Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers March Slice a Day Challenge! I’m slicing every day this month. Thanks for stopping by!
I used to kayak with 6th graders once a year for 20 minutes in the small mountain lake nearby
First I'd watch them all learn to row their canoes
Then I'd ask for a review for myself
They'd partner up in canoes
I'd wait for the single kayak - teacher benefit
I'd paddle around, watch out for them, listen to them learn how to cooperate with the oars
I'd take pictures, take in the beauty of the water, breathe until the whistle told us it was time to bring it in
"How different could it be?" I asked myself
When my own 6th grader, and his 9th grade brother asked to rent kayaks in Key Largo
And I was right and wrong - which is how parenting usually goes for me
One wanted to go go go
The other had never kayaked before - he had to learn how to paddle in between the mangroves
There were debates, angry words, and much bumping into the shore
I was kayaking, breathing in the beauty of the water while keeping an eye on them
There hadn't been a lesson on paddling
I didn't get a review - only a quick reminder of which way to face the paddle
There was no whistle to tell us to bring it in
Only a map they quickly handed us as we got in the boats, and an hour to get back to the marina
I couldn't quite get oriented on the map, but there were usually people to follow and
the boys figured out which way to go when there weren't
In the middle of the journey, I put my paddle down across the kayak to take a mindful moment and watch the boys who had finally figured out how to cooperate - mostly
"Don't you wish you could be here?" one of them called out to me
I laughed
"We are here!"
Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers March Slice a Day Challenge! I’m slicing every day this month. Thanks for stopping by!
I haven't shared dried mangos on a road trip with Mardi for 2 years
the math doesn't make sense --
for 2 years
I haven't
called her for advice
or let her crunch most of the acorns on our walk
She hasn't emailed me after reading this very blog
for 2 years.
I haven't
locked eyes with her - one snarky, sarcastic joyful face to another
So now,
I always make sure I have dried mangos
on every road trip
for her
I crunch every acorn I find
for her
I find myself writing about her again and again
and of course,
I make sure to be sarcastic as much as possible
for her - totally just for her
Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers March Slice a Day Challenge! I’m slicing every day this month. Thanks for stopping by!
Breaking News
I’ve been coaching at this school for over 5 years and I’m ready to make a big announcement. I officially, usually, mostly, can walk out of a kindergarten classroom and turn the correct way to go back to my office.
I’ll be taking questions and comments about how I have accomplished this dream in the comment section. Thank you for your attention to my breaking news.
Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers March Slice a Day Challenge! I’m slicing every day this month. Thanks for stopping by!
I love, I wonder
I love the way the cats wait for me at the bottom of the steps in the morning I wonder if they start waiting at a certain time, or hear my alarm, or me, or maybe they just know what time it is?
I love the pink and orange sunrise through the trees in my backyard I wonder when will the trees be green again and will it feel sudden? I don’t remember what the sunrise looks like through the trees when they are full
I love when my coffee is perfect – smooth and creamy with a hint of maple I wonder will I move my quiet coffee time from the couch to the porch when it’s warm again? If I close my eyes I can feel those spring mornings
I love quiet mornings that start with stretching, journaling, mindful light therapy before I scroll I wonder how long will these good habits last? How many good habits can you start at once and what good habit can I start next?
Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers March Slice a Day Challenge! I’m slicing every day this month. Thanks for stopping by!
My house is quieter now-
unless the boys are wrestling or yelling at each other or singing loudly for all to hear,
unless the dog is barking
When they were babies, toddlers, preschoolers, I used to tell myself "you'll miss this noise."
