SLICE OF LIFE: Day 10/31--A Breath of Fresh Air on a Rainy Day

SLICE OF LIFE: Day 10/31







Today was the last Beginning Writers Workshop for our district. We have met three times over the year. It is so inspiring to see teachers get excited about teaching again. Several little memories stuck with me today as we bid farewell to these educators.

First of all, this morning Mindy was teaching about narrative writing. I have heard her do this lesson many times. I was there when we all developed them several years ago. Still, I never fail to still learn from them. What she said today was about personal narratives. She talked about them being nonfiction. I knew they were, but it never really registered with me. She said, "The reason we write personal narratives is so people can connect with them." Reading the blogs today, I understood that statement more than ever. I read the blogs and the ones I enjoy most are those in which I connect!

Next, we went into two classrooms to have teachers model writers workshop...one primary and one intermediate. I went with the intermediate teachers. Jen was modeling persuasive writing. After the workshop we went out and she debriefed with us. In the debriefing time, she made the comment that her journey started three years ago when she went to a Beginning Writers Workshop just like this one. It hit me how the circle keeps going...now she is modeling and teaching others what she learned.

Last of all, Mindy and I gathered the evaluations at the end of the day when everyone had left. We sat at a back table and read each one. It was so encouraging to read their comments. To hear a teacher say that even after teaching for many years it was great to be enthused about it again. To hear young teachers say they could hardly wait to get back into the classroom and try things they had seen.

On this otherwise rainy day, it is a breath of fresh air to participate in such a learning Slice of Life!