COVID 19 - What is there to savor?

Here we are in the middle of week eight of shelter-in-place. I am finding that my phone calls with preschoolers and families are taking a little longer than they did those first few weeks...perhaps we are all seeking a deeper connection?

Truly, we seem to have shifted from
fearful and overwhelmed
into
acceptance tinged with sadness,
open to joy.
This is our life now.

These preschoolers - honestly, what a gift they are to the world! My prescription for sanity in this time: reach out and converse with a young child. Build that connection. Prepare for a journey somewhere magical! What do I mean? Let me share a few [anonymous] tidbits from my families' worlds:

- dragging t-ball equipment to a local school's baseball field and playing an impromptu game of baseball with your family,
- building a marble run on your wall, using cardboard rolls,
- using found objects and magnetic numerals and exploring math with Dad,
- putting on lipstick and having a fashion competition with your whole family,
- celebrating the find of insect larvae in a rotted tree stump, on a family nature walk
- building a hiding place for stuffed animals and Mom's high heels,
- whole family re-enactments of favorite picture books,
- driving to the airport (which is empty, of course) to have lunch; sitting in the bay windows, looking at airplanes and other transportation,
- building boats with your family, to float in the wading pool, and testing them in different ways.

It's obvious that families are becoming very creative, playing deeply with their kids. One preschooler was excited to tell me how they burnt a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and cut off the burnt edges, "I eat them but not the burned part, some parts are not burnt."

That beautifully describes this time of COVID-19 - it is possible to find something to savor. We must look for joy.

"some parts are not burnt"

What do you remember about school?

I am participating in the
Tuesday Slice of Life with Two Writing Teachers.
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day.

A big thank you to Two Writing Teachers for providing this unique opportunity

for teacher-writers to share and reflect.

On our first day of pre-service this past week, the teaching staff wrote reflections about key educational events in their lives that brought them to where they are now as teachers. Everyone went back through their memories of school and classrooms, and considered what stood out. Here's one of my school memories -



The butterfly was painted with every color of the rainbow, and it spread its wings across the entire front of my bright orange sweatshirt. It was a tween's dream - it looked magical, beautiful, and fabulous. I was in eighth grade, a new student at public junior high, and a recent transfer from a parochial school where we wore the same stale uniform every single day. The butterfly sweatshirt was my exhale, my celebratory release. It was also a gift from my Dad, who was in the Navy and had just left for Vietnam. This sweatshirt splurge was his way of saying "I love you and I'll miss you" to his 13 year old daughter.

The first day I wore the sweatshirt to school, it was unusually warm. I had worn it over another much more boring top, and that turned out to be a good thing...I couldn't stand the sweaty feel of both layers and by mid-morning, I had slipped off the sweatshirt and hung it in my locker. I double-checked the lock after closing the door. I hoped it would be cooler when I walked home from the bus stop; I knew, even if it wasn't, I would 'suffer for beauty' and put that sweatshirt back on, hoping to impress my friends. I raced off to my next class.

At the end of the day, I excitedly opened my combination lock - only to discover the locker empty, the sweatshirt gone.

Gone.

Gone.

Gone.

I couldn't believe it. It didn't make sense. I know I locked the locker. Where did the sweatshirt go? Who would take it?

This 'underground' world where students surreptitiously broke into others' lockers was new to me. I had never had a locker before; I didn't know it was possible. But, yes, it was. This was my sad reality, my tough learning.

It was a hard loss, not something I could easily replace.

The very next day, as I made my way through the halls after lunch, there was Ramona Carter wearing my butterfly sweatshirt! Well, what was left of it. She strutted down the hall in a bright orange sleeveless sweatshirt - yes, sleeveless. At the shoulders, the arm holes had all those tiny triangular edges where the sleeves had been cut off with pinking shears. The body of the sweatshirt - with its beautiful multi-colored butterfly - was covered in signatures. Yes, it was signed in black permanent marker by 100 or more of Ramona's closest friends.

My sweatshirt. Destroyed. Vandalized. Ruined.

I didn't know Ramona. I only knew OF her. She was tough and cool and ran with a very different crowd than mousy, awkward me. I was very afraid to confront her.

I didn't know what to say.

I didn't know what to do.

She stole my beloved sweatshirt! Out of my locker!

