SOLSC #9: Try, try, again!

 

Today I join my fellow bloggers in
"serving up a slice" to the March SOLSC
sponsored by Two Writing Teachers.

In February my students compiled lists of Newbery medal and honor books they had read.  They wrote a review of their favorite book.  We posted our book lists and reviews to the bulletin board.  Our next step was to reach out to our wider school community by inviting participation from teachers and students outside our classroom.  We shared the idea on Schoology (our online presence) and invited students to add a heart with their favorite Newbery medal or honor winner to our board.  They could either drop by my classroom to fill out a heart or leave a comment on Schoology (and we would add the heart).  Students immediately messaged me to let me know that they couldn't respond to my post if they weren't my students.  Oops!  But apparently, they could send me a message.  Also, our midwinter break began on Feb. 14, and most people weren't thinking about school.  With a week away, our board lost its momentum.  We heard from a few teachers (thank you 6th grade team, library staff, a math teacher, a science teacher, and our school secretary), but that was it.

So maybe it's time to retire the board.  But remembering the old adage oft repeated by my dad, "Try, try again,"  I decide to make a second attempt at inviting participation by adding shamrocks for March to share the Newbery love.  Guess who became our first participants in March?  Our school board.  At Thursday morning's "meet and greet", I gave school board members an assignment -  a shamrock with the invitation to stop by and share their favorite Newbery title on our board.  During 2nd period, I heard a bit of noise out in the hall and realized they had indeed stopped by!

Now, how do we get more student participation?  Do we ask LA teachers to pass out shamrocks?  Do I send my students to grade level lunches with shamrocks?  What little token could I offer to encourage participation?  We're hoping to get some great ideas from this community.  I'll share your ideas with my students tomorrow.  And we promise to share a picture of the board slathered with shamrocks sometime later this month!

Here's our Share the Newbery Love bulletin board!

Our March update will be filled with the luck of the Irish!

SOLSC# 8: Slicing and Celebrating!

 

I "serve up a slice" at Two Writing Teachers
and celebrate with Ruth Ayres at 
Celebrate this week!

1)  Time to read student posts - My students are posting one of their slices from our first week of the challenge!  I can't wait to read their words.  I'm still trying to figure out how to share student slices since our district won't let us link to the discussion.  Maybe I'll ask for parent permission and post to my blog.  I'm wondering how other teachers have solved this challenge.  

2.  Time to meander - I arrived home from my retreat with a few moments to meander among your posts.  I feel extremely challenged by the number of slicers this year, and welcome the chance to meander (my favorite way to collect writing ideas).  While I enjoy reading the slices linked to Two Writing Teachers, a slice that I enjoy will send me meandering through a blogger's earlier slices and posts.  Is this because I'm easily distracted from the tasks I should be checking off my "to do" list?  Maybe, but if I hadn't meandered today, I would never have discovered "Slow," a lovely poem at Learning Tour Writing Stop that I missed in January.    

A backward glance reveals the shimmering sun.

3.  Time to go slow - These words from "Slow" capture the essence of our book club retreat:  "let  s...l...o...w  shine in the adjusting of pace."  How delightful to meander among the shops, to enjoy lunch together, and to arrive in time for a lovely sunset walk on the beach before enjoying dinner and selecting our books for the upcoming year.    

And on our return, dusk paints this vivid blue sky.

SOLSC #7: A Promise Kept

 

Today I join my fellow bloggers in
"serving up a slice" to the March SOLSC
sponsored by Two Writing Teachers.

I'm the only snowman of the bunch who ever ventures beyond this house.  This year I perched in the window of room 104 watching over Newbery titles and a room full of tweens - that wonderful combination of humans on the cusp between childhood and the teen world.  They giggle, they write stories, they share their thinking, they tussle, and they pat me on the head (yep, even 12 year old boys like stuffed snowmen).  On Tuesday they delivered me to Mrs. B. so she could keep her promise to friends who are overtired of winter this year.  Usually, I get to stay out until the first day of spring.  But this year,  I'm leaving early.  Hope this works.  See you in November!

SOLSC #6 Yesterday's repetitions lead to love!

 

Today I join my fellow bloggers in
"serving up a slice" to the March SOLSC
sponsored by Two Writing Teachers.

Wednesday began with steady patter on the roof,
A roof that rarely registers the sound of raindrops,
Raindrops to inspire a needed morning post,
Posted before school because I'm frightened,
Frightened of this year's east coast midnight deadline!

A deadline that has me writing late at night,
Night writing to stay ahead of the game.
Game plan for today, to leave school at district training's end,
Ended when I found myself the lone library straggler
Struggling to schedule the requisite computer practice times,
and time was needed to answer a parent note,
and noting the time, I shortened the window.

