Finishing Up Poetry

My students are finishing up their poetry unit next week. I am so excited!! This is my favorite unit. Several of my students are going to attempt a creative writing contest through our local library. So we will spend the last 1/2 of the nine week preparing for this, writing an on-demand writing assessment, and then memoirs to the end of the year. I will be on hiatus from now until August. I hope everyone has a wonderful summer and see you in August.

Slice of Life 26/31

Today was blue box day. I copied all four entries. Put the copies in a safe place at school. Drove to the UPS store and handed over my school life. Just like that. I feel so relieved that the process is complete. It is in the assessor's hands, but to hand over my box to someone I did not know after I slaved over the analysis and reflection was more difficult than I expected to be. In fact, as I drove out of the parking lot one tear slid down my cheek. My life can go back to normal....if I even know what that is.

Slice of Life 25/31

Really feel as if I am 100 lbs lighter,
Especially now that all entries are complete,
Letting go of the BOX,
I am so proud of my work,
Everything is as it should be now,
Freedom to write what I want.

Dear Slicers,

I am sorry I abandoned you on the journey this year, but I have been working on my National Boards, AND THEY ARE FINISHED!!! I will be joining you for the last week and look forward to reading many of your entries.

Missing Slicing and glad to be back,

Lynnelle

Slice of Life 2/31 Dream Sweet

Baths are finished,
hair combed,
footy pajamas slipped on.

"Brush teeth," signs Emma,
running to the wash room,
standing on the stool.

Humming while they brush,
giggling as they watch each other,
sisterhood in action.

"Read book", cries Gracie,
hop on elmo,
blankets pulled high.

Pages wisping,
"again, again," they say,
echoing my words.

Tuck, tuck them in,
star song sung,
"Dream sweet, my mommy!"

Heart melts,
who knew love so strong,
God watch over them and
dream sweet.

~LYS~

Slice of Life Day1~Relieved Headache

It seems like there have been several storms brewing in our kingdom and today it hit! I received a noticed from Paypal that I had renewed a subscription. Never did I receive an email about, so I quickly sent an email explaining the circumstances. All the while thinking I will never see that money again; it evaporated into Cyber space. I sent the email 6 hours ago and I just heard the nice ding from my laptop that I had mail and sitting there in my beloved inbox. REFUND established! Yea! Thank you cyber space....so glad my money is back safe and sound and ready to be spent on doctor bills!!

Getting Unstuck: Letter to my Future Self

One thing I have come to realize about life is it just keeps us going our merry way. Right now as I prep for testing in my little classroom and all the other that is the hustle and bustle of life, I was reminded by Ali that I need to stop for myself and just savor the moment. So this is me getting unstuck...

Dear Lynnelle,

Here is it February! 2010 has started off with a big bang! Another big snow storm, Gracie cutting ALL of her hair off. You should be laughing now, but just as a reminder you only smirked in 2010! You were quite disappointed that she wouldn't have pictures made. Hopefully, you decided to put chopped bangs aside and get the pics anyway because it could make for some good blackmail when she's 16. :-)

As you read this in 2011, I remind you this year was the year of PASSION. I am very proud of you for pursuing your National Board Certification and I hope you are spending that extra money you earned when you found out you passed in Nov. 2010. I pray that you were able to transition from your core classroom to the special education classroom. I believe that is where your heart and passion lie. When Emma was born you changed. Changed from a new mommy even. You changed into a whole different kind of momma. A mother of a daughter who lives with in Down syndrome. Now every time you look into the classroom you wish you were the teacher to the child with a disability. I hope you were able to earn the position that would put you into the passionate position of special education at your school.

Another PASSION you pursued was advocacy. Whether it was local or even teaching your students how to be self-advocates I am sure you learned many truths on this journey.

And last, PASSION with your girls. You are crazy about them. They are all you think about. I know often times you question yourself: Are you a good single mom? Are you teaching them what it means to be a good person?--I know you are because each day you live for them. To help them. To give to them.

Remember you are loved and you are one passionate girl!

Lynnelle

Synthesis and Summarizing

One of my classes is working on understanding a nonfiction text and leaving tracks of their thinking. We used a great book about Jackie Robinson--Teammates. We practiced as class for the first half of the book. For the second half the students tried it on their own and then shared with the class. The next day we tried reading about Paul Revere and the first battle of the Revolution. Much to my amazement I heard this, "This is the coolest way to learn ever!!" Love it!! Learning can be fun!!