Slice of Life - Lunar New Year

 

The Slice of Life Challenge was created by the people over at the blog Two Writing Teachers. The challenge is to write about some part of your day and share it each Tuesday then give feedback to at least three other bloggers.

Slice of Life - Four More Days

The Slice of Life Challenge was created by the people over at the blog Two Writing Teachers. The challenge is to write about some part of your day and share it each Tuesday then give feedback to at least three other bloggers.

Four more days. We have four more days left in our school building as we know it. I wrote about our school renovation several times this year. One poetry Friday I even shared a poem. Sometimes the construction brings a smile to my face like when I think about our new library space with a makerspace area, reading nook, learning space, production room and so much more.

It's hard to keep those positive thoughts at the front of my mind everyday though. I am tired. Tired of stepping around children on the floor since I have no tables or chairs. Tired of being squeezed into small spaces and being flexible. I'm ready for flexibility to be less frequently required.

Four more days. We only have four more days in this place. It's sad too. We've built memories in these rooms and they will never be the same again. I'm glad for the change, but wow, it has been a year with way more changes than even I anticipated.

Our pre-k students loved the cozy library space. The small size fit them perfectly. And having a construction site right on the other side of the wall was sometimes really cool. Students and staff loved going on hard hat tours and chatting with construction workers. A few of the workers were even parents of some of our students so Dads could be seen during recess once in a while.

Four more days. After those days are over, I will be taking a break. I will not take any classes. I will not pop into the school to do work over the break (not allowed anyway with the work they will be doing), I will not do anything remotely related to work except reading. This will be a different kind of summer for me.  I feel like I need space and time away. Lots of space. Lots of time. Lots of rest.

When August comes around, I want to be rested, relaxed and ready to take on the challenge of creating an amazing learning space for staff and students. Time away will allow that excitement to build and give me the energy to make it all happen. Four more days. Just four more days.

Slice of Life - Grandpa

The Slice of Life Challenge was created by the people over at the blog Two Writing Teachers. The challenge is to write about some part of your day and share it each Tuesday then give feedback to at least three other bloggers.

One of grandpa's pipes

Lately, I've been reading about Amsterdam. Many specialty museums are tucked away there. One of these, Pijpenkabinet – Pipe Museum in Amsterdam, caught my attention. My grandfather came to mind immediately. Cigarettes, cigars and other things that create smoke aren't very appealing to me, but there was something about my grandfather's pipe tobacco that always made me smile. I had a few favorites. Cherry and apple always smelled lovely to me. That scent makes me slow down and think happy thoughts. Now that grandpa is gone, I don't know anyone who smokes a pipe, but once in a great while, I catch the scent and remember.

My grandparents a few years ago

Slice of Life - A Wicked Afternoon

The Slice of Life Challenge was created by the people over at the blog Two Writing Teachers. The challenge is to write about some part of your day and share it each Tuesday then give feedback to at least three other bloggers.

My day started around 7:15 when my mother woke me up in our hotel room. We got dressed, packed and went down to grab a quick breakfast before hitting the road. We had to stop for gas, but then it was a straight shot back to her house. It was straight, but it wasn't quick. We got to Mom's around 11:15. We were pretty much on schedule because I was aiming for departure by noon at the latest.

Mom made sure she packed me a nice bag of snacks before I set off on the much longer road trip that would add at least another seven hours of driving to my day. Fortunately, the sun was shining, traffic was light and I had plenty of audiobooks and music packed in my car. I started out listening to the middle grade novel Five, Six, Seven, Nate!. Nate is an understudy performing in his first Broadway musical. About four hours into my drive, I hit Chicago traffic. I put my windows down and knew  driving was becoming way more complicated so it was time for music. Nate had me thinking about Broadway, so Wicked was the obvious choice. My copy is the version from Stuttgart so it also helped me review German vocabulary for a trip I'm taking this summer.

I've driven through Chicago many times between my home in Wisconsin and my mother's place in Ohio and have often been incredibly frustrated. This time though, a cool breeze, beautiful sunshine beaming down on me and Wicked blasting through my speakers made it my favorite traffic jam ever. Of course I sang at the top of my lungs. Wouldn't you?

Slice of Life - Gettting Ready for El día de los niños, El día de los libros

The Slice of Life Challenge was created by the people over at the blog Two Writing Teachers. The challenge is to write about some part of your day and share it each Tuesday then give feedback to at least three other bloggers.

