Literacy Learning Zone

Saying goodbye  This week has been full of many kinds of goodbyes ... I've been trying to remind myself:  It's not goodbye forever -- it's until we meet again.           To staff and colleagues waving through a computer screen                To my students through snail-mail in a postcard           To fifth graders moving on to junior high                To trusted teachers and staff at my daughters' school           To the last two months of doing school online                To a school year full of joy and hope ... and strife and stress           To the last day of school today Saying goodbye is always hard. But closure is necessary to move on. So goodbye until we meet again. And hello summer.

Run happy I'm not a runner. Well, that's what I tell myself anyway. My girls were signed up to participate in Girls on the Run (GOTR) through their school. It is a wonderful program that promotes girl empowerment by teaching life skills through lessons and running. The goal is to run a 5K and celebrate their accomplishments. Both the girls' dad and I agreed to be their running buddies. So we all had some work to do to be ready. Then the world stopped. We decided to train at home during this stay-at-home order. We had the time. We had places to run. The fresh air was good. No excuses. Maybe a few grumbles. As a family, we ran. Sometimes a mile. Sometimes a mile and a half. Sometimes two. It wasn't ever easy. Or fun. What mattered was that we did it together and the running made a difference (more for us than them). We ran in the morning, sometimes lunchtime, or after all our school work was done. We ran in the cold, the rain, and the sun all through the e

Quiet time These days quiet times are few and far between. Quarantined. Together. Always. 24/7. Don't get me wrong. I love this gift of family. Being together. All. The. Time. But ... I'm also that type of person Who loves some alone time. In the past, my schedule allowed me Time alone in the car driving or walking the dog. Time to think. To wonder. To reflect. To pray. To just be. Without someone calling my name. Over and over. And over and over. Today I was gifted twenty minutes. Alone walking the dog. Harley doesn't repeatedly call my name. She just gives me the puppy dog eyes. What a gift. To celebrate my one little word. Peace. And quiet time.