his anti-racist justice-seeking life. Students are also at the center of his life. You can read his blog here. Or with this post titled, “Let them shine” from January.
Thank you, Brent Gilson, for your fierce conversations!
What will be the topic of your next fierce conversation? Who do you need to practice with to increase your own comfort level?
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this daily forum during the month of March.
Check out the writers and readers here.
#SOLSC22: 16
One of my most favorite moments at NCTE was sitting in the Baltimore airport getting ready to say farewell to two friends. It was my last chance for a lone serving of crabcakes while we were boldly solving the problems of the world. Little did we know that we would soon be reduced to Zoom meetings and Twitter for communication.
How do you describe someone who speaks up for what they believe in?
How do you describe someone who is both sincere and truthful?
How do you describe someone who stands tall and faces issues?
How do you describe someone who writes a book that may face challenges in the professional community?
Beyond brave
Beyond courage
Valor
“boldness or determination in facing great danger, especially in battle; heroic courage; bravery:”
Dictionary.com
In real life she is quiet, calm, and so soft spoken. I listen for her voice. The voice of reason. The voice that does not hesitate to share her opinion. Educational beliefs … whoa! perfect match
Common ground.
Maybe not on regional sports.
We value many of the same things. Education. Family. Loyalty. Trust. Truth.
We travel different paths but our final destination is the same.
Successful students!
I thank you for your valor, Susan Vincent!
Keep up the good fight!
How and when do you move beyond brave to valor?
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this daily forum during the month of March.
Check out the writers and readers here.
#SOLSC22: 15
It’s been a fun month as we near the half point of daily slicing. As I embarked on my theme and purpose for the month, I’ve encountered surprises along the way. In many instances the word or phrase that I planned to “highlight” was NOT the one that jumped out as I wrote. Some posts refused to be reduced to a word or phrase. And through it all I have reminded myself that multiple words fit the myriad of possibilities available.
And today is another example.
Curator
“a keeper or custodian of a museum or other collection.”
Oxford Languages
Literacy coaches and consultants are curators of a wealth of information and knowledge. There are the “Big Five” in reading of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Toss in writing and those accompanying skills. Language adds another dimension as oral and aural skills are factored in. And then there are all the underlying pieces: motivation, responsive instruction, student and community needs, love of reading, love of literature, with an amazing capability to put the puzzle pieces together in the way needed for each individual student.
Curators of knowledge.
Curators of research.
Curators of instruction.
Curators.
And today, I’m thanking Jill Davidson, curator extraordinaire. Her 30 day writing habit was a part of my “training” for this writing challenge. It truly was a “month of inspiration for writing.” Here’s just one example of what that looked like.
Who are the curators in your life? How do they add to the richness of your life? What do you curate?
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this daily forum during the month of March.
Check out the writers and readers here.
#SOLSC22: 14
Gratitude
“the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”
— Oxford Languages
Thankful
Appreciation
Return kindness!
Appreciation
Specific appreciation.
“joie de vivre”
March 13, 2022 was an auspicious day. The Iowa Men’s basketball team won the Big 10 Tournament. As did the Iowa Women”s team last Sunday. Two Big 10 tourneys in a week. TWO big wins in a week. And the “Big Dance” yet to come.
The men did not have an easy path. The crowd was overwhelmingly in favor of the instate team. Probably 10 to 1. Even the announcers were for the instate team. Playing in Indiana, the crowd was definitely not for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Previous match ups had the Hawkeyes losing TWICE to the Purdue Boilermakers during the regular season. 77-70 and 83-73.
But the team, the cheerleaders and dedicated fans and families persevered in their unwavering support. They had patience. They also had their belief in the top scorer ever in Big Ten history. This team picked to finish NINTH in preseason listings. NINTH. This team that had the audacity to be playing in the final championship game.
Basketball is not my sport. Growing up, we had ZERO girls sports so band was my “thing” and I really appreciated the fact that the band allowed the football team to use our marching venue for their weekly hand to hand combat, but I digress.
The game goes to the players, the coaches, the fans, the families, the pep band and the cheer squad. They were patient. They were skilled. And they had one singular goal on Sunday. Winning the Big 10 Championship!
Who are our cheer coaches in real life?
One name easily comes to mind, Johnny Downey. He is a cheer coach for the Cincinnati Bears. Previously a literacy “cheer coach” in a school building. I think we need more coaches in our school buildings. Cheer coaches to encourage, to celebrate, to convince, to push, to partner as we work towards our student-centered goal … learning.
Thank you, Johnny, for always having a goal in mind for your students and your cheering squad.
