The Best Gift.

For Christmas, my husband and I decided to gift each other with a class we each wanted to take. My husband wants to take a blacksmithing class, and eventually learn to make knives. I fully support this creative endeavor and am happy to support him in a hobby that takes him away from his computer, which he sits in front of all day at work, and a lot of times, when he gets home, too.
As for me, I wasn't sure if I wanted to take a writing class or a class in mending and hemming. One is a structured creative outlet that I need, and the other is a skill that I would like to learn. In the end, I decided on writing. This past Sunday, I found myself at a writing workshop in Bethel, at Byrd's Books. The workshop was led by Judith Marks-White, a local author.
It's been a long time since I took a writing class, and I wasn't sure how I'd do. I knew that she would ask participants to share their writing, if they wished but I thought I'd be too nervous. We gathered at tables set up in the middle of the bookstore and were asked to choose from a list of prompts, and write for 20 minutes, maybe more. It felt like a long time!
And write I did. I had an idea right away after looking at the prompts, and wrote a story that had been working away in my mind for a few weeks now. Having the time and the space to write was a blessing, as I didn't think I would ever be able to get the story down on paper.
But I did. I wrote, and read what I wrote, to myself, and wrote some more, did a little self-editing, and wrote some more, until I felt that I had something to work with. I listened to fellow workshoppers read aloud before gathering my nerve. I read my piece aloud in a shaky voice, testing the tone of the piece.
The feedback was positive and affirming, and I felt like it was genuine. It was not really a setting for hard criticism but I didn't feel that people were "just being nice," one of my constant fears when I present something I've created. I felt encouraged, and motivated to keep working on my story until I have something that can be shared with the world at large.
Best Christmas ever, I think.

Writing workshop. I read my piece out loud and got a nice reaction to my story. I was so nervous but it felt good to put myself out there and get good feedback. #yearofmaking 8/365 #AmWriting

A photo posted by The Real Nani (@the_real_nani) on Jan 11, 2015 at 12:39pm PST

{Read more slices here: http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2015/01/13/share-your-story-2/}

Transitions.

Yesterday, as I studied up on orthography and spelling instruction, I thought about all the new things I need to learn in making the transition from classroom teacher to instructional paraprofessional. The difference is greater than I anticipated. Working one to one or with a small group is all about individualization and spending time on the small parts that make up the whole, something that is very hard to do when faced with an entire classroom.

To tell the truth, I wasn't 100% sure what it meant to be a writing interventionist when I took this job. I thought it would be something like being a tutor, just helping students with specific pieces of writing. But I've discovered that it is really about helping students master the building blocks of good writing. For example, I'm studying up on orthography because I have a student who has real spelling issues that get in the way of effective communication. It's exciting for me to create a plan just for this student and be able to spend twenty minutes with her just on one skill, something I was never able to do as a classroom teacher.

As this year comes to a close, I look back and marvel at where I was this time last year, home with the kids and feeling anxious about becoming professionally irrelevant, and thinking about going back to work, but in a very abstract kind of way. And now here I am, with a job that is pretty much fits the picture of what I thought I'd want to do instead of returning to the classroom. As the year comes to a close, I continue to reflect on my transition and think about ways to grow into this new chapter of my professional life.

Happy holidays!

{Read more slices here!: http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2014/12/23/write-share-give-its-sol-time-15/}

Epiphany.

Yesterday, I sat down to write a model paragraph for my writing intervention students. I couldn't think of anything to write but then I remembered that Friday night, I had kind of an epiphany. It wasn't life-affirming or groundbreaking, and it was probably knowledge that already existed somewhere deep in the recesses of my cave-like mind. But I digress.

Me and the kids were driving home from Shabbat services. It was cold and dark, but as I approached the light at Main Street, Town Hall rose up in front of me, with a Christmas tree ablaze in colored lights on the front lawn. All up and down Main Street, the trees were wrapped in white fairy lights, throwing light onto an otherwise dark Main Street. Storefront windows were trimmed in lights, adding to the festive air.

