Challenge #5~Who Am I?~

As I worked with my students on their "remembering who you are" poems. I realized mine needed some serious updating. I really had to start all over because my other Who Am I was written 8 years ago. My how life and dreams change over time.

Who Am I?
I am my big, pink cheeks and my boisterous laugh,
I am my “seriously” followed by a knowing and forgiving smile,
I am my small moments cherished in my heart,
I am filled with stories.

I have turned 30 and survived,
I have gone from manis and pedis to burp rags and poopy diapers,
I have achieved my greatest gift to the world~my children.

I am a real person who hides my sad times,
I am a person who celebrates the little things,
I am a person whose heart has cracks, but still believes time will heal.

I have traveled unexpected journeys,
I have conquered my fears,
I have accepted life’s path,

I am my own.

I am me.

~LYS~

Student Led Conferences

If you have not tried student-led conferences...it is a must! This is my second year to do them and I am thrilled with the response from parents and my students. This is a time for students to shine and to explain their areas of growth. It does have to be practiced, but student to get it. Many times parents are apprehensive at first, but realize they actually learn more about their child than from a 15 minute quick update with the teacher. My students are using the paper below as a reminder of what to do, but they really make it their own.

Conf Student Led2

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Essays Academic Work money credit

Conf Student Led

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Academic Work money credit

Challenge #4~7 Minutes~

Seven minutes to work from house. Seven minutes of silence. No radio. No crying. No giggling. No, Ms. Snow! No-Nothing. For seven minutes every morning I am alone with my thoughts. Silence. It is as if my brain is saying, "Ahhh, a breather for a few moments." But, the moment I park my car, grab my bag, and walk through the 7:20 AM swarm of students heading to breakfast from the buses my mind is on my students. My seven minutes are over, but I am headed to a great day!

Challenge #3~Poetry~

My favorite unit: poetry. Today we are going to immerse ourselves in writing. We all listen to the words of the poems, some whispered, some silent and some real loud. The fluid words echo in out of my ears as if I am swaying in the breeze. The language speaks to my heart and my writer's hands are jealous that my words don't sound so sweet. After months of us writing together on our new journey, they still don't quite trust me. Yet after the 3 days of immersion they are guessing at what writing poetry is as if they have never attempted to write before. Leaving me frustrated, empty and yet knowing they can succeed and will accomplish this new path on our writing journey. Poetry~music to the soul, but difficult to put into the words. As we discuss what poetry is and finally someone says, "It's the words that flow from your heart into someone else's heart!" Ahhh...the art of writing said by a fifth grader. Words on paper that speak to you, in order that they speak to another.

Tomorrow I try again...a new poem, a new attempt, and a new day.

Challenge #2~Spring Fever~

Why is it in Oklahoma when Spring (my favorite season) begins to arrive I can hardly speak because of allergies? All day long today I heard, "Wow! What did you do to your voice or Get away from me you have the crud!" I would sigh and begin my explanation of how my yearning for Spring to arrive by working in my yard, punishes me by not allowing me to talk or see (my eyes usually swell shut)until after the trees blossom. So as I am walking down my hallway back from lunch today I cough (sounds much like smokers cough, but I have never inhaled one). A teacher began to make a comment and one of my students turns around and says, "Hey, haven't you ever heard of allergies?" The look of shock on the colleagues face was priceless. Moral of story: Don't mess with his teachers!

Conversations With a Writing Partner

On Friday, my afternoon class and I were looking at Antwone Fischer's poems as mentor text to write a poem that day. We talked about the significance of the repetitive line in the poem. I hadn't written my poem yet and I brainstormed from my heart topics that we had done earlier that day. "Ms. Snow, I think you should write about being a mother. You talk alot about that," said D. He and I talked for a couple of more minutes about the "meaning" for my poem. The first repetitive line he gave me~"Who thought being a mother could be so hard." As a result of us conferring the poem below bloomed.

Motherhood

Mothers are fearless,
They never doubt,
What do I do for her?
Tiny hands, tiny feet,
Will I be a good mother?

Mothers know the answers,
They never doubt.
Will I know what to do when she is sick?
Wheezing, fevers at midnight,
Am I a good mother?

Mothers are all knowing,
They never doubt.
What will I say when she is asked out for her first date?
First kisses, first heartbreaks,
Am I a good mother?

Questions aren't always answered,
Mistakes are made,
Listening to your heart,
Trusting your child,

I am a mother.

~LYS~

Challenge #1: Ornery Children

My mom and I were having a great conversation while eating our sub sandwiches this afternoon. Roughly 15 minutes later it dawned on me that my house was awfully quiet. Too quiet. Dangerously quiet for having a five year old and a two year old running around. I put up the dishes, threw away the trash, and walked down the hall.

"Emma? Gracie?" I asked as I walked into Gracie's doorway. I gasped.

"Oh, no!" I yelped. Post it notes were all over Gracie's room and Emma had a pencil from my scrapbook table. I ran into my scrapbook room scared of what I would find. The laptop open....my surprise matchbook notebooks that I made for students...destroyed. My heart sank. I was so excited to have those as a surprise for Monday for those that started the Slice of Life challenge. I bent to my knees and picked up the scraps of paper. I realized I would be able to salvage two of the notebooks. I sighed. Well, at least one student from each class can get a notebook.

As I threw away the scraps of paper, I noticed my laptop looked dirty. "Emma Lynne, what did you do to this?" I asked somewhat loudly.

"What?" she replied.

I couldn't believe my laptop was covered in pencil markings. What will I do with her? I thought.

"You know...Emma didn't know those notebooks were special for your students," my Mom said.

"I know," I replied, "but that isn't what I am upset about. She knows better than to do that to the laptop."

I was able to clean up the laptop and I put Emma in a chair and talked with her about the laptop. I asked her if she was sorry and she patted herself on the back and said, "Yes, mommy, sorry."

Then I got the biggest Emma hug.