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.

__________________________________________________ The March Slice of Life Story Challenge hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers . Join us for a month of writing! __________________________________________________ "Mommy ... what if ..." Madison whispered to me yesterday morning as we were picking out clothes for church. "What, honey?" I asked, wondering where her concern was coming from. "Well, what if Harley has her surgery and she dies?" And this came with a flood of tears. "Oh, come here," I whispered in her ear and hugged her close , "Harley is going to be just fine." Our six month old puppy is going to the vet today to be spayed. We've talked about this appointment for weeks and tried to explain the surgery to the girls. I talked through the surgery again rea...

__________________________________________________ The March Slice of Life Story Challenge hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers . Join us for a month of writing! __________________________________________________ A couple days ago, in my {Today I} slice , I mentioned that the girls and I visited the Usborne book sale at the YMCA ... with no intention of buying any books. I just purchased a bunch of books through the Scholastic book clubs, and I also know that Usborne books are usually more expensive. But we ended up by eight new books. I found two great titles as did my girls, including a little gift for my school's social worker and psychologist. We have many kids who come from hard places, who bring a lot of baggage to school, who are just having a hard time with life. It is draining on us -- teachers, social workers, an...

Slice of Life is  hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers Join in and share a slice of your life.  _____________________________________________________ So far, I haven't said too much because at first I had {no words} and then all I had was  {today} . It was time for a change. I just didn't know it was MY time. After a few weeks of reflection and the process of packing up my classroom, I've accepted my new role and transition to a new school. My reading specialist role is changing. I'm now considered a "Literacy Interventionist" in my district. Sounds fancy, I know. But really, my goal is the same: Improve student learning as reader...

Slice of Life is  hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers Join in and share a slice of your life.  _____________________________________________________ Today, my six year old daughters -- and I can only say that for another 12 more days -- brought home an ABC end of the school year countdown. It starts on Thursday.  So that means there are only 28 more days left of school. "You will only be first graders for 28 more days," I thought out loud. Tears filled my eyes. "Don't cry, Mommy," M. said as she held my face. "You are going to make me cry." "I just can't believe it. You are almost ... I can't even say it...

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers . Join us for a month of writing! __________________________________________________ It's been one of those weeks. My brain is full.  I'm feeling overwhelmed.  I'm tired. And a little crabby too. I'm running around.  In every different direction.  Feeling rushed to get here and there. Thinking about this.  Oh, need to finish that.   Forgot about this. Oops, got to do that. It's been one of those  weeks  and I'm ready to order  a new t-shirt for my woes ... Or at least, my excuse for this week.

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers . Join us for a month of writing! __________________________________________________ M. has a loose tooth. Wiggle, wiggle. Push, push. "Mommy, look!" She says as she shows me how she can push her tooth all the way forward with her tongue.  It is just barely hanging on. Of course, right at bedtime she decides it's bothering her. Wiggle, wiggle. Push, push. "Just pull it," I insist. "No! I can't. I want to ... Okay ... No!" "Then let it rest tonight. It will fall out when it is ready." I kiss her on her forehead and wish he...

__________________________________________________ The March Slice of Life Story Challenge hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers . Join us for a month of writing! __________________________________________________ The gust of wind whipped the leftover brown leaves about like the worries scattered in my mind The rush of wind s   w  i   r l  e  d  anything and everything it could capture like the anxieties twisting inside  The surge of wind                                     high flew up            and then quickly dove down                                        ...

__________________________________________________ The March Slice of Life Story Challenge hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers . Join us for a month of writing! __________________________________________________ During my pregnancy with our twins over seven years ago, my husband and I had many doctor visits.  I was considered "high risk" because of I was pregnant with multiples and because I was at the ripe old age of 34.   On our way to our doctor appointments, Jon and I would religiously stop by a local PotBelly near the doctor's office for some comfort food and relaxing atmosphere.  It became our thing. Our date day together. Time to connect during the stress and excitement of the reality of bringing two new babies into this world. This additional stop before our doctor appointments were eventually schedu...

__________________________________________________ The March Slice of Life Story Challenge hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers . Join us for a month of writing! __________________________________________________ Maybe you have heard. Maybe you haven't. Yesterday morning I stopped by Katherine's blog at Read Write and Reflect .  She openly shared about the anxiety she holds as being a mom. It was sparked by the NY Times article You May Want to Marry My Husband   by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Yes, the AKR we all know and adore. Please read it. But be prepared. It's real and heartbreaking. I read it with no realization of what I was actually reading. It still sits with me deep in my heart. Deep in my stomach. I thought about her all day. I had a little free time while my girls attended a birthday party and ended up at a ...

__________________________________________________ The March Slice of Life Story Challenge hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers . Join us for a month of writing! __________________________________________________ We have had our share of strange weather over the course of the last month. Usually there is snow on the ground here in northern Illinois and we are waiting impatiently for it to just be gone.  But instead we have seen almost 70 degrees and early spring storms ...  ____________________________________________________________ I remember as a child I was so scared of thunderstorms. Crash! I counted how many miles away the storm was ... One one thousand. Two one thousand. Three one thousand ... Bam! In the middle of the night, hearing the lightning and thunder close together, I would bolt out of be...