I went to the Assistant Principal and told him what had happened. I hoped to get his advice and input. I remember he listened to me and didn't ask me a single question or clarification. He was quiet for a brief moment and then he said, "I'm sorry but you can't prove that the sweatshirt is yours. You'll just have to get over it."

I think his reaction hurt worse than the theft itself.

I walked out of his office, stunned, numb, and surprised. I am still so saddened at his lack of effort to help with the situation. His reaction made me feel both isolated and, somehow, wrong. I spent the rest of my time at junior high school avoiding Ramona.

As the years have passed, my reflection is - what a missed opportunity for conflict resolution, for restorative practice. We have to grab onto these challenging moments between students and help them to hear one another, to consider each other's perspective. Without a doubt, this Assistant Principal had a huge influence on me in my teaching - I work hard to help students resolve their conflicts.

What does it mean?

I am participating in the
Tuesday Slice of Life with Two Writing Teachers.
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day.

A big thank you to Two Writing Teachers for providing this unique opportunity

for teacher-writers to share and reflect.

Loved seeing this bird on a recent walk!

I love a nice long walk, whether in the woods, through the neighborhood, in the city, by the shore...it doesn't matter where, I simply love to walk. I walk and I notice. I look for 'signs' - signs of what? Well, I don't know! Signs of the unexpected, signs of surprise, signs of wonder.  

We have had a lot of rain this summer, here in the Mid-Atlantic. We have had powerful storms, light drizzles, long days of rain, brief squalls...it has come in all shapes and sizes. We've broken records for rainfall. After a rainstorm, I love to wander down to my local walking path and explore what's new, what has changed. This walking path is alongside a creek. A couple of the rains have been so mild with no thunder or lightning that I have been able to throw on my raincoat and take a walk in the park during the storm. Walking in the rain is a delight all its own. Several times this summer, the storms have closed the park (thankfully, only for a matter of hours at most), as the water from the creek rushed up over the banks and threatened the road...I avoid the walking path at these times, and wait for the park to re-open. 

In recent weeks, due to all the rain, the creek runs fast and brown, with the soil from the bottom swirling about. There is sand and sediment on the walking path, and debris woven into the fences of the foot bridges, the trees and shrubs along the bank. It's not unusual to see plastic bags and other trash hanging from the branches of trees, as if reaching back to the creek. The shrubs along the bank are also flattened, pressed down at an earlier time by over-flowing water. Many trees have toppled...each rainstorm brings down a few more, lifted up out of the ground by over-saturated roots. I notice that there are often very few if any birds or other wildlife immediately following a storm - it's as if the area is briefly abandoned.

I am fascinated by one tree that - rather than coming up by its roots - cracked open about six feet from its base and toppled onto the ground with its two enormous forked branches falling on either side of a recently-installed park bench. Smaller branches and twigs are strewn every which way. The park bench sits in the midst of this destruction, intact and happy:

Why did the tree break like this? The trunk did not appear ravaged by decay or termites or anything. I didn't see a line of similar damage, no other trees in the vicinity broken in the same way  - which I know would have indicated a wind storm. Hmm. Mystery. 

What does it mean? Here's my thought on this last day of summer - may I be like that park bench, strong, resilient, in the midst of whatever wild storms await me this school year. When those heavy demands rain down on me - may I remember to breathe in, breathe out, resilient. 

Goodbye, summer. Here's to the new school year!

What's special about summer?

I am participating in the
Tuesday Slice of Life with Two Writing Teachers.
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day.

A big thank you to Two Writing Teachers for providing this unique opportunity

for teacher-writers to share and reflect.

My 2018-19 journal

Here it is, July 31st. I know what that means: summer break is coming to a much too rapid close. I return to school on August 8th (yikes - next Wednesday!), for two weeks of professional development and then the start of the new school year.

Two small purchases this week cemented this transition for me:

- A school journal for 2018-19! I love selecting a new one of these each summer...imagine all the special snippets that I will write in the months ahead - notes about children, lesson plans, workshops, and more.
- A large wall calendar for my kitchen, where I have begun to enter this year's schedule...all the school holidays and special events, along with all my family celebrations, appointments, and events.






