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{celebrate}: this week

I'm here to {celebrate} with Ruth Ayres and YOU!
Finding the little moments of joy in life.

Today I am celebrating: {portfolio sharing}



{students}
Talk about celebrating!  This week we hosted portfolio sharing conferences at school.  Yes, they are two loooong days.  Yes, I always hope to sneak in a little extra organizing in my classroom.  But I celebrate the time with students visiting over the two days.  I get to see big older brothers and meet little younger sisters.  It is enjoyable to watch the students celebrate their learning.  Big smiles.  Proud Moms and Dads.   And teachers.  

{growth}
In my role as a reading specialist, I teach small groups of students that are developing readers.  Reading isn't easy.  I am always on the hunt for the right books for the right kids.  And still reading isn't a natural fit.  Yet, we celebrated growth that was made over the year and stressed the importance of the last five weeks of school.  We will continue to push hard.    


{parents}
It was awesome to connect with parents.  To see their smiles.  To hear their stories.  To know they are doing the best they can.  Even when they worry about working and jobs, housing concerns and moving situations, family problems and battles about reading at home.  Yet, they smiled knowing their child, who means the world to them, are readers, writers, and thinkers!

{a day off}
After those two long days, I celebrated a Friday off.  My girls went to school.  I enjoyed taking a slow morning.  I ignored the dishes and the laundry piles.  I spent some time on Pinterest planning my girls four year old birthday party.  I did a little party shopping and then I met some of my teammates from school for lunch out.  A slow lunch to enjoy conversation -- as opposed the the rushed school day lunch!  And then we were off to see the movie Divergent.  I devoured book one and thought they did a great job with the movie.  I also loved seeing how they created my hometown Chicago.  Oh, and Four was just as adorable as I imagined. {Smiles.}  

Taking time to celebrate -- BIG or little -- is truly fulfilling.

Comments

  1. Yay for the portfolio day! I find that the growth of learners always deserves a big celebration. When I went to see Divergent with my oldest, I was the only adult in the room. I am glad to hear that other adults go to see the movie too.

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  2. I Love The Diversity Of Your Celebrations.Kids, Successes, Alone Time,Growth,Parents, Parties. This Is A Full But Happy Life.

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  3. When students share their portfolios, all of us are so proud to see. Although teachers 'know', it's an added boost to see it all come together. Happy you had such a few days, Michelle. And the day off sounds delightful. I still haven't seen Divergent. I hope I get to soon. Have a great weekend, too!

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  4. I so loved hearing about your connection to community at school. So special to have those conversations and celebrations with family to honour each child. It sounds like you took much happiness away from these two days.

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  5. Four - you bet, smiles. :) And your girls are going to be four? Wow! What a great week.

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  6. Wonderful post! The portfolio day sounds great - connecting with students and their families is always worth celebrating. I loved both the Divergent book and movie, too! Yay for a day off! :-)

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  7. Your Friday sounds like it was just what you needed. I love those unstructured days.

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  8. Busy, long days at school filled with discoveries. Fabulous Friday! When I went to see Divergent, I was the only one in the theater. Now that was weird! (It was 10:45 on a weekday.)

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  9. It sounds like a wonderful week for you. Sharing portfolios helps us see the tremendous growth our students have throughout the school year and the opportunity to share with parents and see their smiles makes all the hard work worth it. I hope that this next week brings lots of joy too.

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