Learning With Debbie

Last week the facilitators had the chance to listen to the wisdom of Debbie Miller. We had all read her book: Reading For Meaning. The two days we spent with her were so enlightening. It made me want to go back and reread the book. I was fortunate to have five of the teachers I work with there at the conference. They were from three different schools. Now I get the chance to work with them in their rooms to make their new ideas happen. Tomorrow I will be collaborating with three of the teachers at Glenwood Park. Next week I am going to slip into the kindergarten class at Whitney Young to see how those kiddos work on inferring. Who would have thought five year olds knew how to infer? What an exciting chance I have to work with classrooms that are ready to do whatever it takes to make learning fun and exciting for their babies!

Teacher Pride

In the life of a teacher one of the greatest rewards is to see the students they work with or have worked with be successful. It is like a parent seeing their son or daughter make the winning shot to a basketball game, or a son or daughter take a bow after a wonderful piano recital. A smile forms and a heart is full to bursting. That is how I felt this week on two different occasions.

First, I got the chance to see one of my former second graders and high school helpers come back into town. The occasion was not the best. Her mother had passed away and she was home for the activities surrounding that event. Still, I got to spend a small amount of time finding out how her life is now progressing. That is when the pride came into play. She is working in a large city in Texas at a large company. She is in a leadership position handling it all with ease and grace. She is married with a great job and new house. Oh, yes, and a dog! I am so proud of how far she has come and what all she has done with her life. I know her mother was very proud of her and as Mom #2, I am proud, too!

The next event that brought on my pride was when our district asked Mindy Hoffar to come and do a Beginning Writers Workshop for our schools. I am privileged to help her when she does this. We had 18 teachers from all over the district for two of the three sessions this week. We do most of the sessions as workshops with us leading, but for an hour each day we take the teachers into classrooms to actually see writing workshop in process. Mindy usually leads one and I lead another held at the same times...primary and upper elementary. This time we had two teachers who lead their own students doing what they always do. This time they did the teaching in front of about 7 -8 teachers. I was so proud of these to ladies! They not only went through the paces of workshop with ease, they also lead a debriefing session afterward. They handled the questions and just shared the passion they have for writing and kids. Those visiting teachers went back to their classrooms with new excitement and enthusiasm. I was so proud of my two coworkers.

So, whatever field you are blessed to be working, I hope you can find the pride in your work and what you do. There is no greater reward than to know what you are doing in life is making a difference in so many lives!

Poetry Friday

The Little Boy And The Old Man



Said the little boy, "Sometimes I drop my spoon."

Said the little old man, "I do that too."

The little boy whispered, "I wet my pants."

"I do that too," laughed the little old man.

Said the little boy, "I often cry."

The old man nodded, "So do I."

"But worst of all," said the boy, "it seems

Grown-ups don't pay attention to me."

And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.

"I know what you mean," said the little old man.



From A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein



I used this poem in an in-service this last week.

The teachers did responses to it and then talked

about what they wrote. HAPPY POETRY FRIDAY!