I am having an absolutely fabulous summer...one with so many days of true leisure that I am often unsure what day it is. Is there a better luxury than this? Here are my top ten pleasures of this summer:

1. So much sweet time with my husband, Tony; he's retired, and summer means we both have free, open schedules. We are able to be truly present with one another.
2. Finding time every single day to write...challenging myself to write a couple pages each day, and finding this time so meaningful and well spent, such a joy.
3. Reading novels, devouring novels, enjoying novels - reading for the fun of it!
4. Long, meandering walks with no real time limits - so much more relaxed than the 'must do' exercise squeezed in at the end of a teaching day.
5. Visiting with others, catching up with old friends, traveling to Maine and Georgia to visit family...leisurely meals, excursions, relaxed conversations with family, friends, and neighbors...reconnecting with dear ones is a highlight
6. Weeding...I actually enjoy working in my yard when I am free to start and stop when I like.
7. Tony and I finally figuring out how to turn on Netflix without one of our sons showing us how to do it - and then browsing movies and shows.
8. Indulging in #7 in the middle of a rainy day! 
9. Sitting outside and noticing all the nature around me, especially the birds...whether a plump mourning dove balancing on a stair railing, bright yellow goldfinches darting out of the purple coneflowers, a single hummingbird at the feeder, there is always so much to see.
10. Sleep..waking without an alarm, daring to take a nap in the middle of the day...yes, this is a delirious pleasure.

Oh, summer...please don't disappear on me!

SOLSC #17 What if I ramble today?

I am participating in the
March 2018 Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOLSC).
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day for thirty-one days.

A big thank you to Two Writing Teachers for providing this unique opportunity

for teacher-writers to share and reflect.

It's mid-month in this blogging challenge and I am so aware of how my slicing ideas are so totally bereft. Time, too, is ridiculously precious - this must be the craziest March since I began participating in the challenge seven years ago. No time and no ideas do not a good slice make! Ha! Yesterday's post was written on the fly, a "place holder" simply posted to ensure I was making a post for the day, and then I quickly squeezed in time to comment on three others. (The good news is...no one commented on my post yesterday - ha, my goal of invisibility for that particular post was achieved!!) My hope is that I am absolutely alone in this sad type of blogging, however I suspect that this rudderless, pointless, 'meh' kind of writing hits everyone at some point, and, goodness knows, writing for 31 days in a row shines a real focused light on the deprivation.

Write on.  

Today, Saturday, looms quiet and I thought I'd just ramble onto this page and see what emerges. 

I am thinking about beginning teachers, novice teachers, first year in the classroom public school teachers. Whew. My school is a residency school for a teaching alternative certification program, meaning we have maybe a dozen Teaching Residents working alongside lead teachers; next year, these "emerging teachers" will be the teacher of record in their own classrooms in other schools in the city - i.e., first year public school teachers. I've been working with Teaching Residents for eight years, working alongside them in my preschool classroom. I feel "intellectually" aware and savvy of pretty much all things new early childhood teachers experience.

Two years ago, my son became a Teaching Resident (not at my school!!) and he is now, much to my amazement and delight, a first year teacher in a public school - unbelievably, he is teaching prek-3, just like me.

Some days I just want to pinch myself! How can my life's joy and passion be the same as that of my child's?

It's pretty amazing.

But then, of course, there's the dark side. As I said, I feel "intellectually" aware and savvy of pretty much all things new early childhood teachers experience...now, I am emotionally aware of everything that these teachers experience. I am watching my baby (oh, he would hate that I am writing that - thus, I will not name my son ;-)...I am watching my baby work so very, very hard...practice, practice, try, fail, do-over, try again, practice, success!, strive, dare, practice, practice, mis-step, mis-step, practice, practice, success!, setback, reconsider, practice, practice, practice, triumph!, practice, practice, practice...every day is filled with new stories, many joyful, many stressful, all truly normal in the development of a [dare I say "great"? is it possible to brag about the future?] teacher. Thankfully, he works in a very positive school environment, one that truly cultivates teachers - coaching, mentoring, and leading them into expertise. I see him becoming the reflective, creative, and joyful teacher that I would love children to have...

but, wow, teaching is hard work! 

Teaching as a first year teacher is excruciatingly hard at times. 

Being a parent of a first year teacher is a pretty wild ride.

Honestly, I can feel myself aging this school year!

SOLSC #2 Is that the way the wind blows?

I am participating in the
March 2018 Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOLSC).
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day for thirty-one days.

A big thank you to Two Writing Teachers for providing this unique opportunity

for teacher-writers to share and reflect.

4:17am. The howling wind wakes me up, much too early for the school day, much too late to get back to sleep, just right for writing and reflecting. Just write.