I was wrong
I don't miss the noise.
well, sometimes I do
I do miss the cuddles, the chatter, the little hands, the weight of a sleeping child on my shoulder
the weight of a sleeping child on my shoulder
A quiet early morning
I remember when mornings started this early but with crying, or drumming, or a Super Friends DVD so I could sit with my coffee
I sneak downstairs early this morning, trying not to wake the dog
I tripped on a boot on the steps, and heard his doggy yoga stretch begin
I used to be scared of the dark
But somehow after betrayal, the dark isn't so scary
Outside, I breathe in the quiet and watch the dog sniff around
Until a strange noise comes from the darkness of the streetI watch my dog become more interested in the noise, and quickly bring him in
I've been expecting an owl
That was not an owl
I wait until the sun is up to try going outside again
The house is quieter
In this moment I am thankful for this mindful time to write
I miss the cuddles, the chatter, the little hands, the weight of a sleeping child on my shoulder
Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers March Slice a Day Challenge! I’m slicing every day this month. Thanks for stopping by!
I get to teach phonics in kindergarten this week. Any time I get to spend with Kindergarteners is a dream come true for me, even if it is just waltzing in for 15 minutes to do some reading routines with them.
I’ve trained people on this specific reading routine program, and I’ve taught a handful of lessons, but this week I get to go every day.
“I’m just learning these routines,” I remind the kids.
I figure I may as well be transparent in my non-expertise. They know the routines much better than I do, so I get to learn too. They do such a great job, I have them give themselves a round of applause after each routine. (A round of applause is where you quietly applaud yourself while moving your hands around in a circle.) And then, I ask them to give me a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs to the side for how I did with the routine.
The first day, I got a bunch of thumbs-up, several thumbs to the side, and a few thumbs-down. A boy in the back gave me two thumbs down for some of my routines. I mean, he wasn’t wrong – I did struggle through a few parts.
“I see thumbs down again,” I said. “You’re right. I really do need to practice my blending routine!”
Today I got almost all thumbs-up, and a few to the side — and one still some thumbs down from the boy in the back, but not for every routine. I’m improving!
At the end of the lesson, I told the kids they needed to give themselves 3 rounds of applause.
“Threee?!?!?” someone said like I had told them they could have three cupcakes.
After their rounds of applause, I asked for one final assessment of the whole lesson and looked around the room at their thumbs.
I said “Wow! two thumbs-up from some of you!”
The boy in the back said, “I’m giving you two thumbs-up too!” Then he held up his foot and said “I’m giving you three thumbs up!”
We dismissed for recess and I followed the kids out to the hallway, feeling that lovely feeling of bonding with kids. A girl walked up to me, looked at me so sweetly, and said. “Who are you?”
I told her I’m Ms. Thought, but she can also call me Ms. Ona. I explained that only the kindergarteners call me Ms. Ona, so when she gets to first grade she’s going to have to switch to Ms. Thought.
“Ms. Ona,” she said confidently like she knew that all along. She laughed and went outside with the rest of her class.
Tomorrow’s my day. Tomorrow they will remember my name, and I will get all thumbs up!
Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers March Slice a Day Challenge! I’m slicing every day this month. Thanks for stopping by!
I’m a prize.
I mean it. Today I was literally a prize – 5 kids won the opportunity to make a journal with me.
I set up my room with notebooks to choose from, paper-covered tables with bowls of mod podge, paintbrushes, scissors – and at the last minute I thought to add a paper towel at each seat.
A few minutes later, 5 second and third graders walked in. First just one, then 2 more, then another. The fifth student filters in as we get started.
A few minutes after starting, I decided I loved these kids, and that every day should end with hanging out with kids and mod podge.
They chose notebooks. A few kids chose the regular composition size, and then there were 2 boys left looking at the notebooks in earnest. I pointed out the differences between the remaining notebooks and one of them looked at me and asked, “But which will hold the most writing?”
Once everyone had their notebooks, I had to explain with mod podge was, and how you use it. One girl kept wondering, “So this is NOT glue? It’s mod podge?” and “So this is mod podge? It’s like glue?”
I described our decorating as making a collage.
“Oh! I LOVE COLLAGE!” was echoed through the room.
I had clearly underestimated the magic of mod podge and paper.
“I love this music,” one of the second graders said.
