Exit Slip

It's hard to know what to write, on this, the second to last day of school, for me. This year was big, as you readers know. I went back to work, I moved from being a classroom teacher to being a paraprofessional, so much growth and learning happened for me this year.
I spent much of the year feeling insecure, wondering if I was doing things the "right way," knowing that there was so much I don't know, trying out different strategies and ways of teaching, crossing my fingers that something would stick, being nagged by a feeling that I should be doing more even though I'm only here 20 hours a week.
But I'm ending the year on a high note, with a positive evaluation from the higher-ups, and some changes in the works for September that will allow me to do more meaningful, deeper work with the kids. As I pack up my room for the summer, and sorting through things to keep and things to chuck, I'm doing the same with the content I taught this year--what worked and what didn't work, keeping a list of ideas I want to carry over to next school year, and new things I want to try.
And because I will always be a teacher, I know part of my summer will be spent thinking about these things, and doing some "teacher" reading, and I don't mind at all!

When To Hold 'Em and When to Fold 'Em?

As a writing interventionist, I see my students for 20 minutes a week. For some students, intervention happens every other week. It's kind of maddening but it can't be helped because of the way the school schedule is structured. 

One of the challenges of this schedule is the time spent on a piece of writing. I'm finding that working on an essay might not be the best use of my time with these students, only because it takes many, many weeks to finish a standard 5 paragraph essay. Right now, two of my students are working on persuasive essays. We are looking at elaboration strategies and how can they be used to develop ideas and organize an essay. Trouble is, we've been writing these pieces for so long, it is starting to feel tiresome, stagnant and boring! We ran out of steam awhile ago but I feel compelled to follow through and finish the piece. 

So, the question is: should I stop working on these pieces with the students? And if I do that, how do I close it out or explain why we are leaving the pieces incomplete?

I do know this: I need to rethink what kinds of writing I can realistically accomplish with my students in the limited time that I have, without dragging it out forever. Paragraphs are great writing practice but when a student needs to work on organization, a paragraph won't suffice. Time to get creative! 

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I think I'm Gonna Like It Here...

On Saturday afternoon, when my 6 year old daughter wished aloud that we could go see Annie, I impulsively said yes. Normally, I would beg off or find some excuse to not take them out to the movies, and spend a whole bunch of money on tickets and popcorn and candy. But that day, I said yes. So, I found a theater that was offering Annie and saw that we had time to make the matinee. I had babysat two nights before so I had a little extra spending money for this treat. The promise of a movie, popcorn, candy and a date with Mommy was enough for my girls to break a speed record in getting dressed to go.

And go we did. Alice, my 6 year old, was held rapt by the film the entire time while my 4 year old, Stella, started to get restless in the last half hour (thanks to the overlong previews!). As the movie came to it's resolution, Alice turned to me and said "Mommy, I can't stop crying," and truth be told, I was a little weepy too! I'm a sucker for a happy ending, and I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Stella, not one to be left out, reported, "There were tears coming out my eyes, Mama."

The movie might not be the most well-written movie but it was engaging and had plenty of climaxes to keep the girls interested, and invested in the movie's outcome. I thought about how this is true in getting my kids interested in books. Right now, Alice is not reading what I would consider Caldecott Medal-worthy books but they get her reading, and connecting with characters. It's been thrilling to watch her emerging literacy, and learning to verbalize her response to a text. be it a movie or a book, in increasingly sophisticated ways!

Alice's favorite song from the movie:







{More Slices Here! https://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2015/01/20/an-invitation-sols/}

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!

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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

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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.

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