Sad.

This wild burst of a windstorm has cancelled my evening flight; we got the text from the airline late last night. Tony and I were headed to Maine to see my parents. They are 88 and increasingly frail, my Mom with dementia, my Dad with Parkinson's. We try to visit them every couple of months, to check in, to smile, to absorb. We keep our eyes peeled for affordable flights and we grab an available weekend and we make it happen. I am blessed that my brother Mark lives only one mile from their retirement community, and is able to check in on them all the time; we love to visit Mark and Sue, too. 

This wind, this wild, relentless wind has cancelled our flight. So weird. I don't remember ever having this experience before. I don't remember having a wind storm. No snow. I don't hear rain; they say there may be some rain, minimal rain. Just wind, wind that roars like ocean waves. Wind that wakes me and makes me wonder, where am I?

Exhausted.

This has been yet another windy blur of a week. It's end of second trimester, a crescendo of 

data, to be both collected and entered, 

report cards, to be drafted, written, edited, proofed, 

children's projects, to be finalized,

our Learning Showcase, to be readied and executed,

Teaching Residents, to be coached through all of the above, 

and

daily teaching, to be somehow done in the midst of it all.

Whew.

Is that me, toppling over?

Joy.

I can't let the joyful moments just blow by.

1 - My preschoolers were beaming about their projects last evening, showing their treasures to their families, telling them how their (quite whimsical) engineering devices worked, taking their families on a wild imaginative ride, and, literally, dancing through the classroom all evening, like mini windbursts.

2 - My Teaching Residents (I have two this year...that's a topic for another slice!) were so energized and motivated this past week, they were like mini windstorms of their very own...making sure every preschooler's work was completed, adding beautiful touches to our classroom, creating a delightful video montage for the Showcase, juggling all the different professional demands, and keeping light spirits throughout the storm and bluster of this week.

3 - Today will be simply a half day at school with children and a half day of work time, to tie up those loose ends on report cards and data. Whew. We'll be able to take a deep cleansing breath.

Bonus: We will fly out tomorrow to see my parents...losing one day, but perhaps, perhaps, perhaps gaining another? I may take Monday off ... to add just one more wind metaphor, I guess that means I'll be blowing off Monday ;-) 

And now this slice is 

gone with the wind.

sol17-31 What just zoomed by?

I am participating in the
Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOLSC).
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day of March 2017. 

A big thank you to Two Writing Teachers for providing this unique opportunity
for teacher-writers to share and reflect.

I am totally unsure about how to close out this fabulous month of writing. I am so thankful to Two Writing Teachers for hosting this writing challenge! I enjoyed writing daily, I loved reading and commenting on others' posts, and I totally appreciated all the comments I received on my own blog posts.

I think what really surprised me was that - with the exception, perhaps, of today - I was able to think of something new to write about each and every day. What a surprise, in the midst of what felt like a period of drought in my writing! I have learned an important lesson - Keep writing. Just write. Always write.

So, I'm going to keep writing. I'm back in the game. I look forward to the Tuesday Slice of Life, I look forward to writing about my preschoolers, I look forward to reading, commenting, and connecting with this rich writing community. Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! I will end here, because I know there will be more in the days and weeks to come...

New year, renewed expectations

This is a Tuesday
Slice of Life.
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day. 

A big thank you to Two Writing Teachers for providing this unique opportunity
for teacher-writers to share and reflect.

I received a very special book this past Christmas: The Book of Joy, wherein the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu share their insights on how to find joy in the midst of adversity. The book is powerfully uplifting, filled with nuggets of wisdom. Here's one from Archbishop Desmond Tutu:

To choose hope is to step firmly forward into the howling wind, baring one's chest to the elements, knowing that, in time, the storm will pass.

This simple blog of mine, focusing primarily on preschoolers, has given me much joy over the past few years. And yet, somehow, over the past few months, I have had a writer's block, an inability to figure out what to say or do with it next.

But I have joyful news! Here, in the new year, after much reflection - in large part, instigated by this sweet Christmas gift -  I am feeling very hopeful about my early childhood blog again. I realize my writing matters to me. I like it, I love it. I want to 'keep on keeping on' about this one small piece of the world, to shine light on our youngest students, and share this joy.

Right now, it is what really matters to me. 

