I’ve challenged my 6th graders to a Slice-A-Day during our winter break…I will attempt to keep up with the challenge as well!

Dear School Bag,

Don’t stare at me like that. I will try to empty you after the kids go to bed. Maybe.

Nobody wants to go to bed. I don’t blame them. After one more sleep, winter vacation is over. H says, “That’s it! Then we will have to wait an entire year before another winter break!” And I remember how long years were when I was a kid. Now the days are sometimes long… but the years are so very short. I know that next thing we know, it will be next Christmas.

It’s bedtime, but the kids are busy. They are reconstructing the MacGyver episode they just watched. MacGyver. Yep. I can’t tell if they like the time at home with their family, or just the amount of tv we’ve let them watch. I know I was busy playing games with the kids, writing on my computer, and reading books in the family room. I’m sorry I didn’t pay more attention to you during this vacation.

Oh School Bag – you might remember that I did open you briefly at the  beginning of vacation. This was before I shoved you in the corner of the dining room. Somehow, you are still full of things I should have done. A stack of papers to grade, some paperwork to fill out… I hope you have enjoyed your vacation. Tomorrow we go back to school!

As usual, it feels like just as we are finally into the swing of a school break, just as I finally forgot that you were sitting half unzipped behind the buffet, break is over. Just as I have gotten relatively on top of the dishes situation…I had to pack lunches again. (You may have noticed that I slipped a bag of gluten free crackers in your small pocket a bit ago. I’ll take those out when we get to school)   Just as I finished the last load of laundry… just kidding, I never finish laundry. There is no “last load” of laundry. Even you know that. I think there’s a cardigan somewhere in your bottom.

Now you are here at the table with me, as I hide in the dining room, waiting for the MacGyver conversation to fade a bit. I finally took the  Literary Essay Unit of Study book from your grasp, and when I give it back to you, it will have a few more post-it notes stuck inside.

Hopefully I won’t fall asleep too long snuggling kids to bed tonight, but if I do – I’ll take the grading out of your grip first thing during our planning period tomorrow. I promise.

Love,
Mrs. Thought

Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers.

My desk before Reader’s Workshop yesterday
Responsive Teacher
Messy Teacher
Hardworking Teacher
Tired Teacher
Assessments, data, mini-lessons, conferences, strategy groups, read aloud,
planning, teaching, demonstration pages, Anchor charts,
Engagement Inventories, grading…*
Tired Teacher
Hardworking Teacher
Messy Teacher
Responsive Teacher

*Wait. Is this a song?**

Mini Lessons, then confer, group your kids, hope goals Transfer
Anchor charts, assessment data, demonstration pages
Read to self, read aloud, ELA will make us proud
Essential questions, inquiry, hope your work engages

Understandings, knows and do’s, google docs – no time to snooze
Study data, write it down, buy some stock in post-its
Reader’s Notebooks, more directions, closely read the text collections
Follow kids and write them back, love those kids the mostest

We didn’t start — we’re trying!
Students, geared for learning
as the year starts turning
We didn’t start — we’re trying
Workshop’s just beginning
Soon we will be winning!

Find a book, check it out, ask a question if in doubt
Whole group meetings, someday lists, readers make plans
Talk to kids, give high fives, workshop norms and reading lives
Much to do to get a classroom full of reading fans!

We didn’t start — we’re trying!
Students, geared for learning
as the year starts turning
We didn’t start — we’re trying
Workshop’s just beginning
Soon we will be winning!

**My apologies to Billy Joel and my thanks to Mr. Thought who is somehow an expert on the meter and rhyme of We Didn’t Start the Fire, as in: “I used to sing this all the time in 1990. I had the whole thing memorized.”

Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers.

I know it's not a good idea to multi-task... 
but I would love to be able to write my slice as I'm going through my day.
This morning's play by play slice would be something like this: 

Right now I am. . . 

Wishing my computer would connect to the internet so I can print my sub plans
Talking to helpdesk on the phone while my students watch announcements
Restarting chrome
Restarting chrome
Restarting chrome
Trying firefox
Giving up
Realizing that now I can't project a "Right Now" slice 
as a model for my class
Taking out my phone to use instead
Copying part of a "Right Now" slice onto the board
Sending students off to try their own. 
Hoping my computer works for the next class
Teaching teaching teaching
Restarting Chrome
Failing at technology
Worrying about printing afternoon plans
Sharing my sloppily written whiteboard slice with my other class

Wishing  my doc cam worked
Challenging Students to write a bunch of "ing" verbs and then 
to finish the thoughts

Taking on the challenge myself on the whiteboard.
Wondering about the one table of boys who hasn't noticed 
that everyone else is writing or watching me write.

Joking with students
Having fun
Making mistakes
Modelling slice-writing
Being flexible
Learning with kids
Teaching Writing

Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers.

I’m feeling overwhelmed, you know. My desk is piled.  I’m working so much…my to do list grows and grows, and priorities are hard to make. Reading Pernille today helped me. She says “yet,” and I agree. I’m just not there yet. However, within the beginning of the year stress, there were lovely things about today.  There’s that.

I wrote with my students today. There’s that. We sliced.

I read with my students today. There’s that. The One and Only Ivan. Then Rain Reign with my second reading class. These are the books they voted on. I warned them we would need tissues.

I planned with my friend and colleague  today. There’s that. I’m ready for tomorrow. I am. And beyond! (I am!)

I even made dinner for my family, and took the dog on a walk – with my 13 year-old daughter too. There’s that. The chat with her, I’ll have that every day please.

After getting the kids to bed, I did more work. There’s that. I love my job, I love this work.

And look! I sliced! There’s that.

Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers.

I’m sitting at my (messy) dining room table, with an empty writer’s notebook in front of me. I’ve decided that typing a slice might be more productive.

Before that, I got home from a short dog walk, shortened because something about seeing a police car hanging out around the block made me get uncomfortable in the dark. I’m easily scared of the dark. The police officer in the car looked friendly and happy. It’s not her, it’s me.

Before that, the dog was bite-y

Before that, the dog peed on the rug.

Before that, I was working on random to do list items but without the actual to do list. I was  entering students into my classroom library database, and replying to parent emails, and thinking about how I should make an actual to do list.

Before that, the whole family took a year and a half to decide that we should just order pizza for dinner.

Before that, I tried to get L to put ice on her head because she was hit in the head with a basketball.

Before that, I was briefly sitting on the porch with E, listening to the sounds of happy basketball playing.

Before that, I was dropping my bags, and taking off my shoes, drinking water, and hugging my kids.

Before that, I was finally leaving school, with information overload, and too much left to do.

Before that, I was creating class lists, locker lists, labels, maps and presentations for back to school night.

Before that, I was on a tipping ladder, realizing one of the legs was up on the edge of a carpet.

Before that, I was on the floor picking up a hundred magnetic words.

Before that, I was on a ladder, re-positioning a giant question mark, when it suddenly fell and knocked everything off of the top of my bookshelf.

Before that, I was gluing signs.

Before that, I was in a meeting.

Before that, I was in a lunch meeting.

Before that, I was in a meeting.

Before that, I was in a meeting.

Before that, I was picking up friends to drive to our opening day meeting.

Before that, I was hurriedly throwing bags in my car, giving giant hugs and watching sad children as I drove away.

Before that I was rushing around wishing I hadn’t turned my first alarm off.

Before that, it was still summer.