Having been raised Jewish, our house was never decorated in holiday lights. I enjoyed the neighbors' spectacle instead. And I always wondered, why does everyone love the holiday lights so much? Why is it so important to the season? They're nice to look at, sure and they make everything feel festive but where did the tradition come from?

Sitting there at the stop light, looking at the lights of Main Streets, it suddenly dawned on me. Of course! Holiday lights bring warmth and life to a season that is dark and cold. We hunker down, we hibernate, we gather around the hearth (so to speak). What an uplifting sight to go out and see your town lit up in a festive spirit. Now it all makes sense, and like I said, it probably always made sense but I never really thought about the emotional significance of holiday lights. I love coming home in the dark and being welcomed by my little white bungalow, surrounded by a vast country darkness,  trimmed in white lights.

{See more Slices here: http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2014/12/16/write-share-give-its-sol-time-14/}

A (Real) Teacher

I wasn't sure what I was going to write about today because, if I'm being honest, I haven't been writing true "slices." But today, I think I have a slice for you. 

I said something that I shouldn't have said. 

The big buzz around the English Department this week is the upcoming NCTE convention in Washington DC. I spied the program on a teacher's desk and as I was flipping through it, I offhandedly remarked "Oh, I used to go every year when I was a real teacher." 

As the words left my mouth, I knew I wasn't being fair--to myself or to other instructional paraprofessionals. I mean, what is a "real" teacher? It's more than just degrees and certifications. Instructional paraprofessionals know their subject matter. They are skilled at helping kids turn the lightbulb on. They are tasked with the difficult challenge of working with kids who "don't get it." 

So, this is my lesson for today: own my professionalism. I am absolutely a "real" teacher. I have always been and always will be one. 

{See more Slices in the comments over at Two Writing Teachers.}

On Both Sides Now

 It is parent-teacher conference season and I had my middle child's pre-K conference yesterday morning. It is incredibly inspiring and awesome to witness emerging literacy through the lens of both parent and teacher. Seeing my four year old's emerging print skills is delightful and a great source of pride. When I see her S with the extra curve on top, her E drawn as a small circle, her upside-down Ls and the capital A way over on the other side of the paper, I see the wheels turning in her brain, her understanding of print concepts right on target developmentally, her pride in being able to spell her name. It thrills me to no end and makes me excited for the whole new world that will open up to her when she starts Kindergarten next fall.
My eldest is in first grade, and I've already seen how her writing has evolved from the end of last school year to now. She has mastered fine motor control over her handwriting, moving from large, awkwardly-printed letters to small, neatly-spaced letters in her words. She has mastered her sight words and take risks with more sophisticated vocabulary. I went to a publishing party in her class, and got to hear her read aloud a book she wrote about her summer vacation on the Cape, the story infused with humor and keen details.
For any parent, especially a parent that is also a teacher, witnessing this evolving and emerging literacy is incredible. It all seems to happen so naturally, when you're not watching, and belies the incredibly hard work of learning kids do, and the amazing job their teachers do.

From a book my daughter wrote in Kindergarten

{To read more SOLs, see the comments on this post}

Back in the Saddle Again.

Yup, back in the saddle again. When I left teaching in 2008, I was ready for a break from the classroom and to concentrate on my growing family. I still felt a pull to education and teaching, so I started my little tutoring business, and wondered what my teaching career would look like down the line.
I envisioned myself working closely with students and teachers in some capacity, maybe as a coach. Last year, I decided it was time to get my Connecticut teaching license, in order to be able to take advantage of any opportunities that might come my way.
One of those opportunities was a position in a neighboring town as a writing paraprofessional. I wasn't 100% sure what such a role would entail but I had a good idea, plus it was only 20 hours a week. I knew I had to try, so I just went for it.
Getting the call to come in for an interview was a thrill, and getting hired the same day was even more of a thrill. I gave myself a week to get my affairs in order, figure out childcare and get my head in the game.
And here I am, about a month into my new job, and really loving it. I'm experiencing a level of autonomy and independence I never had as a classroom teacher, and I spend a good chunk of my day doing what I love best-- developing materials, coming up with lesson ideas, working with individual and small groups of students, and talking to teachers about how to help kids become confident writers.
It feels good to be here.

See the comments in this post for other SOL posts!