A window allowing me to bake a cake for dinner,
A dinner for sisters of faith to celebrate and share,
Share a meal and exchange an act of service
Serving each other to grow our love.

Love that I received chicken pot pie for dinner tomorrow,
A tomorrow overfull (aren't they all?) of obligations,
Obligated to have school board visitors in our rooms,
A room that needs straightening for guests and Friday's sub,
Sub plans to write so I can escape to Friday's book club retreat,
A retreat with dear friends to share laughter, books, and love.

SOLSC#5 Meandering through the raindrops

 

Today I join my fellow bloggers in
"serving up a slice" to the March SOLSC
sponsored by Two Writing Teachers.

I awoke this morning to a steady patter on the roof, music that we don't often hear.  People who don't live in the Northwest might not understand this, but we rarely have steady rain.  Instead we mostly have gentle rain.  Whenever I move the windshield wiper from intermittent (a rare occurrence), I laugh and say that we're experiencing Houston rain.  Actually, Houston rain requires the rapid speed of the wiper (the one that almost makes you dizzy and is hardly ever used here).   So now I've renamed the settings on my windshield wiper - Seattle, Steady, Houston.  I think about the word steady and google the phrase "steady rain".  Yahoo! Answers provides this explanation of steady rain in answer to John's question, Does moderate rain and steady rain have the same meaning?
"... Steady rain means that the rain has fallen at a steady (heavy, light, or moderate rate) and continuous pace."

So it's all about the rate of rain:
heavy = Houston
light = Seattle
moderate = ?  (Does your city qualify for the moderate designation?)

And while I meandered through moderate patter to write this post, our gentle Seattle rain has returned!

SOLSC #4 Covert Operations on the West Coast

 

Today I join my fellow bloggers in
"serving up a slice" to the March SOLSC
sponsored by Two Writing Teachers.

Several weeks ago, my husband mentioned that he thought my snow people obsession was encouraging the nasty winter that our kids are enduring on the east coast.  I dismissed his claim and continued enjoying my wintry companions.  They comfort me when all the Christmas decorations are packed away and the gray Northwest gloom settles in for winter.  This year I added my heart ornaments to the display for February.   I usually keep the snow people out until spring officially arrives the middle of March.

However, some of you have complained about the new weather word, "Snice" (snow + ice) which you insist is "not nice", you've reversed the superstitions ensuring snow days so that you'll have school, and you now greet snow days with groans as you worry about how long you'll be in school until all these days are made up.

When my niece from Oklahoma responds on Facebook, "Yes, Aunt Mona, please pack up your snowmen,"  I  know that the time has come.  I spend a day thinking about it and when I arrive home on Monday evening, I begin covert operations to round up my snow people.  I turn the mantle lights on one last time giving each person a farewell glance as I tuck him or her into the box with a "see you in November promise."

I finish the roundup in a mostly dark house with few lights and no observers.  Shhh!  I don't want old man winter to discover my plan or hubby to express his delight.  And I must admit the dark matches my mood.

Snow people packed, check!
Snowman beany baby retrieved from church bag and tucked into box, check!
Snowman tower packed, check!
Snow people salt and pepper shakers stowed in the cupboard, check!
Snowman tin awaiting cookies for a return trip to TX stashed in Christmas closet, check!
Snowman door hanger tucked into closet, check!

I unplug the white lights on the deck and wander upstairs to write my blog post.  When I spy a snowman pin on the chest, I quickly stash it in a drawer.  I remember the snowman holding a heart in my classroom (took him there for Valentine's Day).  I'll retrieve him soon.





I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that I've done my part to kiss winter goodbye, but I refuse to part with this last token of my snowman obsession.  Sorry, but he stays on the kitchen counter to watch over my baking until spring officially arrives on March 20!  

SOLSC #3: If I Were in Charge of Machines

 

Today I join my fellow bloggers in
"serving up a slice" to the March SOLSC
sponsored by Two Writing Teachers.

When I become queen for a day, there are two default settings that I would change. The business dictionary provides this definition of default setting - controls of a computer hardware or software (or of a device, equipment, or machine) as preset by its manufacturer. Some types of default settings may be altered or customized by the user.  

Every time I stand at the copy machine and program the 3-hole punch, I wonder why the 3-hole punch isn't the default setting. Given that almost everything copied for classroom use needs a 3-hole punch, think of the time savings gained when a building full of teachers doesn't have to program in the 3-hole punch.  

Book searches in our library catalog default to keyword.  How often do you search for a book by keyword? I search by title or author most of the time. So I must always remind myself to switch the setting to one of those instead of keyword.  I know these are minor irritations in the big scheme of world problems, but wouldn't it be fun to alter the default settings to align with our own wishes?  

Since good things come in threes, I'm sure there's a third default setting that I would love to change, I just can't remember it right now.  How about it?  What default setting would you change if you were queen of the world or programmer for a day?