A Rumbling Good Time

I recently returned from the 2011 South Dakota Reading Council State Conference which was held in Sioux Falls this year. I took the trip with three colleagues and fellow Reading Council officers. It was fantastic.

One of the highlights was meeting Chris Rumble.  The first night there, I took part in a Murder Mystery (cool experience- my first time, but definitely not my last). It was called Murder in Margaritaland. The first time I met Chris, I simply knew him as Managing Mo (a manager for Sandy Beachbum, a surfer on the island). I was initially impressed by his infectious smile and his love of life.

Later I found out who he was- children’s book author, illustrator, musician, and speaker. Chris is the genuine article. I love his sense of humor and his positive, upbeat personality. He gave a wonderful presentation that included audience participation. It got both adults and kids fired up to read and write. Chris was also the keynote at the Student Award’s Ceremony.

Please check out his website at http://www.chrisrumble.com/index.htm. His video blogs are great. You’ll want to watch Episode 3: How to Wind Up Your Child’s Day with Joy and Happiness. This one had me wiping tears from my cheek at the conference. You can also hear some of his motivational songs (click Author Visits and check out the right hand sidebar). Chris has a true passion for children and spreading the love of literacy.

"Gone to the Fields to Be Lovely"

Our Summer Courage to Teach Retreat was held at the Moreau River Sanctuary in Isabel, South Dakota. Many of you have heard me share my thoughts on the picturesque prairie setting and have asked to see photos. Although the pictures don’t do justice to the setting’s beauty, here they are as promised.

A slideshow design by Smilebox

The title of today’s post comes from a poem by Lynn Ungar which was shared at the retreat. It is titled Camas Lilies. Here is a snippet:

And you- what of your rushed and
useful life? Imagine setting it all down-
papers, plans, appointments, everything
leaving only a note: “Gone to the fields
to be lovely. Be back when I’m through
with blooming.”

I often struggle with slowing down and just being. I feel like I need to be doing, doing, doing (often multiple things at once). As part of my Courage Work, I am learning to embrace solitude and celebrate living in the moment. I am reminded of the flight attendant’s mandatory pre-flight message “Please secure your own oxygen mask before helping those around you”. When I’m not taking care of myself, I can’t be much help to others. It’s important for me to be rested and refreshed so that I can fully give myself to others and the experiences of life.

In order to live to my fullest potential, I am committing to go into the fields often. Here are my fields:
• Nature: It is crucial for me to be in nature. It is both relaxing and invigorating for me. Nature has restorative properties. I love to relate to the magnificence of the earth and marvel at her dynamic beauty.
• Garden of “flowers”: Cultivating a garden of striking flowers- a community of positive, uplifting people who respect me, accept me, and embrace me for who I am. There are far too many toxic weeds out there. While I don’t need to pull them out, I also don’t need to put them in a vase on my table.
• Youthful perspective: Seeing the world through the eyes of my children (and my students) helps me appreciate the exciting in the seemingly mundane.
• Music: I appreciate all types. Music speaks to me and moves my soul. I am becoming introduced to many new pieces and genres thanks to my garden of flowers.
• Poetry: Mostly reading other people’s poetry (I am amazed at people’s way with words), and also experimenting expressing myself and writing some of my own.
• Dancing: Movement is another remarkable form of expression, both watching others and participating myself.
• Reading: A passion- yes. Therapeutic- yes. Getting lost in faraway stories, being involved in thought provoking questions, and reviewing old letters and notes (true gifts written by those that care).
• Journaling: A great tool of self-exploration. One in which I am honest with myself, my thoughts, and my feelings, not simply a log of the day’s events.
• Photography: A growing passion of mine. Seeing things from a different perspective. Humbly trying to capture the world’s wonder.
• Scrapbooking: Combining journaling and photography. I often joke about being a “scrapbook collector” and now I am finally making the time to create some pages. It’s great therapy and I’m beginning to do some pages just for me.

What “fields” do you go to “to be lovely”? And if you don’t often go into the fields, why not start making regular trips today?

What If ...

... you read this post and were introduced to a new book? What if that new book led to a new way of thinking? What is that book opened the doors to reaching your full potential? 

 

Distinguished author Melanie Hurley signing copies of her books.

Today’s book recommendation is What If? written by Rapid City native Melanie Hurley. I have known Melanie for many years and was delighted when she became a published author. We graduated from Black Hills State University together and taught at the same elementary school for several years. Melanie was Rapid City’s 2005 Teacher-of-the Year.  She is currently a professor and the Professional Development Schools Coordinator at Black Hills State University.