To kick off this new year of feeling inspired in my writing, let me share some sweet photos of our new year in the classroom. The preschoolers have returned from winter break delighted to be together, ravenous for new experiences, and full of joy! Just like me!

We continue to build detailed structures in the block center.

We have added balls and ramps to the block center, and the children are working like engineers to discover all sorts of unique ways to make the balls roll. They are creating tunnels, sharp inclines, flat roads, jumps, and much more.

There is always something different going on in the Art area! Our first day back, we used simple scratchboards to draw and write about our winter break. An on-going project is to create paper puppets, in order to share a story. We are fully immersed in folktales, reading a wonderful variety of books, and we are beginning to create our own stories.

Over in the dramatic play, we have created a new business: Hair by the Big Cats. It is both a beauty parlor and a barbershop. Each day brings more questions, curiosity, and pure fun!

Of course, we are writing in so many different ways. Here is our haircut schedule, prepared by a preschool receptionist. We think of ourselves as writers!

We also write our own original books in the writing center. One of the biggest joys is to share these books aloud at the end of the day, with all our classmates. 

So, there you have it! I am recommitted to writing this early childhood blog in 2017 - and to slice on Tuesdays with Two Writing Teachers! I hope you will wander by to read. 

SOLSC #25 Where are you going?

During the month of March, I am participating in
the Slice of Life Story Challenge.
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day for thirty-one days. My slices will be primarily about teaching preschoolers.

Check out the Two Writing Teachers website for many more reflections on teaching.

The children spoke over us at morning gathering, sharing about their spring break plans. We hadn't even sung hello when the room was filled with children sharing about "grammy," "super long car ride" and "blue airplanes." Realizing we were up against all odds, my Teaching Resident asked children to share about next week. 

First child exclaims, "I am going to Chicago with my Daddy. But Mommy is not going because they had a big fight this morning." We tread lightly. "Mommy and Daddy?" "Yes," she said, "and we are not going to Chicago. Only I am going. With Daddy." I said "It is sad when our family gets angry. I think probably everyone gets angry sometimes." In hopes of changing the conversation back to the original topic, I added "I hope you have fun on spring break." However, there was a chorus of voices, "My mommy gets angry, too! My Daddy gets angry!" The little girl concluded, "It's okay that they get angry. Mommy and Daddy said it's okay." It amazes me how much empathy children have for one another, and how much they share when they feel safe and loved. These children do - both at home and at school. I'm sure this little girl was witness to a fervent discussion this morning at her house. I am happy she felt that she could share this and I am delighted that all the children supported her. 

I moved on, "John, do you want to share about spring break?" "Yes! In spring break, I am going to sleep with my Mommy." Only in the three year old classroom are such words greeted with nods and understanding. 

Another sweetie shared, "On spring break, I am going on vacation. I am going to take a right, and I am going home." Thought this was really funny - she has been working a lot on maps in recent weeks, and she was definitely thinking this through in regard to her family trip.

In this way, we went around the circle with children sharing what they knew about the week ahead. We will hear many more details when we return. Children share best when they have had the experience!

Happy spring break!

SOLSC #1 Daring to begin again

During the month of March, I am participating in
the Slice of Life Story Challenge.
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day for thirty-one days. My slices will be primarily about teaching preschoolers.

Check out the Two Writing Teachers website for many more reflections on teaching.

Happy March 1st!
This is my fifth year of participation in this writing challenge and I am filled with anticipation and optimism.

I know it is possible to write and post daily, even though I trudge through most of the year with a weekly post at most.
I am delighted to reconnect with blogs and their writers, and to find more great blogs and teacher writers.
I love the support and energy of this writing community.
I love how my observational skills grow, I become much more attuned to little moments of teaching, more aware of interactions, more present with my students.
I hope to become reinvigorated about teaching, as has happened each year previous...I think this is such an awesome gift of conversing with so many during the month.
I know I will make better use of my time, keeping writing ever present on my mind, and squeezing it in at new and different times of my day. This year, I am "upping the ante" on this time management, with one new personal goal this year -

to continue to exercise/work out during the month of March - especially, lifting weights 

There. I put it into print.
Every year of this writing challenge, this has been the piece of my life that has disappeared during the March Challenge. Last year, I didn't get back into the habit until summer came! No, this is not happening again. I will fit writing into my life, and not give other important things up. May this work!

What do you have to give up in order to write? How do you prioritize?

Happy writing, one and all! Yes, we can!!