Third, fourth and fifth grade students are helping to create papel picado to dress up the library for El día de los niños, El día de los libros (Children's Day, Book Day) next week. We'll be celebrating with our decorations, but also by reading bilingual books, international books, and books that celebrate both children and books. It's fun to do something a little messy in the library for a change though in our small space (less than the size of a typical classroom since were located in a hallway) it's a bit tricky. We have no tables so we used lap boards. Supplies are distributed across the floor in front of the chapter book shelves and on the cart that displays new books. It's more than a little chaotic, but to see and hear students chatting and creating in honor of books is fantastic.

Are you celebrating El día de los niños, El día de los libros? If so, what are some of the activities you'll offer? If not, consider it for this year or next. There are excellent resources on Pat Mora's website, the founder of Día. I met her at ALA Midwinter this year!! Here's a great interview with her about Día on the ALSC blog.

There are also wonderful resources available at the Día: Diversity in Action page. That's where I found the templates for the pastel papel picado above (the sun and book designs posted by my office door). The papel picado the fifth graders created on tissue paper was inspired by the book Making Magic Windows by Carmen Lomas Garza. I reviewed that last week.

With our construction/remodel going on right now, we don't have space for a large celebration, but next year is the 20th anniversary. With our larger space, I am aiming for an expanded program next year to include families and even the community. I love any excuse to celebrate books and I especially enjoy Día because it also honors children and diversity.

Slice of Life

The Slice of Life Challenge was created by the people over at the blog Two Writing Teachers. The challenge is to write about some part of your day and share it each Tuesday then give feedback to at least three other bloggers.

Today I don't feel so very wonderful. I have a spring cold along with a few other aches and pains. My comfort drink is warm tea and my comfort food is cinnamon toast. My favorite chair, a book on CD and some tiny finches outside the window are also helping to make me feel a little better before I finally give in to the nap that is calling my name.

{#sol15} Music Programs 31/31

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge 

hosted by Two Writing Teachers

Elementary students can be so enthusiastic when they are performing in their music productions. This evening was a treat as I watched two different programs. The first and second graders sang about not being sleepy and their bedtime routine. My favorite song was unsurprisingly, "In the Pages of a Book." The kids held up some awesome books during this one. There are great lyrics, "I can be myself or someone else in the pages of a book....I can lose myself or find myself in the pages of a book."

The third and fourth graders were having a beach bash and wishing for summertime. I couldn't help but wish for it right along with them. This has been a long school year with our construction work going on since October. Many students were full of joy and energy dancing up on the stage. They brought huge smiles to my face.

Thinking about the past month of slicing also brings a smile. This has been a learning experience and sharing with so many people is the best. Thanks for being a part of my writing journey this month.

{#sol15} A Touch of Spring 30/31

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge 

hosted by Two Writing Teachers

It's difficult to believe that this is the second to the last post of March already. The month flew by and most days, the words came easily.

It's also difficult to believe that the snow is finally gone. Today my dog and I had a fabulous walk in the sunshine with no jacket required. No bath was required either. That's a first. Ever since November, we have had snow, sand, salt, and/or mud to deal with so a walk always led to bathing the dog. Not surprisingly this meant that my dog had way fewer walks during winter. He is a tiny thing and also has difficulty with the cold so most days we would instead play fetch up and down our long hallway instead.

Being able to walk all the way to the park and back without having to carry a shivering wet mess of a dog was a wonderful treat. His tail was wagging and I'm sure if I had one it would have been wagging too.

We may still get one or two cold blasts, but today we had spring in our steps. We'll take as many of these days as we can get.

{#sol15} Doodling 29/31

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge 

hosted by Two Writing Teachers

This picture is my attempt to hurry along our spring. We don't have green grass, blooming flowers, or blue skies yet, but they are coming. The book Picture This by Lynda Barry encouraged people to doodle. She writes, "A spiral is portable, reliable and takes up unbearable time and space and thoughts that torment. It gives us an active place to rest and be." 

I've found this to be true. My doodles often have spirals. They are comfortable and require little thought. They give my mind a rest. I'm listening to the second Octavian Nothing book trying to get through all of the Printz awards and honors. It's a challenge to me as I find it quite dry, but the addition of some doodling should make it more palatable. The doodling won't distract me from the story, but will give my body something to do in the meantime.