  





I had the distinct pleasure of attending
Melanie’s first book signing party.

Melanie's book is everything she is- beautiful and inspirational. The text is written in the format of questions, such as “What if you never gave up on yourself?”.  Just imagine! The powerful message of believing in yourself and achieving your dreams is relevant to both children and adults. This book would work great in the classroom setting or be perfect as a gift. Of course, you'll also want a copy for yourself! Let me know if you are interested in an autographed copy and I'll send you Melanie's contact information.

Splinters and Needles

The other day I took my children to Reptile Gardens for a fun filled day of adventure. We were enthralled by the Bird Show, grossly intrigued by the Snake show, and entertained by the Gator Show. We enjoyed a nice lunch and then ventured to the Sky Dome to marvel at the exotic flowers and various reptiles and amphibians. As my middle son was taking a closer look at a lizard, he lost his balance and ended up in a bed of cacti.  These were not the type one could easily pull out with tweezers, but nasty, fuzzy little splinters and needles that infested his entire hand and were nearly impossible to see. I felt his pain and had no clue what to do at this moment.

My son must have been a first because the accommodating staff of Reptile Gardens didn’t seem to know what to do either. Luckily, my good friend from Arizona, Shelly, was with me. She knew exactly what to do (from several personal experiences with her own kids). Shelly worked with Elmer’s glue and duck tape while her children gently and lovingly tried to reassure my son and take his mind of the pain. Although the good staff at Reptile Garden’s didn’t know exactly how to handle my son’s hands, they were great by stepping in and making us feel welcome. We got to go in a private room, a staff member gave all 6 kids special stickers, and they joked with the kids. We even got to have special time with a two year old baby alligator named Fluffy.

I couldn’t help but relate this experience to the cacti we encounter in our educational lives- unsupportive administration, cantankerous colleagues, irate parents, angry children, clueless policymakers, and misunderstanding public. At some time or another, we are all going to get poked. When we do, we need to know what to do to handle the slivers. Do we wash our hands, try to brush them off, blindly stab with the tweezers, or grab the Elmer’s glue? Just like I couldn’t have handled this little incident on my own, we need each other. Surround yourselves with positive people. Learn from others who excel at what they do. Develop and nurture strong relationships with supportive educators. Lean on an encouraging colleague, mentor, or friend. Check out your personal learning network on Twitter, Edublog, or other sites.

What do you do when you encounter spiteful little splinters? How do you remove the nasty needles without pushing them in further and causing more pain?

For those of you planning a trip to the Black Hills, be sure to visit Reptile Gardens for a fun and educational experience that won’t disappoint.

Summer Reading

The 2010-2011 school year has officially come to an end. Friday, May 27 was my last day with kids. As I gave my students one last goodbye hug, I encouraged them to keep reading over the summer. I shared with them my desire to dive into some great books, get lost in a new novel, learn something new, and visit faraway places by way of the library.

 I know many of you out there use summer to catch up on reading. What titles do you have sitting in the stack of books beside your bed? What books are on your summer reading list? I can’t wait to hear your recommendations (both education and non education related)…

Here are a few of mine:

·         The Hero Inside of You: 260 Thrilling and Inspiring True Stories of Ordinary Heroes by Allan Zullo and Mara Bovsun. This little delight was a gift from two of the student interns at my school. It’s a great little book not only because of the inspirational stories, but also because it’s easy to read a story in a couple of minutes while you’re waiting for the train or sitting at the dentist’s office and it fits nicely in my purse.

·         Black Ants and Buddhists: Thinking Critically and Teaching Differentially in the Primary Grades by Mary Cowley. I’ve seen this book in the Stenhouse Publishers catalog and it’s been on my list for some time. While I was at the International Reading Association Conference three weeks ago, my colleague, Mrs. Tautkus, purchased it herself, not knowing it was on my wish list and excited shared it with me. I perused her book and went right over to the Stenhouse booth during my next break and picked up my own copy. I started reading it on the plane ride home and I am not disappointed. If you are interested in creating nurturing environments that foster socially responsible and critical children, this is the book for you.   

·         Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson.  I saw a video on You Tube and immediately added it to my list. Check out the video at http://youtu.be/NugRZGDbPFU if you want to know why I’m intrigued.

