St. Baldricks: A Slice of Life

Writing teachers need to write themselves.

I am participating in the Slice of Life 2015 Challenge, 

where I attempt to write stories and narratives about moments in my life.

I apologize if this blog post veers off the informative "literacy lens" I usually write through.

This month I am pretending to be a writer, for my students' benefit (and my own).

Writers write. 

#SOL15

What does family look like at a school?

Working together for a common goal.

Putting others before yourself.

Raising over $1400 in 8 days for Childhood Cancer Research.

Our assistant principal, +Bill Davini, challenged our students and staff to raise $750 for St. Baldricks.  He told them that he would shave his head in front of the whole school if they did it.  They far surpassed his goal, and raised money for children in need. 

Thanks, Mr. Davini, for reminding children the value in 

raising money for a good cause, 

teamwork, 

and keeping your word.   

Building the Arctic: A Slice of Life

Writing teachers need to write themselves.

I am participating in the Slice of Life 2015 Challenge, 

where I attempt to write stories and narratives about moments in my life.

I apologize if this blog post veers off the informative "literacy lens" I usually write through.

This month I am pretending to be a writer, for my students' benefit (and my own).

Writers write. 

#SOL15

     I built my son's preschool habitat diorama last year.  There, I admitted it.  It was a great diorama of giraffes using LEGO Duplos and a photograph I took from the zoo.  I'm not ashamed to admit it.  He just didn't really care as much as I did.  Silly 5 year old.

     This year, my daughter got the same assignment.  She has been "schooling me" on mammals ever since we got the letter with the project.  She can tell me what mammals are, and what they are not. Often with many examples and details, mixed with even more questions.  She was also very clear that she wanted to build her habitat as the Arctic.  She LOVES seals.  

     A week ago, we bought some plastic animals to go in the arctic.  She was explicit that she wanted seals and a polar bear, but no penguins.  

     "Why don't you want penguins in your habitat?" I ask, assuming that she knows the difference between the Arctic and Antarctica.  

     "Mom, the teacher said we are doing a project about MAMMALS.  Penguins are birds, silly."

     She reminded me all last weekend to make that habitat project, but we were just so busy that we never did get around to it.  I gave her an olive branch by offering to stop at a teachers' store to get materials to make fake snow.  As luck would have it, they did indeed have some magic powder that turns into "snow" with water and actually stays cold.

     I secretly went to Michaels that night to buy some sort of tray to build the habitat in, considering we were doing some messy science project now.  I figured I would protect her pre-k classroom from a possible mess, and found a wood tray with handles, a flip flop that could be the ocean, and a foam core board to paint a sky.  I promptly hid those materials in my trunk, knowing that if she found them we would be building it on the spot.

     A few more days passed, and still the begging to make her project continued.  Today, my son woke up sick, so I had to call in to work.  After preschool her dreams came true!

     While my son was napping, we made 4 batches of the fake snow first.  Fluffy and slightly cold, just as the packaged promised.  I took out the flip flop and she told me where to glue it in the box.  She was very disappointed that she couldn't use the hot glue gun by herself.

"Mom, I really love that hot glue gun.  I wish I could use it."

"Mom, we need to glue my clouds on with the hot glue gun, not regular glue!"

"Mom, is there always going to be glue in the hot glue gun?"

     She placed the animals.  She painted the sky.  She drew the clouds and sun and cut them out.  She wrote the name of the habitat on the project.  She picked the animals to put in it.  She picked the Arctic habitat herself.  She even decided to bury penguins in the snow, because they shouldn't be in the Arctic but she wants them to be. 

     She is my little, independent 4 year old scientist.  I am just glad that scientists usually have an assistant.  :)   

Green Waterfall: A Slice of Life

Writing teachers need to write themselves.

I am participating in the Slice of Life 2015 Challenge, 

where I attempt to write stories and narratives about moments in my life.

I apologize if this blog post veers off the informative "literacy lens" I usually write through.

This month I am pretending to be a writer, for my students' benefit (and my own).

Writers write. 