It's been a relaxing morning that included a little baking. I made strawberry scones, boiled some eggs, and made homemade chai (using the recipe from Lucy Knisley's fabulous graphic novel Relish). My family woke up in stages and everyone had a bite. I love the yummy smells that are still lingering on in the house. Now I'm off to listen and doodle and sip some more sweet chai.

{#sol15} Celebrate! 28/31

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge 

hosted by Two Writing Teachers

Ruth Ayres has a link-up on Saturdays where people link to posts that are celebrations about their week. I love this reminder to celebrate every week.

Many of my celebrations this week made it into my Slice of Life posts. Slice of Life is one of my celebrations. It hasn't been nearly as difficult as I thought to post each day this month and truly, the best part may be reading and commenting on other people's posts. The posts have been thought-provoking, beautiful, emotional, and sometimes hilarious. It's a treat to visit the many blogs and enjoy the writing and life journeys of others.

Another treat was seeing the trailer of Meg Medina's new picture book, Mango, Abuela and Me, coming at the end of the summer. It looks so fun.

Tuesday was a day of thinking. It was the conclusion of some professional development that a team of teachers from my building attended throughout this year. We learned about Culturally Responsive Classroom Practices. We're hoping to implement some of the classroom practices that we learned in the coming year and are already trying to use some of them in our own spaces. It will be interesting to see how this plays out as we get the information to other staff members. I'm excited to see what we can do.

On Wednesday evening, creativity was the theme. I was able to go to a craft night and have a beading lesson. Ever since attending the American Indian Summer Institute in 2013, beading has been something on my bucket list. A young Mohican woman there was working on beadwork for a Powwow and it was beautiful. The artistry was stunning. Being able to learn how to string beads together was nice, but spending time with women and girls while we worked on different projects and talked was also very relaxing. I hope to be able to participate often.

Thursday was a busy day as I taught and then went to a presentation about Ethiopia. Having read Black Dove, White Raven within the past month had me wanting to learn more about this fascinating country. We learned a lot about the country and its people. Following the presentation, I made my way to our elementary school dance. Joining in the fun was a spirit lifter. Several teachers were out on the dance floor and we had a blast acting silly and dancing around with our students. This all made for a long day, but one filled with goodness.

Related to culturally responsive practices, a new resource appeared on my radar that will help me gather resources related to Native Nations of Wisconsin. It also helps others. Someone was just asking me yesterday how to get information to local elementary librarians about what resources to purchase and I was able to direct them to this resource. Win!

The week was filled with excitement and fun as our school celebrated our Spirit Week and that is a celebration in itself. Seeing everyone dressed in crazy ways and being silly together made for a lot of laughter and many smiles. Coming up, we have a short week and then my son comes home for a few days. Life is good.

{#sol15} American Indian Nations in WI 27/31

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge 

hosted by Two Writing Teachers

I love social media. A post yesterday alerted me to the creation of a new Facebook group providing  some fantastic resources. The group is called Wisconsin Librarians and Teachers Supporting Act 31. They posted a great list of books and online resources that help with teaching about the American Indian Nations in Wisconsin. For librarians or teachers wanting to add to their library collection, this is an excellent place to start.

We already own most of the titles listed for elementary, but it was nice to see a few titles that were new to me. They also had some great titles for teachers - like this one I picked up from our public library:

Debbie Reese had mentioned Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask on Twitter a while back, but I hadn't gotten to it yet. It's in my house now so maybe soon.... 

{#sol15} Ethiopia 26/31

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge 

hosted by Two Writing Teachers

This afternoon, UW La Crosse hosted an event focusing children's literature, culture and life in Ethiopia. A panel presented about their experiences in Ethiopia. Some had gone on a medical mission there, some were members of the press that had worked on a documentary during that trip and two had lived in Ethiopia when they were growing up. 

After reading Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein, I was especially eager to hear more about Ethiopia and the people who live there. We saw pictures of the work being done through Project Mercy and heard about those experiences. We also saw some of the documentary. 

