This post is part of Ruth Ayres Celebrate Link up. Thanks, Ruth for this great opportunity to celebrate!
I have 3 School Celebrations to share with you.
- Today I get to celebrate with my students! In fact, in a first ever turn of events, I’m celebrating on my blog while they write their first ever celebration pieces. It’s a double celebration, or maybe triple. We started by reading I’m In Charge of Celebrations by Byrd Baylor/pictures by Peter Parnall. This is a beautiful book, and I am celebrating the way the pictures and words go together to make you feel the celebration. After we read, we brainstormed things we could celebrate:
We talked about all the ways we can celebrate by writing…
- paragraph
- story
- list
- poem
- pictures
Now we are writing. It’s quiet, which is nice. Some students are watching my writing, which is also nice. I like writing in front of my students, even though it does feel a bit odd. A few students are still settling into the stamina of sitting and quietly writing without distracting themselves or others, which I understand. It’s September. I’m celebrating September writing!
2. This year I teach 2 ELA classes back to back. I’ve just read I’m in Charge of Celebrations for the second time this morning. Before the school year started, I thought I would be bored teaching “the same” thing two times in a row. I’d like to call a celebration for that NOT happening. I’m anything but bored. Today I got to read I’m in Charge of Celebrations TWICE! Today I got to fill my board with even more celebrations with my second class. Today I get to connect with 50 students through the power of reading and writing. I’m lucky.
3. Speaking of I’m in Charge of Celebrations. Reading a book like that 2 times in a row made it an automatic mentor text. As I read it I felt the pull to write about a celebration in the style of Byrd Baylor… Again writing in front of my students, while they write. As students finish writing a celebration, I challenge them to write again, choosing a poem this time, or a list, or a paragraph if they just did a poem. And I start thinking about celebrating my own children and their school:
Celebrating September A school year where all 3 children go to the same school! Thanks to Byrd Baylor's inspiration Friends, I wish you had been there to hear my children, giddy with anticipation share the names of reading buddies make plans for meeting for worship discuss the rules for the elevator All three of my babies are not babies anymore, I know. All three are in the same school now with the chance to be more than siblings Yes, It's possible to be more than siblings Now they are Schoolmates Part of a family and a community. I've decided that September is a celebration for school. Not just any school celebration. I don't want a day to buy more markers and post its, notebooks and pencils stickers and baskets I want a day to celebrate that my children get to spend their days in the same community they get to share common ground. They get to be more than siblings.
I hope you have a lot to celebrate this weekend!
On a Thought 