So much to learn, so little time

Join me on my writing journey each week as I post to the Tuesday Slice of Life sponsored by Stacy and Ruth from Two Writing Teachers. 

I promised myself that I would write my posts on Sunday nights during the school year even though I'll wait until Tuesday Slice of Life to post them.  I know if I don't write my post tonight that it might not happen on Tuesday since Wednesday is our first day of school.  My son-in-law is coming on Tuesday and my daughter remarked to him that he was brave "to enter the eye of the storm" (translation - my frenzy before the first day of school).  He will probably be put to work.  My husband avoided this storm and is on a business trip this week!
I continue to be overwhelmed with the technology in our world and realize that there is never enough time to explore all the things I wish to learn.  Tonight I jumped into my first twitter conversation on #titletalk.  There's a lot that I still don't understand, but I plunged in anyway.  Now I want to change my profile picture on twitter, but I can't figure out how to make it the right size.  Sigh!  So for now I still have the egghead picture.
Finally, I have enjoyed viewing book trailers on various blogs, and I want to learn how to save them so I can share them with my students.  Can anyone enlighten me?  How do you keep them organized?
Monday is our district technology day.  Another delicious opportunity for this old dog to learn some new tricks!  Here's my virtual toast - "May we all continue to be learners for the rest of our lives!"

Back in the Saddle

Join me on my writing journey each week as I post to the Tuesday Slice of Life sponsored by Stacy and Ruth from Two Writing Teachers. 

This yellow button is my favorite for Slice of Life postings.  I chose it today in hopes of reviving my lagging energy.  I just arrived home from a long day at school.  I put up my first bulletin board filled with Top 10 Favorite Books of sixth grade from my last year's students, continued organizing my classroom, made new headers for the homework board, met several of our new teachers, and worked on restoring things on my computer (they did something that required us to save everything and it's always a challenge to get everything back like it used to be).  

This was a non contract day for teachers, but one that I never miss -  Fee, Schedule and Photo Day.  After our students and their parents take care of business, they head to the main building to try out their locker combinations and walk through their schedule.  I love to meet my students and their parents.   Many of them are anxious about starting middle school, but I believe that seeing the classroom and meeting me helps them to calm down before the first day of school.   

This afternoon, some of the seventh and eighth graders stopped by to say hello.   I love seeing them and hearing about their summer.   Most of them arrive with a friend, a signal of their growing independence.  It's interesting to see how much they've grown over the summer and share the books we've read.  I put my summer reads on the whiteboard tray.   I think I'll leave them there for the first week of school.  

I can't believe how tired I am today!  It always takes some adjusting after the carefree days of summer.  I have two more non contract days to work in my classroom before we begin the round of required meetings that officially kick off the school year.  I'm looking forward to a productive day tomorrow!  And I'm inspired by the words from a kindergartener shared on Nanc's blog:  "I know it’s hard; try to be brave!"

Tuesday Tumblings

Join me on my writing journey each week as I post to the Tuesday Slice of Life sponsored by Stacy and Ruth from Two Writing Teachers. 

It's been a busy week.  We celebrated my father's 100th birthday (he died 31 years ago) on Friday with a virtual family reunion on Facebook and a challenge posted by a grandson to collect 100 memories in honor of my dad's birthday.  We made it!  I often think of how excited my father would be in the changes that have occurred in our world during the past 31 years!

I had wanted to host a real family reunion to honor of this special birthday, but my son's wedding in June and a great niece's wedding this week took travel priority for our family members who are scattered from the West coast (CA, OR, WA, NV) to the middle of the country (OK, TX, TN) to the East coast (DC, FL) with a grandson in Afghanistan.   I like to think that my dad was able to peek in on our virtual reunion.

Saturday I updated friends with this post on Facebook.

Anniversary Hike - We hiked five miles in two hours. Each mile represents six years of marriage. You do the math!

I spent a few hours in my classroom yesterday with the requisite stop by the teacher supply store last night.  We start school in two weeks, but first I'm off to UT for my great niece's wedding and a weekend rendezvous with my daughter in Portland.  Then next week I must get serious about school.  Our first required teacher day is next Thursday, but I have much to do before we start with that whirlwind of required meetings.

