Communities for Learning friends and fellows! I hope you’ll watch Whatever it Takes, a documentary by Christopher Wong that airs on PBS this week. Giselle Martin Kniep and several fellows of our community learn and lead together inside of this school. Looking forward to being inspired!
Hey–there is an interesting conversation taking place over here. I jumped in because the issues raised here are particularly relevant to the work that I….and a whole lot of other people I know…..do. A theme has been emerging from my own learning over the last few years, and Bass digs into it in ways that I respect. He advocates for leading change by beginning with what is. He speaks to a reality that I understand,…
In recent weeks, I’ve been spending nearly as much time writing with kids as I have been working with teachers, and let me tell you–this is good for the soul. Particularly when I’m given the space and time to really get to know who these kids are and the gifts they bring. I’ve been teaching in some capacity for 18 years now. I can’t see myself ever giving this up, and some how, I’ve managed…
Over the last few weeks, Temple Grandin has come up in conversations everywhere I’ve traveled. Mostly because I keep bringing her up. Inevitably though, someone in every circle has heard of her, attended one of her presentations, or shared her story with others for a wide and interesting variety of purposes. I’d never heard of her, truth be told, until I caught an interview with her on NPR this winter. Then, my daughter Laura and…
….is to accept people exactly as they are.” Carl Rogers
Although I may not be spending quite as much time blogging this year, I’ve been finding myself far more active elsewhere online, and in my travels, I’ve found much to recommend. I’ll still be reflecting on what I’m learning and discovering here, but much of that is happening on the ground inside of the classrooms that I get to work in and in some of these spaces: The WNY Young Writers’ Studio is about to…
I received an email this weekend that put a smile on my face, and since I was asked to pass along, I thought I’d blog about it here. A timely post and invitation for today– Emmett Belknap Middle School teacher, Adam Corry, is inviting other schools to join forces with his students in an effort to raise funds for Haitian relief. The Hats for Haiti drive will take place this Thursday, January 21st in several…
What is the NaNoWriMo Young Writers’ Program all about? Program Director Tavia Stewart-Streit shares portions of their inspiring manifesto right here:
Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this month? Are your students? I’m in! So are the writers of the WNY Young Writers’ Studio. We’re connecting around this inside of our ning and hoping to support each other along the way. If you are a member and want to participate, head over there and join our group. Need some tips for getting started? Here are four for the opening week:
At NYSEC last week, I had the good fortune to drop into Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski’s session. Listening to these men speak to the joy they were able to reclaim for themselves as they worked on a project that made them feel 13 again was beyond inspiring. I took away something much more important though–I was provided some guidance around my own work with writers, based upon their varied experiences. As you might imagine,…