Just be authentic...

I am really starting to feel like an old timer in the field of education.  I am a Reading Recovery trained, Literacy Collaborative Coordinator trained teacher and I hold fast to the things that I believe to be true.  I see so many cutesy things in education today, (mostly covered in some form of chevron) and I am beginning to question their value.  I have nothing against chevron.  I am actually a fan.  If you decorate the words of Marie Clay in your chevron, I will be the first one to say how wonderful it is.  :)
The thing that is really worrying me in education is that I think that we are missing the point sometimes in our effort to make things cute and pinterest worthy.  Marie Clay studied children who could read well and the behaviors that they had under control as readers so that she could begin to understand what was missing for our neediest readers.  She knew that they needed something different than the children who were already reading.  She was actually quite brilliant.  It makes sense.  If you are making a cake and it falls every time you try, then you are going to look to someone who makes that perfect cake every time and wonder what they are doing that you are not.  You will take the time to notice and shift what you are doing in order to bake a cake.
In a sense, that's what Marie did.  She took copious notes on what readers did and she began to think about how she could teach the children who were not doing those things to begin to do them.  Out of this work, teachers got a wonderful way to teach that is research based and very effective when done well.  Marie's model of teaching was to teach/model/demonstrate, then prompt, praise and expect.  She taught us to look at running records to know exactly what the children need and then she gave us plain language, that everyone can understand for prompting at various levels of support.
When we are working with children, we need to remember that no matter how tempted we are for the cute and catchy, plain language is something that everyone can understand.  Picture Claire, a 6 year old first grader who is learning to read a slower rate than her peers.  Claire and her family moved in the middle of the year.  Claire had been working with a teacher who told her that readers think about the letters in the words and the meaning of the story when they are trying to figure out tricky words in books.  Now imagine sweet little Claire in her new school.  In her new school, the children are told that when they don't know a word, they need to tryin lion or fish lips.  Poor Claire.  It's like they are speaking a different language.  Now, should Claire have to learn the fabricated cute language?  No.  Claire only needs to know what readers do.  When I ask that question of children, I want them to tell me what real readers do.  They don't tryin lion or fish lip.  They do think about what would make sense and start like the word on the page.  They do look through the whole word to check to see if they are right.
Be careful out there teachers.  Make sure that what you are doing with your students is authentic.  Remember, if it's authentic, who cares if it's covered in chevron.

Puppies!!!!!

This sweet little pile of goodness brings me so much joy!!!  I could watch them for hours.  They don't do much right now, but they are so innocently sweet.  They are only 4 days old and they are very similar to newborn babies.  They eat, sleep and snuggle.  Just like when my children were wee little, I am in awe of them.  It is amazing that they would grow and develop into these diverse little darlings.  I can't wait until they open their eyes and start playing!!! 

We didn't plan on the puppies.  This is Holly.  She is a foster dog that I care for and love until she is adopted by a loving family.  She was pulled from a kill shelter on the day that she was going to be euthanized.  I am so grateful that Danielle from Dash Animal Rescue saved her!  She is such a sweet little girl.  She is only a puppy herself at only 9 months old. 
When she first came to stay with us, she was a very sick little girl.  She had Kennel Cough and couldn't hold anything down.  She didn't have an appetite and slept all the time.  Little did we know that she was experiencing morning sickness while sick with kennel cough.
After a few weeks we noticed that she was gaining weight and we thought it was because she was getting better.  When she started to change in ways that only a pregnant dog could I took her to the vet.  Dr. Kelleher performed an ultrasound and we learned that she was pregnant with at least three!  This was not good news since she was only a puppy and since there are so many dogs and puppies without a home to call their own.  I couldn't help it though... I was excited!  :) 
Since we didn't know when she became pregnant we really didn't know when she would deliver.  We read up online and learned that she was at least 45 days along since we saw the spines on the ultrasound and dog gestation is 63 days.   She would have her puppies within a 20 day period. 
I started to read all about dogs giving birth and how to help.  I learned that sometimes mommy dogs don't get their puppies out in time and they die from suffocation.  I hoped and prayed that she would deliver when I was awake and home from work. 
Well... prayers aren't always answered and the night before she was going to see the vet, Holly woke us all up with loud yelps!  I ran into my son's room and there was a puppy on the floor still in the sack and the second puppy was already being born.  I knew what to do!  With only a slight hesitation, I grabbed the sack and ripped it open.  I didn't think that I had made it in time as the puppy lay lifeless in my arms, but then she took a BIG breath and started to move.  Whew! 
Holly continued to deliver puppy after puppy after puppy... She had SEVEN in all!!!!  I know that dogs sometimes have bigger litters, but Holly is only 11 pounds herself!  One of the puppies was stillborn, which was so so sad.  I know that Holly did her very best and that is what is important. 
I have to laugh at myself because I worry about those puppies just like I did my own children.  Are they warm enough?  Are they eating enough?  Are they sleeping enough or too much?  It is so joyful and so unnerving all at the same time.  :)  Only one of the puppies has a name and that is Mac.  He has the name Mac because he is half the size of his brothers and sisters so I call him that because he is the absolute opposite of being the size of a Mack Truck.  LOL 
I look so forward to the coming weeks and all of the changes that the puppies will go through!  I am going to try to post a video when they start running around. They will be SO cute! 

