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Write Anyway

I finally made it to Teach Write's Wake Up and Write. It actually feels good to put pen to paper this morning with intention. I would consider most of my writing lately as anytime pages , or notebooking (not just though). I plan, or more like a goal, to write everyday. Some days, actually most days, I wait until the end of the day. By that time, I am so mentally exhausted and drained from the events of the day, so I have a hard time finding anything "meaningful" to write about.  (If you are a writer, you know the challenge and fears associated with our own notions of the quality of our writing.) But, I try to put something down even if it's only one sentence. Maybe that's the mark of a true writer. She struggles to come up with what she thinks are good/great ideas, but she writes something anyway. She never knows...the words and ideas that she considers random on her anytime pages may just be her next blog post. If you are struggling to write these days, I hope y
Recent posts

Finishing One Story and Looking Forward to Begin Another

  Teach Write, LLC. Writing Workshops for Teacher-Writers I am currently taking the workshop in the image above.  Cherylann Schmidt  is an amazing instructor who is helping me make sense of Practioner Inquiry and the stories that can be gleaned from the work we do with our Scholars. At the beginning of each session, we spend some time in our notebooks responding to a question related to the data we have collected. This past week, she asked two very simple questions. Where did we come from? Where are we going? I'm not sure how much thought I gave to either of the questions before I started writing. Below is what came to mind. We came from a place of questioning...our practice, our effort, our impact, our purpose. We are headed toward understanding and revelation. - toward the ability to identify the stories our Scholars tell. I know what you're thinking. Your responses are as simple as the questions. You might not be wrong.  But, when I weigh my responses against the practioner

"We Never Totally Arrive" - May 15, 2021

Saturday Morning Friday Night Quickwrite The quote, "...we never totally arrive", and my friend, Leigh Anne's, post made me think about my summer plans. This school year, our Scholars were not given very many opportunities to write based on the hybrid model of learning and instruction we used in our district. Because I know how important writing is to Scholars' academic success in all content areas, as well as for their personal expression, I desire to be a phenomenal writing teacher.  In my heart, I really want to go bak to school to earn a degree specifically in writing/writing instruction. But, for a number of reasons, going back to school is not feasible right now. So, what does a life-long learner do when she cannot get a formal education to fulfill her passion? 1. She does research to learn about other writing opportunities. 2. She follows other writing educators on Twitter. 3. She orders and reads ALL (okay, some of) the books. 4. She also writes. She is a tea

...Trust You? (Boy, Am I Glad!)

Image by  DarkmoonArt_de  from  Pixabay   Do you know who Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher are? I had heard their names, but I didn't really know who they were. Did you know they recently started recording YouTube videos again dedicated to reading and writing? Me neither. Well, all that changed when my teacher-writer friend, Leigh Anne Eck, shared a link on Facebook for Penny and Kelly's "Day 5 March 23 2021" episode on YouTube. (Penny Kittle's YouTube page.) Leigh Anne said, and I quote, "Such a great Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher video on the writing process and how it is different for everyone. You want to watch this - trust me." Well, I trusted Leigh Anne.  So far, I have watched the first 4 episodes.  Oh! My! Goodness! When I tell you these two are a wealth of knowledge regarding books to read and everything writing, I mean they are a wealth of knowledge. On the "Day 4" episode, Penny and Kelly interviewed Tom Newkirk (didn't know w

My Slice of Life Story Challenge Experience

June 11, 2019: The date I created a blog and wrote my first post that I submitted to my first Tuesday Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOLSC). What is the Slice of Life Story Challenge? I am so glad you asked.  Every Tuesday writers (Slicers) write a blog post about something that has happened in their lives; then,  copy and paste their blog post links on the   Two Writing Teachers website. Slicers also read and comment on at least 3 other Slices. In March, during the month-long  challenge, Slicers who submit a Slice everyday are eligible for prizes. My first experience with the Month-Long SOLSC marathon was in March of last year. I wasn't sure I would be able to write a blog post every day, but I was determined. My concern increased half way through the challenge when  COVID required everyone to quarantine.  How would I be able to write a Slice about life when, in essence, life had come to a screeching halt? I am proud to say that  I persevered.  Life didn't stop. The changes th

Writing My Way Out of 2020

I'm certain that many people would agree that 2020 was rough. For me, life seemed to stop as I knew it right around March, when I should have been returning to work after Spring Break. I honestly think I experienced bouts of depression during the Summer months, and I continued to struggle in the early months of school starting back, as well. As a writer, I found it difficult to focus my writing on anything but the negative. Thankfully, however, I was surrounded by (virtually, of course) a group of people, who helped find ways to change my mindset, and encouraged me to seek out the positive in my world. I know it sounds too simple, but a change in how I concentrated my thoughts was exactly what I needed. So, I am sharing with you how I ended 2020 purposefully seeking out the good and the positive in the midst of what felt like total chaos. In November, I made a JOY plan, which involved "purposefully and intentionally planning for moments of JOY." Don't you just love th

My JOYS of 2020

My JOYS of 2020 During the month of November I wrote 30 #gratikus about the people, place and things for which I am grateful. I featured some of my poems in a previous post.  I enjoyed writing these haikus every day, because I learned to slow down, pay attention, and capture moments in time (in the present) that made me be present in the moment. For the month of December I am reflecting on 31 days of JOY-filled moments from throughout 2020. I have looked back through notebooks and scrolled through photos to recollect and relive the excitement and joy felt at that time. Despite all that COVID has brought with it in 2020, I am choosing to end this year reflecting on all that is and was good.  One of my greatest JOYs from 2020 was becoming a member of the #100daysofnotebooking Facebook group, because I developed a daily writing habit. I wrote a notebook entry every day for the first 100 days of 2020 and beyond, and I have continued to this day. I am proud to be ending this year the way I