Your cheer coaches may not have that title. But watch and listen for them. When are they most vocal? Most unwavering? Most supportive?
How and when do you “cheer” your students on? What’s the frequency? How do they know that they matter EVERY day?
Trivia question: How many schools are in the Big 10 conference? Where did the league expansion leave them? (hint: definitely NOT just 10)
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this daily forum during the month of March.
Check out the writers and readers here.
#SOLSC22: 13
Authors
I’ve met a few.
I still keep my autographed books separated from non-autographed books.
I’m less inclined to loan those “special” books out.
And slicers who are authors . . .
It is so delicious to read their comments on my blog posts.
Feedback
Fuels the writing passion.
Today I’m thanking an author that I don’t believe I met in real life.
But she was a reader and a responder to my Slice of Life posts
And I thank her for that.
Words matter.
We become friends as we read each other’s posts and learn from the stories about our families and our stories. We travel through space and time in our stories. We grow and learn from our stories. Our lives weave together over time. That has been the power of #SOL.
That is what I learned from Diane Dougherty and I thank her for learning the value of reading and responding. (For more info about Diane, check out Lynne’s slice here.)
What “slicers” have you met in real life? What “slicers” do you still plan to meet? How do “slicers” contribute to your writing life?
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this daily forum during the month of March.
Check out the writers and readers here.
Diane Dougherty
#SOLSC22: 12
This is not the post that was planned for today.
This is not the post I ever wanted to write.
But life’s plans are not . . . always ours to choose.
This format is so appropriate.
Which story should I tell?
The polka cruise?
The trip to Rome?
How someone’s favorite dinner was at the Hard Rock in Rome?
A graduation road trip to Florida?
The promise to deliver Mom to a family event?
Or just the fun of the weekly card games?
Hand and foot (rules here)
Hand and foot with the elders
Hand and foot with the elders at Aunt Janie’s
Hand and foot with the elders at Aunt Janie’s with much laughter
Hand and foot with the elders at Aunt Janie’s with much laughter and many stories
Hand and foot with the elders at Aunt Janie’s with much laughter, many stories and scrumptious food
Winning at hand and foot with the elders at Aunt Janie’s with much laughter, many stories and scrumptious food
Winning at hand and foot when Aunt Shirley was one of my partners with the elders at Aunt Janie’s with much laughter, many stories and scrumptious food.
You lived , loved and fought valiantly, Aunt Shirley.
You were a blessed addition to our family, the treasure Uncle Leo found at a dance.
Thank you for all the time we had; we of course were greedy and wished for more.
Thank you, courageous Aunt Shirley Ruth.
Enjoy your new choices of card partners, raucous winning card games and polka dances ahead.
What memories are you making today? How will you remember the important people in your life?
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this daily forum during the month of March.
Check out the writers and readers here.
#SOLSC22: 11
Action Research
brings to mind Cornelius Minor and We Got This,
Sara Ahmed and Being the Change,
or Ellin Keene and her work with Heinemann Fellows.
Basic Steps to Action Research often include:
Brainstorming Issues
Identify a question
Research possible solutions
Collect data
Analyze data
Take action
Report Results
We’ve reported on action research at conferences or in our blogs.
A reading specialist who follows this model and works with teachers is
Sally Donnelly, who is also a slicer here.
Thank you, Sally, for being an avid action researcher!
Have you conducted action research? How did it go? ‘
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this daily forum during the month of March.
Check out the writers and readers here.
#SOLSC22: 10
Being Kind
of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person: a kind and loving person. having, showing, or proceeding from benevolence: kind words. indulgent, considerate, or helpful; humane (often followed by to): to be kind to animals.
dictionary.com
I left a donation in the container at the Ukranian market. I did buy two items using the pictures. My best guess. I haven’t been in a market since my last trip to NYC. This was quiet. Fewer shoppers. No grill running. No hot coffee on demand. But as I accepted the change from my transaction, I added another folded bill and placed it in the container marked “Humanitarian Donations”. My step was lighter, the bell rang and I exited the market.
Being Kind is of first nature to some folks. I know that a picture of my friend belongs next to “Being Kind” in the dictionary. “Being kind” is being the bearer of alternating cups of coffee on alternating days in the dorm. “Being kind” is checking in before, during, and after sessions. “Being kind” is ingrained in her DNA. “Being kind” as a teacher takes patience and Kitty Donohoe is filled with kindness. Thanks for reminding me of the value of kindness in all human beings.
When you hear “kind” who do you immediately think of? What specifically says “kind” to you?
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this daily forum during the month of March.
Check out the writers and readers here.
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