Finally, I must share a link I discovered today.  While surfing the net (a favorite summer activity) and procrastinating cleaning the house, I stumbled across the Powerful Learning website.   

http://plpnetwork.com/2012/08/11/top-ten-connected-educator-month-tweets-2/

I downloaded their Free Twitter Handbook for teachers from the sidebar on the right.  I saved it to my Dropbox and I'm hoping that by next week I'll be Twitter savvy.  I have an account which my kids helped me set up, but so far understanding Twitter has eluded me.  I'll let you know next week if their handbook does the trick for this old dog who wants to learn new tricks!  

When I opened Facebook today, I saw that I'm slated to be changed to the dreaded timeline format.  And so the changes continue!

Newspaper Meanderings

Join me on my writing journey each week as I post to the Tuesday Slice of Life sponsored by Stacy and Ruth from Two Writing Teachers. 

My husband and I read the New York Times newspaper quite differently.  He reads it online, while I prefer to peruse the paper version.  He reads the real news from the front page, the Book Review, and the editorial page.  My favorite sections are the Travel section, the Book Review, the NYT Magazine, and Science Times.  He reads the newspaper daily, but I can easily fall several days behind.  
When hubby decided a few years ago to add the WSJ to our already cluttered newspaper life, I protested vehemently.  Now I must confess that I have favorite sections of this newspaper too - Personal Journal, Friday Journal, Off Duty, and Review!
I am an inveterate clipper.  I clip stuff to send to my kids, my siblings, and my friends.  I know it's faster to send a link, but I love real mail in the real mailbox, and I like to think friends and family enjoy it too! I also clip articles to use in my classroom.

Here's a quick glance at my latest clippings:
"Isn't Life Grand?" - new picture books about grandparents, perfect for Grandparents' Day in September.
"Pool Powers" - article about Michael Phelps and Missy Franklin, good for teaching compare/contrast writing.  Also perfect for showing the power of repetition,  five consecutive sentences in the article begin with the word impossible.
"Decoding the Science of Sleep" - long article, use for teaching cause and effect.  How did the invention of the light bulb lead to problems with sleeplessness?  What are the consequences of sleeplessness in today's society?
"Turning Personal Tales Into Bites of Candy" - fun article about chocolatier who creates chocolates " ...designed to evoke ... personal stories, commemorating the foods she has savored, the places she has visited, and some of the personal experiences she has had." Perfect for inspiring personal narratives based around food.
Did you notice that each article I clipped has an intended use in my classroom?   I guess my brain has finally turned the corner from summer respite to fall connections!

Serendipity at the Mall!

Join me on my writing journey each week as I post to the Tuesday Slice of Life sponsored by Stacy and Ruth from Two Writing Teachers. 

Last Tuesday, I bumped into a friend from school as I left my One to One session at the Apple store.  We promised to get in touch for a longer visit.  As I exited the store, I decided to wait for her since she was scheduled for a ten minute session at the Genius Bar.  I chose to sit on a round bench that encircled a tree.  After a quick text to tell her that I was waiting outside the store, I whipped out my computer to check emails and take care of some items from my "to do" list.  

Mesmerized by technology, I was oblivious to the real world around me.  

Until . . .

I heard a voice coming from the other side of the tree.  

Someone was reading aloud.  

Really?  In this public place?  

I blocked out the sound so that I could concentrate on my tasks at hand. 

It didn't take long for me to realize that this reader was reading for someone besides himself.  I closed my computer, pocketed my phone, and peeked around the tree to check out the reader and his audience.  It was a dad reading to his sons and daughter.  I continued eavesdropping -  listening to the dad's different voices for each character and the giggles of his children in response to the story.  My friend came out to tell me that she would be awhile longer and would call me later.  
I found myself lingering a bit longer, listening, and enjoying the story.  When I walked away, I knew that I wanted to share this accidental discovery as my slice of life story for this week.  

I courageously went back, introduced myself, and asked permission to take a photo with the promise that I would share the link for my slice of life story with the family.  

The book they were enjoying?  Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary!   

Slow Down and Savor

 Join me on my writing journey each week as I post to the Tuesday Slice of Life sponsored by Stacy and Ruth from Two Writing Teachers.

 Some of my fellow bloggers have pointed out the importance of living in the moment.  As August looms around the corner, it's easy to get caught up in the frenzy of back-to-school planning.  I intend to continue a favorite practice of reading on the deck as a reminder to slow down and savor the precious days of summer.

