My #OneLittleWord15 was focus. It’s reckoning time as 2015 nears the end.
How did I do?
Focus on Family:
My grandson
now seven months old
with just the cutest grin!
The center of our Christmas Celebrations!
Who is the center of YOUR conversations?
Focus on Friends:
Near and far
At TCRWP Spring Saturday Reunion
At TCRWP Writing Institute
At TCRWP Reading Institute
At ILA15
At Iowa ASCD with Lester Laminack
At TCRWP Fall Saturday Reunion
At NCTE15
On Twitter with #TCRWP, #G2Great, and #WRRD
On Voxer
And on Slicers, Too!
Can you find yourself?
Focus on Reading:
- New Units of Study in Reading
- Mindset for Learning: Teaching the Traits of Joyful, Independent Growth
- Reading Nonfiction: Notice & Note Stances, Signposts, and Strategies
- Amplify: Digital Teaching and Learning in the K-6 Classroom
- The Construction Zone: Building Scaffolds for Readers and Writers
- The Common Core Companion: Booster Lessons, Grades 3-5: Elevating Instruction Day by Day
- Good to Great Teaching: Focusing on the Literacy Work that Matters
- Read Write Teach: Choice and Challenge in the Reading-Writing Workshop
- The Teacher You Want to Be: Essays about Children, Learning, and Teaching
- In Defense of Read-Aloud: Sustaining Best Practice
- Readers Front and Center: Helping All Students Engage with Complex Text
- The Reading Strategies Book: Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers
- What Readers Really Do: Teaching the Process of Meaning Making
- The Unstoppable Writing Teacher: Real Strategies for Real Teachers
Which of these have you read?
Which of these are on your holiday TBR stack?
Focus on Writing:
About TCRWP Spring Saturday Reunion
About TCRWP Writing Institute
About TCRWP Reading Institute
About Reading
About ILA15
About Iowa ASCD with Lester Laminack
About TCRWP Fall Saturday Reunion
About NCTE15
Tweets about #TCRWP, #G2Great, and #WRRD (and all the above!)
And Slices with #TWT!
What have you written about?
A Focus on Focus:
Ever on my mind
Often changing to meet my purpose
Ever necessary
To complete my tasks
Sometimes a nagging worry
Other times a constant fear
. . . . Ever forward
Ever moving
Difficult to pin down
Growing –
Celebrating Learning!
What is your FOCUS?
How would we KNOW?
Tuesday is the day to share a “Slice of Life” with Two Writing Teachers. Thank you, Anna,Betsy,Beth, Dana, Deb, Kathleen, Stacey, and Tara. Check out the writers, readers andteachers here.
Resource - Full 
Focus- what a great word to engage you for the year. Bravo Fran.
Thanks. focus served me well this year.
Now It’s time to begin thinking of next year’s word!
Congrats, Fran!! Your long list is strong evidence that you did indeed kept your olw front and center all year long to FOCUS on what matters most! Again your post inspires me and I give myself a little pat on the back because I can find myself on your list!! Finally, I wasn’t sure if I’d write and post today. Maybe I will by reflecting on my olw – responsiveness! Check back tonight! Thanks for being so focused! Now go enjoy your first Winter break with a grandson!!
Sally, thanks for finding yourself on my list in more than one place! Just a few more days and a few more items on the “to do” list before the Winter break begins!
Enjoy yours as well! ❤
Fran, Not to sound to flip but after reading that list you stayed amazingly focused this year on your OWL.
Thanks! There were definitely days, hours, and minutes that weren’t on target, but overall the year WAS focused!
Ack- I need to reflect on my OLW- maybe over break. I love your reflection and enjoy your posts so much! I have benefited from your focus this year as I have learned from you.
Thank you so much, Erika! I enjoy sharing both my learning and thinking and hope that it has been helpful without leading you astray! ❤
I’m having the same thought as Erika. You have done a marvelous job being focused and inspired us all along the way.
Thank you, Adrienne! I’ve learned to spend a few minutes more often to summarize as I don’t have the memory that I used to. . . or at least it doesn’t seem nearly as accurate over time!
I like that you re-visited and firmly showed how your OLW took you and kept you through the year in all the ways it could. Nice to see.
Thanks, Linda! There wasn’t enough time to write a narrative so I thought a list would be the perfect format for this reflection as I begin to think about the next #olw!
You have a marvelous way of being focused and bringing focus to every conversation at hand, Fran. Bravo! I’m thinking of your Christmas with your new family member – a Christmas to treasure, for sure!
Ah, Tara, nothing like a focus on the grandson for Christmas.
Thank you for your faith in my focus. Sometimes focus seems to equal “stubborn” and “tenacity” . . . and heaven help me “an opinion or two.” ❤
Such a joy to see you in so many of my lists!!!
Everyone you touch benefits from your tenacity, your opinions, your pursuit of knowledge. Not just for what you bring to the party in terms of actionable information, but for the spot on focus you give to the conversation! Grateful for your ever present friendship.
I’m just a reflection of those around me, and you, my friend, are in ALL those categories. I love learning with you. Checking in with you and your students keeps me focused and on the path!
Looks like your word has served you well in many ways. Congratulations.
I hope I choose next year’s word as wisely! Thanks!
Bravo, Fran! What a wonderful job you have done following through on your word. I’ll be interested to hear what your choice is for next year. I have never chosen an olw before, but you’re inspiring me to give it some thought.
It’s so much fun to “try out” a word for a bit to see how it fits. With the looming holidays, “calm” is a major part of my life! Getting there!. . . the lists are long!
Great idea to revisit your OLW, Fran. I’m inspired!
Anna,
Inspiration – give that baby an extra hug!!! Can’t wait to see my crawling 7 month old . . .so much fun! ❤
This is such an impressive list Fran. You stay focused for all of us, reminding us of the power of pd and cyber learning with teacher friends. Happy Christmas to you and your family. Hope you get lots of time snuggling with your grandson.
Thanks, Lisa. I’m counting the minutes . . .Christmas begins this weekend.
I’m so appreciative of all the learning that I’ve been able to do with friends (including yourself as you are in multiple lists)!!! So much easier to stay focused WITH learning friends! ❤