·         Anything We Love Can be Saved: A Writer’s Activism by Alice Walker. I was at the Rapid City Public Library looking for Frederick Manfred: A Daughter Remembers  by Freya Manfred. I couldn’t find the book; however, this one caught my attention. Although Alice Walker won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel The Color Purple; it was the title that convinced me to add yet another book to my pile.

·         The Wind Blows Free by Frederick Manfred. This is the selection for my The Novel Ladies and Friends book club in June.  It’s a personal memoir of the Dust Bowl.

·         Lot’s Return to Sodom by Sandra Brannan. See why here.  

·         What Really Matters in Response to Education by Richard Allington. I’m reading this one for a summer book study with several colleagues at school. I’m looking forward to some good conversations about designing RtI programs that support struggling readers.

·        Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. The authors show how to blend intellectual intelligence and social intelligence to create dialogue. The forward is written by Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, so I am confident it will be a productive read.

As you can see, I am sorely lacking fiction titles here. Once I finish these eight, I have several others waiting in the wing, but I’m always on the lookout for more. I can’t wait to see what everyone else is reading.

Book Clubs in the Primary Grades

Speaking of book clubs, I have been wondering how to incorporate the concept of Book Clubs into my first grade classroom.  Several years ago, I experimented with Book Clubs at the end of the year. We had several different selections and students got to choose which book they wanted to read.  It was quite structured and students had a specific “assignment” every day.

Here’s a great book I recently pulled from my bookshelf and plan on rereading this summer: Comprehension Right From the Start: How to Organize and Manage Book Clubs for Young Readers by Donna Marriott. It focuses on moving students to “intense conversations” about books. It talks about a five-day course of study. The format includes an emphasis on 1) introducing the study, 2) skill/strategy, 3) literacy discussion, 4) writing about reading, and 5) celebrations of learning. It also includes lesson plans for the five-day study of The Carrot Seed, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and The Three Billy Goats Gruff.

Another idea I’ve come across is the Brown Bag Book Club. Although I haven’t tried this yet, I can foresee my students loving it. Students read a book and fill out a graphic organizer, thinking map, or reader’s response and glue it to a small brown paper bag or lunch sack. The bags would later be filled with popcorn and students would pair up to share. The discussions could be guided by (but not limited to) the information on their bag. I anticipate many productive discussions coming from this process.  Of course, we only have five more school days left, so there’s no time to try it this year, but it will definitely be on my plans next year.

My purposes are to facilitate the joy and adventures of reading and encourage dialogue around high quality literature and related topics. I am also hoping that this will deepen comprehension and increase meaningful student discourse.

I’m interested in hearing from others who have had experiences with managing Book Clubs in the primary grades. What things have you tried? What works well for you? For those of who have not tried Book Clubs yet, what ideas and/or questions do you have just floating around?

Taking a Risk and in Denver by 6:00

Friday during Easter weekend my husband texted me the following “Let’s fly to Denver tonight.” A little background is in order here… my husband works for an airline and as part of his benefits, we can fly stand by for free. Picture this: we have been married for 10 years and I have only used his benefits 3 times (for our honeymoon, to attend my sister’s wedding reception in Omaha, and once when I took my oldest son to Salt Lake City to visit friends). The timing is never right.  I always have something that needs to be done or the flights are full and I worry about getting back. I thought he was crazy for even suggesting it. I had been gone two weekends in a row- one for the Milken Forum and one for Courage to Teach. All I wanted to do (or thought I wanted to do) was stay home.

For some reason, I decided to just go for it this time around. For anyone who knows me, this is not me at all- not planned, very spur of the moment. I rushed home at 2:00, took a shower, packed for myself and my two boys, packed for my daughter who would be staying with her grandma, dropped off my daughter in town, and was at the airport by 4:00.



"Once you have tasted flight,

 you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward,

for there you have been, and there you will always long to return. "

~ Leonard da Vinci



We were in Denver by 6:00. Eli seemed to relax about his fear of flying and actually enjoyed the return flight. It helped to have dad there explaining all the noises and process of flight in technical terms, which calmed Eli’s fears better than my strategies. Ethan experienced his first ever flight and loved it.