What has slicing taught me?

I am sure that I will forget something, but I am going to use my slice today to attempt to list many of the great advantages of slicing (and some of my new learning too!).
1.  Audience - I love to write with and for other people, but rarely write when it's just for me.  It is ESSENTIAL that my students have an audience for their writing.
2.   Feedback is a must!  After writing my post for the day, I would check my inbox to see if anyone had commented on my post.  It is so exciting to get feedback from others when you are writing.
3.  Feedback does not always elicit revision.  Sometimes feedback is just feedback.  You can revise after receiving feedback, but sometimes you just want to enjoy it.
4.  Don't be too intense about making sure that everyone has walked away with a specific thing each day.  I worry about what the take away is with my students and I am pretty hard on myself.  I think that for awhile anyway, kids need to write to build community, develop an atmosphere of sharing and giving feedback.  They really need to be comfortable and if I am sitting next to them asking them what they learned about writing that day (or sometimes telling them), it can suck the joy out of writing.
5.  You can use any container for any topic.  I learned this when I was in the writing project, but really noticed the truth of this statement as I was writing.
6.  Writing is fun!  It doesn't have to be laborious.
7.  Ralph Fletcher was right all those years ago when he said to write what matters.  Those topics tend to flow.
8. I CAN write for 31 days in a row!!!!   I LOVE TO SLICE!!!  :)

World Bipolar Day

If you didn't know, today is world bipolar day.  It is a day for people with bipolar disorder to tell others about their disorder and their success with that disorder.  If you didn't read my earlier post about my son Connor, you would not know that my son has bipolar  disorder.  I initially thought about writing a post to Connor, in letter format, as I have seen other slicers do.  Then I thought more about it.  Bipolar disorder has not just effected Connor.  It has effected each of the members of our family in different ways.  So here's to my family and their amazing love for each other...


To Tim (my husband) - I am sorry that Connor has been "sick" for much of his life as I know that neither one of us would choose that for him.  Thank you for loving him anyway.  Thank you for sticking around because I am sure that there have been times when you wanted to run for the boarder!  :)  This journey would have been so much harder without you by my side.  Thank you!  I love you!

To Emma - You have been an amazing big sister to Connor!  You have always been there for him.  I remember you trying to calm him down so many times and sometimes you were the only one who could.  I wanted to protect you from the bad times, but you wouldn't let me.  You jumped right in and loved your brother no matter what!  I truly believe that God gave you a gift that I have seen in very few others that helps you to be there.  You talk him down. You give him a reason to live.  You never give up.  :)  You have also been there for your baby sister.  She was so scared of Connor's behavior sometimes and you helped to get her out of harms way and you distracted her when she was worried or afraid.   I am so sorry that you had to deal with some of the things that you have.  I wouldn't wish the hard times on anyone and I wish I could have made them better for you.  I love you very much.  You are strong and brave and you have a HUGE loving heart.  Thank you for sharing that with your family.

To Connor - I am so sorry that your life is not easy, that you have been so sick that you didn't even want to live anymore.  I am very proud of you for sticking it out.  I know that you have been in some places that I never could have imagined sending you and for that I am sorry.  Your comfort sometimes had to come second to your survival.  We have been in some scary places together, but at the end of the day you were always willing to do what you needed to do to get better.  I am so grateful for that!  Don't every stop taking your meds.  You need them to survive.  It is more than just mood swings for you sweetheart.  If you are not on your meds, you are not yourself and it almost always ends in a hospital stay.  You need to remember that bipolar disorder to you is what diabetes is to me.  We have to take our medicine to stay healthy.  You are NOT bipolar disorder.  You HAVE bipolar disorder.  You can do whatever you want as long as you take care of yourself.  I love you!

