I Want to See You Be Brave

I love teaching writing.  More importantly, I love reading what students write. Writing is essays, song lyrics, comics, advertisements, tweets, blogs, novels, and notes of encouragement stuck to my coffeemaker in the morning. Writing is everywhere.  Educators have the delicate responsibility of teaching standards-based units to our eager writers. How we introduce writing to our students can set the stage for the entire year.  

When I heard the song “Brave” by Sarah Bareilles, I got goose bumps. It is a beautiful song with a strong message:

Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

This is how I will start the year with my writers.  
I have an advantage since this is the second year with my students.  We have a 5th/6th grade loop at Merton Intermediate School. I already know they are talented, thoughtful, amazing writers. My hope for this year is we can build on last year’s foundation of mini lessons and conferring, and they come to workshop feeling brave and ready to take risks.
For the first week of school, we will listen to “Brave” as we transition to Writer’s Workshop time. When the song is complete, we will be ready to start our mini lesson.  Each week, a student will select a new song that inspires them as a writer.  

Be brave this year! 

Meeting Chris Lehman

Professional development doesn’t get much better than The Reading Writing Project at Columbia Teacher’s College.  The week began with a keynote by Lucy Calkins in the magnificent Riverside Church.  My friends and I anxiously climbed the stairs to the cathedral, when suddenly I noticed someone I recognized standing next to the entrance.  It was Chris Lehman!  I turned to my friends to tell them about my star sighting.  I rambled off a few of his books; Energize Research Reading & Writing and Pathways to the Common Core. Normally I would walk right over and introduce myself to someone I admired, but I froze.  I became an absolute puddle.  My friends were not much help at first since they were looking back at me, horrified.  They had never seen me like this.  I am normally confident to a fault. Luckily, they pushed me to go over and talk to him.  He was so approachable and gracious.  I introduced myself, and mentioned a conversation we had on Twitter.  Whether he remembered it or not, he made me feel like he did, which was so kind.  He also took a picture with me.  My heart was racing the entire time.

This event was one of many amazing experiences at Teacher’s College, but I keep revisiting it in my mind because of the emotional and physical reaction I had to this experience.  Why did I react this way?  I started thinking about the fact that I LOVE reading professional development books, online articles and blogs.  This is such a nerdy statement, but I really do.  While some people sit by the pool and read novels, my nose is buried in professional development texts or on Twitter.  The information shared by these authors inspires me to be better for my students.  They deserve the best.  Chris Lehman writes books that help teachers be better.  

Once I returned home and had more time to reflect, I realized the emotion came from an interaction I had last spring when my dad had surgery.  Time alone at the hospital is a scary thing, so I spent my time reading and on Twitter.  It was the first time I read Energize Research Reading & Writing by Chris Lehman.  I mentioned a few of my favorite parts on Twitter as I read, and within 10 minutes Chris Lehman and I began a conversation about the book.  It was really exciting to be able to dialogue with him about his work, especially since my class was currently working on informational writing. It was a great day.  My dad’s surgery went wonderfully, and I left the hospital with a new mentor.  

Chris Lehman is an amazing writer, teacher, and mentor.  Chris, along with all of the other brilliant teachers at The Reading Writing Project, are so approachable and generous with their time. These interactions were so important to me, and they are so important to kids. This year I am going to be more generous with my time.  I will make sure I am available for conversations, whether they are face to face or digital, and supply the much needed feedback my students cherish.  

Looking Back/Looking Ahead

60 degrees in July? What’s up Mother Nature? Rather than sitting by the pool, I am inside covered in a blanket. I know we will have more hot days to come, but this weather is a gentle reminder that the 2013-2014 school year is quickly approaching. I will miss the time at home with my boys, but I am anxious to see my students. I am a 5th/6th Grade looping teacher at Merton Intermediate School, so I am fortunate to have my same students for two years.

The 5th Grade year was full of exciting “firsts” for my students. Some of my favorites include: 1:1 with Netbooks/Chromebooks, Google Apps, Boom Writer, the 4C’s, Kidblog, 1st & 3rd Grade Buddies and Student PLN’s. Our greatest success was the implementation of Writer’s Workshop. My students and I embraced the model and love our workshop time. Our favorite part was sharing our work with our class and global PLN. The Workshop Model stresses that both students and teachers see themselves as writers. This idea is what inspired me to start my own professional blog. My students’ blogs were amazing and showed extensive growth throughout the year. Please enjoy our final post titled, “Looking Back/Looking Ahead”. We are always looking for other classes to comment on our blogs and collaborate on project-based activities.

In less than a week I will be traveling to New York to attend The Teacher’s College at Columbia University. I am honored to represent Merton Community School District at The Reading & Writing Institute. I am excited to learn about the new units of study and how I can best deliver this CCS-based content to my eager learners. I promise to share my TCRWP gems in future posts.

Still only 66 degrees.  Stay warm and read blogs.