I thanked them and told them it was an instrumental Disney song playlist.
“Well,” she said, “it’s very beautiful. I feel so peaceful listening to it. I really love it”
I saw the other kids nodding their heads in agreement.
We started decorating, and I remembered how this is one of my favorite things to do – work with kids, get to know them, and teach them while I’m doing the project with them.
“Hmmm…” I said, “I don’t know if I should cut this, or tear it. I think I’ll put this here.” The third-grader next to me really got into it.
“Here,” he said as he gave me papers he thought I would like to use and advice on what to do next.
One second-grader piped up from the other side of the room, “I’ve always wondered what this room was. I see it every day at lunch and I think ‘what is that room?’ And now I get to be here, and I love it. I love this room.”
“I love it too,” I told her.
I hot glued ribbon on their back covers when they were ready, and we all chatted as we worked.
As they left I thanked them for coming and reminded them to write in their journals.
Most of them said they would.
“I always have an extra journal at school in case I forget mine,” a second-grader said.
“I hope I write in mine,” another kid said, “I usually just get journals and notebooks and then don’t write in them and then throw them away!”
“Well, don’t throw this one away! You worked so hard on it!” I told him.
“Of course not!” he said, insulted that I would even suggest such a thing.
“Thank you!” they said as they walked out the door.
I told them this was my favorite part of my day.
“Me too,” the last kid said on his way out. He stopped, paused to pet the front of his journal, and then said, “I want to start a diary.”
“You could write every day!” I told him. He walked away as I said, “I’m writing every day of March!”
I was rushing in the wegmans line, trying to get all of my stuff up on the belt, wondering why the older woman behind me was looking at me funny. Was it because she had just a few items, and I was unloading a full cart? I quickly looked to make sure I hadn’t accidentally gone to a 15 items or less line.
No, I hadn’t! In fact I had followed a Wegman’s worker’s invitation to this line!
“Excuse me, ma’am?” She finally asked and I turned around.
“That mask looks so comfortable. Where did you get it?”
First I had to feel my mask… I don’t know why, since I get all of my KN95 masks from Amazon.
“Oh! These? I just ordered these from Amazon, actually!”
She shook her head with obvious disappointment. “Oh. I don’t get anything from amazon. I refuse to order from them.”
I found myself explaining to her that I too, don’t like Amazon. “I know I should stop ordering from amazon too!” I said. “It’s on my list! I promise!”
She looked at me, with kind but slightly judgemental, or maybe pitying eyes.
“Well, I know. I know. You stay healthy, okay?”
I told her thanks, and “you too,” and noticed her stack of cloth grocery bags in her cart.
And then I paid for my groceries, and pushed my cart to my car, feeling guilty about amazon, and the plastic bags my groceries were in.
I wondered for a moment if I should go back and explain that I reuse my grocery bags and that I’m trying my best during a really hard chapter of life.
But I kept pushing my cart, just wondering if I’ll ever be as good as that older lady at Wegmans.
why do I set my alarm for 6:05? and also 6:45? and also 6:55? when usually I’m up by 5:30? but then stay on the couch having my coffee until the last possible minute before running upstairs to get ready for the day? why are mornings so very rushed, when I’m up for at least 2 hours before I have to leave?
why do I sneak around downstairs to get my coffee without waking up the dog because I don’t want to take him out in the dark yet when he just sits and stares at me from the couch when I am ready and when I need him to get moving or soon I will be late?
why does the dog, the same one who hates rain and snow and shakes off his paws when he’s walking on anything wet, or cold, or wet and cold always walk to the middle of the snowy yard to poop in the morning? also – why would I ever forget to wear my snow boots when I take him out?
why don’t my alarms wake anyone else up? why does time move so weirdly in the morning? why do I always think I’ll wash my hair when I know I’ll most likely use some dry shampoo? why do I ever think I’ll have time to make, or pack, or make and pack oatmeal for breakfast? why do I have to beg my children to wear coats to school?
On a Thought 