The next day, we took public transportation to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. We saw a 3D show at the IMAX. It was called Born to be Wild 3D. I don’t know who enjoyed themselves more- me or my boys. I have never seen a 3D movie before. Experiencing one at the IMAX was unbelievable. Born to be Wild is an incredible story about orphaned orangutans and elephants, and the amazing individuals who rescue, raise, rehabilitate, and return them to the wild. Visit the following link to learn more about the story and view a trailer of the film. http://www.dmns.org/imax/current-films/born-to-be-wild-3d

If I would have thought about things too much, I probably would have said no and I would have missed all the incredible experiences that occurred in one, short, 24 hour period. The lesson here…sometimes you just have to take a risk.  This year has really been one of stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new things, both personally and professionally. See my previous post "I'm new. I'm trying." Button about trying new things.

What risks have you taken this year? How has it paid off? What have you learned from your new experiences?

Courage to Teach: Renew, sustain, and inspire.

Renew, sustain, and inspire. What do you think of when you read those words? I think of the work I am doing with Courage to Teach. I am part of a cadre of the fourth CTT program in South Dakota.  We gather for a series of six retreats over eighteen months. The retreats are led by skilled facilitators. Our amazing leaders are Educational Technology Specialists with TIE (Technology and Innovation in Education).  Check out http://www.tie.net to learn more about TIE and their numerous professional development projects and opportunities. 

Our retreats have taken place at the Outlaw Ranch in Custer, SD

The mission of Courage to Teach is to help foster personal and professional renewal through retreats that offer time and space to reflect on our life and work. We use poetry, stories, solitude, reflection, and deep listening.  Visit http://www.couragerenewal.org for podcasts, a blog, and information about retreats and programs. While you are there, don’t forget to check out the books by Parker Palmer located under the Resources section.

The hope that Spring brings

If you ever have the opportunity to attend Courage to Teach retreats, DO IT! It promises to be one of the most valuable experiences you will ever be involved in, personally and professionally.

I’m curious… have you read any of Parker Palmer’s work? Has anyone been a part of Courage to Teach?

2011 Milken Educator Forum: It's All About the People

I feel like I finally landed back home after being whisked away to a magical land for the weekend. I was honored to attend the 2011 Milken Educator Forum in California as a veteran Milken educator.

We stayed in the luxurious Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The view was breathtaking. I could handle waking up every morning to that! It was invigorating. And the food-  MUY DELICIOSO!  

Despite all of this, nothing compares to the best part of the entire conference- the people. I was surrounded by remarkable individuals: genuine people who truly care about kids, people who take risks and go above and beyond every day, committed people who make a difference, people who want to learn and grow, people who live the meaning of collaboration, people who inspire and encourage, people who prove that there is a great deal that is right about education…

It was wonderful seeing the 2010 Milken educators receive their awards. And yes, there were many touching moments that brought tears to my eyes. The presenters were incredible “ambassadors for excellence”.  The energy and enthusiasm was electric. Two outstanding speakers included football legend and former presidential bodyguard Rosey Grier and Principal Baruti Kafele. To think of the impact that these educators are making around the world leaves me speechless.  

To learn more about the Milken Family Foundation and their numerous initiatives including the Milken Educator Awards, visit http://www.mff.org/.  

"I'm new. I'm trying." Button

People who comment that teachers only work 8-3 five days a week with summers off obviously don’t know any teachers! (That’s a whole other post.) Anyhow, Friday nights have become one of my major planning times, often staying until 9:00 at night. Quite often I get together with one of my colleagues, Mrs. Tautkus. Yesterday we stopped by Taco John’s for a quick bite to eat. The young man at the counter greeted me with a smile and I couldn’t help but notice the button he was wearing. It read: “I’m New. I’m Trying.”

I chuckled and imagined myself wearing that same button at school. Although this is my tenth year in education, I continuously find myself saying “I’m new at this. I’m trying.”  Education is all about trying new things, changing what isn’t working, improving what is, meeting the diverse needs of students. This year, as every year, is filled with a long list: going deeper with formative assessment, improving my questioning skills, mentoring a student intern, bringing two nationally known artists to our school for the Artist in Residence program, experimenting with how project based learning looks and sounds in first grade, discovering possible hero stories, taking on recycling projects, trying my hand at blogging, and much more. Things don’t always go as planned. It isn’t always neat and tidy. Things don’t always work out. It isn’t always comfortable. However, I’m learning and my students are learning.

I have a feeling even after 25 years of teaching, I’ll still be saying “I’m new at this. I’m trying.” What things are you trying this year? How is it going? I would love to hear from all you brave people trying new things.

Now, if anyone knows where I get one of those buttons...

“It is alright to try and fail, but don’t fail to try!” –unknown