#SOL15

Water rushing over the rocks

People gather, dressed in shades of green

Waiting...

Kids in Irish hats running up and down the hill

Throwing sticks into the water

Still waiting...

A shamrock green glow starts to emerge,
Spilling into the pools below
The emerald waterfall arrives.

Kids squeal in delight
Cameras click away, capturing the moment
The leprechaun has returned again this year.

Then, as quickly as it began,
The green begins to fade away.
Luckily, memories last forever...

Treasures: A Slice of Life

Writing teachers need to write themselves.

I am participating in the Slice of Life 2015 Challenge, 

where I attempt to write stories and narratives about moments in my life.

I apologize if this blog post veers off the informative "literacy lens" I usually write through.

This month I am pretending to be a writer, for my students' benefit (and my own).

Writers write. 

#SOL15

Treasures are abundant this St. Patrick's Day Eve!

a Junie B. Jones book

a baby bottle favor

a fuchsia marker

a yellow crayon

Dopey

a glow in the dark rubber duck

a pink marker

a green crayon

a LEGO wheel

a Playmobil baby

a picture of a colored alligator

2 Barbie Happy Meal toys

random Hot Wheel tracks

Wonder

a plastic fake bun

a hairbrush for a doll

a stuffed Sneetch

Tinkerbell

a Michael's bag

a blow up Statue of Liberty torch

a pirate penguin

a lonely mitten

a dog bowl

Silly leprechaun!  

You are supposed to leave the treasure hidden at the end of the rainbow, not on my kitchen floor!  

One of these days, I will catch up with life.  I seriously just sat on my kitchen floor and just typed a list of all the random stuff I saw.  The kids are in bed, and I am just listing all of their toys.  It is just easier to do that clean it up, I suppose.  It can wait until tomorrow, when a new list of random things will appear in their place.  Our pot of gold is the self-replenishing kind it seems.

My children are making memories.  Right?  

Is that supposed to make me feel better, even when I step on random toys in bare feet?  

Oh well... Right now I will settle for the treasure of my pillow.

Sun Rising on the Cabins: A Slice of Life

Writing teachers need to write themselves.

I am participating in the Slice of Life 2015 Challenge, 

where I attempt to write stories and narratives about moments in my life.

I apologize if this blog post veers off the informative "literacy lens" I usually write through.

This month I am pretending to be a writer, for my students' benefit (and my own).

Writers write. 

#SOL15

     Last week, we had an incredible amount of fog in the mornings.  The day it cleared, I was driving up the big hill by my mom's after dropping my children off at her house, when the sun overtook my windshield.  Overtook is the word I choose, because it really did seem to fill the sky with its massiveness.  It was a giant orange ball of a sun, just glowing like it was on fire.  I couldn't take my eyes off it.  So, as I turned at the top of the hill, I kept looking off to my right to look at it.  That's when I saw the log cabins.

     I have grown up my whole life in this stretch of streets, and I have to say I was a little surprised to see two log cabins in front of me.  I always knew there was one preserved there in this little stretch of trees, but I guess I didn't realize there were a pair of them.  And today, there was a giant sun rising out of the trees behind them.  I made a fast left, went back through the old neighborhood, up the big hill again, and this time parked my car.

     All I had with me was my iPad, so I pulled it out and got out of the car.  I spent a few minutes taking some pictures of the cabins, because our 5th grade is studying the Civil War and Abe Lincoln, and our 3rd grade is moving on to Pioneers next.  I guess you can say that my mind is in the past.  I think using images like these can help give our students a picture of what the setting of the time period might look like, and perhaps what it wouldn't look like.  There are definitely some modern footprints in the images, too.

     I spent the whole day driving to work that day energized, and possible lessons raced through my head.  I saw something new that might have been staring at me for quite some time.  I guess all I needed to do was take the time to notice it.  

Let's Find a Park!: A Slice of Life

Writing teachers need to write themselves.

I am participating in the Slice of Life 2015 Challenge, 

where I attempt to write stories and narratives about moments in my life.

I apologize if this blog post veers off the informative "literacy lens" I usually write through.

