Skip to main content

I feel a poem coming on...

I am trying to stick to all of my New Year resolutions.
It hasn't been easy.

I read every day.
For school.
For work.
For fun.

I write every day.
Something important
And, sometimes, not so important.

I try to remember to stay in the moment.

I have finished two books.
98 to go.

I am not eating as healthy as I would like.

I have yet to start an exercise program.
At least, I have the schedule written down.
Now, I just have to start going.

Now, I am sitting in writing club.
The four girls in my class
are writing away.
Well, at least three of them are.
One is arranging her crayons in some kind of order.
She distracts herself and those around her.
Which is about everybody else since there are only
four girls in the class.

I try to ignore it.
10 minutes to go before the end of silent writing time.

I'm doing pretty well, I think.
Until one little girl approaches me
ready to ask me a question, I guess -
at least she's whispering -
"Can I use my notebook to make a chapter book?"
"Of course", I say.
She was the same one who whooped a cry of joy when
I announced silent writing time.
"Yeah," she said.
"I love silent writing time."

They're giggling now.

So much for silent writing time.

5 minutes to go.

At least I wrote something today.
Ready to post.

Posted to Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Tuesday

Comments

Stacey said…
All of your personal victories are lovely. But how sweet the professional one with the little girl in the writing club is.

I'll be blogging about our goals for the year and resetting priorities this Friday on TWT. Be sure to check it out.

That being said, you're doing great Elisa.
Jaana said…
Wonderful! Just think, at least your girls did not ask to go to the bathroom! Or get a kleenex--and then have to use the sanitizer before even attempting to get back to writing.
Happy writing to you !
Unknown said…
Thanks, Stacey!
Yes, I loved the moment with the little girl.
Afterwards, I went around conferring with each one of them about their writing; they all added more text to their stories. It made me realize the important role that talk has in writing, so next time we might just flip the silent writing time to the end of the workshop, right before we share.
Unknown said…
LOL, Jaana.
That happens sometimes, too.
That's why it's important to get those things out of the way before starting to write, especially before starting a silent writing time. Spacing kids around the room, away from each other, will also help get everybody on track with their writing.

I will try out these changes when we get back to school after our two-week break next week.

Popular posts from this blog

Partner Reading and Content, Too Routine (PRC2)

I'm a hoarder. There, I've said it. I try to deny that I'm a hoarder but it comes back to haunt me every time I move houses, or pack up my classroom at the end of the school year. I have old articles, lesson plans, handouts, folders brimming with teaching ideas, past issues of profesional journals. I hardly throw anything out though I've learned to be more selective over the years. My one rule of thumb, and I really try to stick to this, is that if I haven't used or referred to something in a year, then it's time to toss it into the recycle bin. One exception to this rule (you knew this was coming, didn't you?) is past issues of journals from professional organizations. However, with the ability to locate articles online through my professional memberships, even this exception is becoming less and less useful, which brings me to the topic of this blog post. I am currently reading a copy of The Reading Teacher from 2010. I've clipped a cou

The Reading Strategies Book - Chapter 12, Supporting Students’ Conversations – Speaking, Listening, and Deepening Comprehension

The strategy lessons highlighted in Chapter 12, Supporting Students’ Conversations – Speaking, Listening, and Deepening Comprehension, in The Reading Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo are critical to students’ engagement and comprehension, as well as their ability to write literary essays, or even book reviews, summaries and reflective pieces about books. If students aren’t able to talk about books in a way that is invigorating and joyful, they will be less likely to develop an interest in growing ideas for writing about books. In her introduction to this chapter, Jennifer Serravallo, reminds us that when conversations go well, children are inspired by what they read and are motivated to keep reading. However, when conversations fall flat, then kids get bored and tune out. How do we avoid this situation and teach kids to  have  focused conversations about books?  The answer is easy: teach kids  strategies to help them develop effective conversational skills .  As in

Are we listening?

A child sits alone with a ripped worksheet packet on his desk. He appears to be singing or subvocalizing something though no one hears him. Or, perhaps they're ignoring him. The teacher stands at the front of the room teaching on the SmartBoard. The children follow along in their worksheets. Except the child sitting alone. He is in his own world. No one engages him and he engages no one. My heart aches for this child. He is physically and emotionally removed from the class. I ask him why his paper is ripped. (It's not an accidental rip.) He says he did that on a different day. When he had been frustrated about the work. He tells me that he sometimes sits by himself because the work is too hard for him. He later tells me that he sits by himself because the teacher thinks he talks too much during the lesson.  He says he does that because he wants to find out about the "lives of the other children". My first impulse is to rescue him from the wrongheade