One of the women who had grown up in Ethiopia was Jane Kurtz. We heard her talk about her books, literacy and Ethiopia Reads . From the website, "Ethiopia Reads collaborates with Ethiopian communities to build schools, plant libraries, teach teachers, boost literacy and provide youth and families with the tools to improve their lives." I read her book Trouble this afternoon and now will be on the lookout for more of her works. We have several in our school library that I will be reading soon.

Ethiopia looks like a beautiful place that I need to add to my travel list.

{#sol15} Beading 25/31

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge 

hosted by Two Writing Teachers

Beads, beads, and more beads. Tonight I spent several hours making a bracelet at a craft night. It took me near forever to measure and count and figure out my design, but eventually I was finally working on the loom. There were snacks, a movie was playing and we were chatting sometimes too. It was a relaxing evening and people moved at a nice calm speed. Not everyone was there with a daughter, but a few were. It got me thinking about how we learn so many of our arts and crafts from family members. 

My mother showed me how to do needlepoint and helped me use a sewing machine - though that thing always scared the daylights out of me. No matter how gently I pressed, I always felt like the machine was a runaway train. Mom also taught me how to make stamps with potatoes when I was really young and later how to paint with brushes. I remember getting an art set for Christmas one year and clutching it like it was a treasure box. 

I'm thankful that family members and even near strangers (as was the case tonight) pass on their knowledge and love for crafts.

{#sol15} A rather serious post 23/31

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge 

hosted by Two Writing Teachers

I'm re-reading Louise Erdrich's book The Plague of Doves and I hope it's not giving too much away to say that it involves racism and there is a lynching. Earlier this year, I read The novel X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon. It had a reference to lynching and contained a scene with Billie Holliday singing "Strange Fruit." It's a song I had never heard before. This is the magic of YouTube because I was able to listen to the song immediately after reading the passage. If you're familiar with it, you know the song is unsettling, and it is powerful.

Lynching isn't just hanging, but hanging someone outside of the legal system often to punish, but also to terrify people. While re-reading The Plague of Doves, I can't get a phrase out of my head, "Man's inhumanity to man." Our country has way too much history that involves hatred and oppression of a whole group of people. Doves shares a Native American perspective and X an African American perspective, but many groups of people have been seen as less than human and then treated that way.

Our society has not yet managed to heal the many wounds made over the years. We're still stuck in patterns that are damaging and sometimes even deadly. I want to be someone who interrupts these patterns. I'm becoming bolder, but it's slow growth. I keep hoping that the more I verbalize this, the more I'll speak up.

{#sol15} Positives and Negatives 22/31

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge 

hosted by Two Writing Teachers

Back on the 16th, I wrote about wanting to take a look back at where I've been. I've been doing that, but I haven't been sharing much of that exploration here. I wasn't sure if I was comfortable sharing the details online. Domestic violence is part of what shaped me. It wasn't everyday, but there was a constant feeling of walking on eggshells in our home. That kept me quiet, fearful and unlikely to bring friends home. 

I'm thankful for the many friends who invited me to their homes. Reading books and visiting others showed me that not all families lived like we did. Seeing other ways of living in the pages of books and in my friend's houses gave me hope for the future. During middle school, I finally started to realize that homes could be places that felt safe.

Over the years, I've tried to look for the silver lining in my childhood. Here are a few of the positives:

* In trying to get a new start and try to make a better life, we moved many times. This brought a wonderful diversity to our experience. We went from very white small-town Ohio to Dallas, Texas. What a change. Then we lived in various areas of southern California before returning to Ohio and  finally moving to San Antonio, Texas. Along the way, we met some amazing friends.

* While living in Southern California, during the calm times we took long drives, explored beaches, visited mountains and had fun together. It wasn't always doom and gloom.

* We became resilient.

There are other positives, but for a long time in my life, it was hard to see past the negatives. I'm thankful that I'm able to see positives in my past while acknowledging that some of it really sucked.

{#sol15} Creating and Celebrating 21/31

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge 

hosted by Two Writing Teachers

Ruth Ayres has a link-up on Saturdays where people link to posts that are celebrations about their week. I love this reminder to celebrate every week.