This month I am pretending to be a writer, for my students' benefit (and my own).

Writers write. 

#SOL15

     "Let's find a park around here, mom!"

     Today, we went to a birthday party about an hour from our house.  It was at an indoor park place with slides and balls and peddle cars.  The kids ran around for almost three hours, with a little cupcake break in the middle.  I thought they would be exhausted.  My oldest had other plans, though.

     We stopped at a teacher's store, which was right down the street.  We bought some necessities.  Every pretend classroom needs a blow up globe, some chart stickers, a few new pencil boxes, Seuss sharpeners, and a sight word game.  Right? 

     Once we got back into the car, it was immediate.  

     "Mom, let's find a park around here.  I bet they have a lot of parks."

     "Yeah Mom!  I'm all buckled up!  Ready to go to the park!"

     Uh oh.  Partners in crime.  I'm in trouble.  So, I went to my phone, and opened up Maps and did a search for "parks".  As luck would have it, a bunch turned up in the search.  I picked one, and we were off.

In half a mile, turn left at this street.

In 2 miles, turn right at this street.

Your destination is on the right.

     All I could see was a forest.  Hmmm.  I think that some of these parks might be forest preserve parks.  

     "Well, that's not right Mom!  Go to the next one."

     So, I pulled over and did another search.  This one was called Veterans Park, and it had 5 stars!  Here we go!  

Turn right at this street.

In 1.1 miles, take a left at this street.

Go three miles and turn right at this street.

Your destination is on the left.

     OK.  My system doesn't seem to be working.  This one is clearly Veterans Park, since there are flagpoles ahead.  However, this seems to be more of a memorial than a park, because there are no slides in sight.  Do I try a new search?  Or do I give up and head home?

     "Mom, your phone was wrong again.  Silly phone.  Let's try again."

     Third time is the charm, right?  So, I do another search. 

Turn right.

Turn left.

Destination should be on your right, but there are no slides in sight.  Good luck to you.

     Did my phone really say that, or am I just screaming in my own head?  Oh wait... What is that?  Off to the right?  Is that an orange plastic climbing structure!?!?!  Oh my goodness, we found one!!  Quick left turn.  Happy kids in the back seat.  All is right with the world.  Turning into the parking lot, I notice that the name of the park is wrong.  This is not, in fact, the park we were looking for.  But, who cares?  The sun is shining!  There are swings to swing on!  Time to put the phone away, get the camera out, and enjoy! 

On the Beach: A Slice of Life

Writing teachers need to write themselves.

I am participating in the Slice of Life 2015 Challenge, 

where I attempt to write stories and narratives about moments in my life.

I apologize if this blog post veers off the informative "literacy lens" I usually write through.

This month I am pretending to be a writer, for my students' benefit (and my own).

Writers write. 

#SOL15

Blue paint, with a touch of purple...

Strokes become the sky.

Before I knew it, I was on the beach.

The teacher became the student.

     This week, we went painting as a staff.  I learned a few things, being in the role of the student again.  

Listening to multistep directions is hard.  

Simple skills, like mixing colors to make new colors, are NOT simple.  

Clean your brush often.  

Sketch lightly, but always sketch before you paint.  

Brushstrokes matter.

Banana Nutella empanadas are awesome.

     But the biggest moment came at the end, where the artist actually sat down to help one of our teachers.  The teacher wanted to improve her umbrella, so the artist started making some changes.  We were getting ready to take a staff picture, so we were all out of our seats and standing around her.  We all just sat there and watched the artist paint.  8 teachers, watching the art teacher give an impromptu lesson on shading an umbrella.  And we sat there, like we were at our very own mini lesson.  At one point, I think I asked her to narrate her thoughts while she worked (and I was serious).  She finished, and we clapped for her.  Spontaneous clapping for a lesson we were all grateful to receive. 

     Sometimes, we have to put ourselves in positions where we need to ask for help, like our students do.  We need to always remember that the teacher is the learner, too.  No matter if we are in an art class, or in our own classroom, we can always be learning something new.