When I read book reviews, I immediately request the book from the library.  I collect tall stacks of books for my reading pleasure, and when I finish a book, it's time to determine which book will be chosen next.  One of my saddest tasks is returning unread books to the library.  But since I'm not one of those folks who can read a book a day, I am often required to return unread books (can't renew them when other patrons have placed holds on them).  When discussing books not chosen, I've been known to comment, "I checked out that book once, caressed it and wanted to read it, but had to return it!"

Here are the books that have I've been lucky to slow down and savor on the deck this summer:
Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate - Great novel-in-verse
What the Moon Saw by Laura Resau - I loved the author's descriptions, especially her emphasis on the sense of smell.
Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani - Letters written between two pen pals
Bigger than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder - Can a magic bread box ease Rebecca's pain?
The unBEElievables by Douglas Florian - Fabulous picture book of poetry with snippets of nonfiction
Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham - I absolutely loved this one and I'm hopeful for a sequel.  Ludelphia lingers in my heart!
An interesting connection is that the first three books all deal with immigrants to the United States!

And I've finished two adult books:
South of Superior by Ellen Airgood - I love books set in small towns, plus lots of new learning about Lake Superior!
Rin Tin Tin:  The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean  - A book club choice, don't bother

And here's my double wide stack of books I want to read!  Each book screams to me, "Pick me, pick me!"  The last time I shared a stack of books, Elsie and Ruth prodded me to read Because of Mr. Terupt which I loved!  Which book would you move to the top of my pile?

Summer Celebration!

Join me on my writing journey each week as I post to the Tuesday Slice of Life sponsored by Stacey and Ruth from Two Writing Teachers.  

I wake up too early, but since it’s summer I grab Same Sun Here and read until I’m sleepy again.  I sleep until 7:30, a rare occurrence for me even during the summer.  While I make chocolate chip pancakes, my daughter slices peaches and raspberries, a treat for the palate and the eyes.

We head downtown for a parade complete with hometown heroes, a community band, dogs with proud owners, many children, a few politicians, and the best entry of all, local veterans who receive the loudest and longest applause!

We stroll over to the booths where our purchases range from local (floral greeting cards from a local photographer) to worldwide (son-in law’s hat from a Kurdistan artist). I drop into the bank to view the winners of the art contest.  I tend to scan the names before I look at the art because I love to see former students’ work featured in this local show. 

Now we face the toughest decision of the day – what to purchase for lunch from the many choices available.  Daughter and son-in-law settle on gyro sandwiches, I choose steamed veggies with peanut sauce and chicken satay.   We find a shady spot on the grass to enjoy our lunch, watch the babies, and greet former students.   After some discussion we decide on dessert, a strawberry crepe with forks for three.  We head home filled with sweet memories and sunshine. 

I opt for a nap and more reading.  After this luxurious indulgence, I go downstairs and discover my daughter in the middle of purging some of her boxes from the garage. The troll dolls and pogs are bound for the thrift store, while the flip dolls and beanie babies are bundled back into their boxes awaiting the arrival of future grandchildren. 

With the momentum of this purging, we attack the game closet and hubby brings in a huge box of games from the garage with the goal of corralling all the games in one spot.  We make stacks, negotiate with each other, and phone our son in D.C. to solicit his input.  Does he still want Star Wars Monopoly AND Star Wars Trivial Pursuit?  With the games now stashed in the game closet, daughter and son-in-law head off to the thrift store.  It’s never a good idea to leave me with this task since I’ve been known to retrieve items from the giveaway pile.

When they return, we play a quick round of Trivial Pursuit.  They are at a distinct disadvantage since this is our 80’s version of the game.  Maybe it’s time to purchase a more recent version, but for nostalgia's sake we’ll hang onto this version from our early years of married life. 

Then it’s time for a quick dinner on the deck before we head off to the final event of our fun day.  We snag one of the last parking spots and load up with blanket, chair, and a few snacks.  We spread the blanket, set up my chair, and enjoy fresh cherries with dark chocolate, a visit with friends, and a game of Ticket to Ride while we watch the sunset and wait for darkness to fall.  Finally, at 10:13, it’s dark enough for the fireworks to begin.  A perfect way to end a fun summer day!