One nice celebration is rediscovering coloring. Here's that Slice. Thursday evening I was coloring at family night and when I went home I dug out a coloring book and continued. Friday evening, I finished a picture in the coloring book then also created a picture of my own based on an activity found in Picture This by Lynda Barry. This was a book I saw when I visited The Bubbler makerspace in Madison a few weeks ago. It has great suggestions for creative activities. After I finished coloring, I started working on collage. Barry encourages us to create a page of blue. Oprah magazines have the best colors and textures. Whenever they're on sale at the library, I grab them for collage. While looking for blue to put on my page, there were circles that were calling to me, so I cut them out too. I listened to a book on tape while cutting. In Picture This, readers are encouraged to draw and create  while watching t.v., but a book sounded better.

This morning was for moving things around and gluing them. It's funny that one family event with coloring got me going on this. The book is helping too of course. Creating makes me happy.

Another celebration is getting fun makerspace things for my library. Our Sphero (robotic ball) arrived this week along with squishy circuits and a Raspberry Pi. These are going to be cause for some exciting learning happening in our library.

I was able to tour our construction area again and see the changes. It's fantastic to see how our new learning space is taking shape.

Finally, the Slice of Life March event has been a great time of contemplation and writing. I'm so glad to be a part of it.

Today is International Day of Happiness. I hope your is a day filled with smiles and joy.

{#sol15} Still Coloring 20/31

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge 

hosted by Two Writing Teachers

I'm still thinking about coloring and making art today. Last night I found coloring so relaxing (I wrote about it here). Today, I picked up Picture This by Linda Barry. She seems to see art as therapeutic too. The book asks questions about drawing and making art. This little section was interesting in light of the fact that last night I used a coloring book and I am well over the age of ten. 

Is this true? Could it be? "If you use coloring books past the age of ten, you will wreck your imagination forever." I say if that is the risk I am taking, so be it. However, letting your mind wander as you fill in little sections of line drawings, seems like a pretty healthy activity for a troubled, stressed, or tired mind. My evening plans include a coloring book and a box of crayons.

{#sol15} My Crayon Box 19/31

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge 

hosted by Two Writing Teachers

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, Family Night at The Three Rivers House had an Irish influence. Corned beef and cabbage, shepherd's pie and boiled dinner were available. There were also veggies, but the fruit was a surprise. The fruit was displayed in the shape of a rainbow and there were marshmallow clouds.

The Ho-Chunk language lesson revolved around the colors of the rainbow. We had pictures to color according to the labels. 

Pulling crayons out of the box and coloring the rainbow, my breathing deepened and my shoulders dropped. Coloring is something that we think of as an activity for children, but maybe adults could use a little more coloring time in our lives. With each moment my crayon was moving, my body relaxed more and more. Buzzfeed just posted an article about a woman who is making coloring books for adults. I might get one of those.

There was a quote at the end of the article, "Coloring seems to help people think about a time when life was simpler and carefree." I'm not sure that I totally agree with that statement. I find the act of coloring enjoyable and yes, it reminds me of being young, but childhood wasn't simpler or carefree. Childhood was full of concerns and fears and I was so uncomfortably timid. I wouldn't want to go back, but it was nice to revisit the crayon box.

{#sol15} Change in Plans 18/31

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge 

hosted by Two Writing Teachers

My head really hurts right now so my evening plans have changed. Writing isn't so easy when light from the screen makes me squint. I had plans for my writing today, but they will keep. I think eggs and toast for dinner will work for me. Then I'll likely crawl into bed early.

It's cold outside and a bit gloomy, but when I went out to get the mail earlier, something green caught my eye. Down among the rocks, a small day lily shoot was peeking out near our mailbox. Even with a headache, that little spot of spring made me smile and gave me a jolt of joy. Tomorrow will be a better day. 

{#sol15} A Look Back 17/31

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge 

hosted by Two Writing Teachers

A Look Back

School

They made me walk with him for the Easter Parade.

I wanted someone else to be my escort, 

He was the only white boy in my class.

We lived in Dallas in the 70s.

I couldn't walk with anyone else.

This made no sense to my kindergarten self.

Home

In our home dishes could crash against walls.

There were raised voices, tears, fear

And hiding places in the dark.

Not a place to bring friends.

Not a place to feel safe.

School

We were Bluebirds and knew we were special.

Calling out words around the small circle.

Masters of the universe.

Reading took me to other lands

When the one I was in got too frightening.

Home

Packing up again. Making a fresh start.

Moving, searching for the greener grass.

Learning that we make the same mistakes.

Wherever we go, we bring ourselves too.