To Abbie - You were so scared when you were little.  I am so sorry that you were.  You have so many people who love you.  Remember how Mrs. Roberts used to take you to her office at school and just let you play and talk?  She did that because she cares about you.  Mrs. Clark offered to take you home for me when Connor was in the hopital.  All I had to do was call and she would be there to help us out.  Emma has always tried to protect you from the worst times.  She loves you so much.  Connor has worked hard to handle his anger in positive ways so that you are not scared anymore.  He loves you too.  I am so proud of you for going to counseling with me and talking about your anxiety.  You are a very brave and smart little girl and I love you so much!

I am so thankful to all of my family for their support and their love over the years.  I am thankful for the custodian at Memorial Middle School who saw Connor's teacher and I wrestling Connor in the parking lot trying to get him into school.  He handed me a business card and said, "Call this number.  They saved my son's life".  I called and it really did make a difference for Connor.  That's how we met Amber, the best counselor in the world!  She helped me get Connor where he needed to be to get well.  That's where we met Sandy, another wonderful counselor.  Connor's teachers have been amazingly supportive!  They have accomodated him where he needed it and they have also played hardball when Connor tried to weasel out of work he needed to do (ie going to school).  I really can't forget Adelle.  She works at OSU Psychiatric Hospital.  She was an amazing advocate for Connor and his needs.

I hope you are reading this and you are thinking about the HUGE impact that mental illness can have on a family.  We usually pull our family in and don't go anywhere when things are not well, but that doesn't mean that we don't need your love and support.  A phone call or a card can make a really big difference.  Connor and I made a video when he was 11.  We encountered some very ignorant people who were afraid of mental illness.  I am attaching the video below.  It contains a message for everyone.  Please BE there for people whether it is directly or indirectly...

22

I don't go out very often.  I usually get everything I need to get done and then shower and watch my recorded shows in the evening.  Last night, however, my friend Michelle asked me to go out and I thought, what the heck?  I haven't been out in forever and it really sounds like fun!  We went to a place called the Bluestone which ironically, used to be a Baptist Church.  We didn't know what to expect, but quickly found out that there was a country concert there.  Exciting!
We went in and ordered our first drinks (one of two for me since I was driving) and walked around to check things out.  The first musician was getting started and so we went onto the dance floor and danced around to the music.  Pretty soon, we were talking to the people around us and dancing in a group.  It was SO MUCH FUN!  :)  I felt like I was 22 and danced like I was 22 (nothing like the girls in the video - I was NEVER that cool).  I raised my glass and hooted and hollered like I was 22.
I'm not saying that I am going to do this very often, but for right now, I have to tell you how important it is for all of us to make sure that our lives are balanced with work and fun.  Don't spend your life at home.  Get out and explore!  It will seriously be good for your spirit!  :)
So as not to mislead you, I will tell you that if you are in your 40's and you haven't danced in a REALLY long time, you will NOT feel like you are 22 when you get out of bed the next morning!  LOL  Thank goodness I had a scheduled massage today!  :)
I leave you with the song that inspired my title...  Enjoy and Happy Dancing!

Summer

Sitting on the porch
Riding bikes
Swimming
picnicking
baseball in the park
The hot summer sun beats down
Turning white into dark, freckled or red
Sweat beads and drips
Dust sticks to the skin
Popsicles drip
Ice cream slides
Down
Onto hands gripping cones
The sound of sprinklers tic tic in the distance
The air is still and hot
Setting sun brings no relief
Fireflies burst into the night
A cool breeze blows in to settle the heat from the day
Sweet sweet summer

The Curse of Being a Visual Person

I have a strength and a curse.  I am very visual.  By that I mean that I don't know what I want until I see it.  If I hang something in my house or lay a rug down or place jars on the counter and it doesn't look right, I will mess with it until it does.  It could drive other people crazy!  I have learned to just accept it, but it can be a pain sometimes.
Let's talk about my winter wreath...  I wanted more than just burlap and white so I added a little blue.  I put together and took apart the wreath at least 5 times.  I finally gave up and hung it on my front door.  I thought about that wreath every time I drove up to my house or left my house.  I couldn't stand it.  It didn't look right.  I was very proud of myself because I didn't take it down, but I was thrilled to death when Ash Wednesday came around and I could put my Easter wreath out.
Right now I am trying to figure out how to create a wall of pictures.  Here I go again...  I have tried the frames many different ways and each time I do, something is just not right, but I don't know how to fix it.  So here I go again...  :)