Tuesday, March 31, 2015

We Did It!

I can't believe I did it! To think about where I started on March 1st to now, it's a huge difference! I was terrified to start this challenge, mainly because of what other people would think and because I didn't want to fail. I know, this is RIDICULOUS because I am an adult and shouldn't be bothered by these thoughts!

Now that it's March 31st, I've realized it doesn't matter what other people think because we are all in the same boat. There are a lot of slicers out there that were just as nervous as me and some not brave enough to take on the challenge.

I also know, I didn't fail. Was I absolutely perfect, NO! Have I learned from the experience, YES! Will I do better next time,  YES! (I should post this in my classroom)

I really don't even like the term "fail". It sounds so negative. When in reality, it's a positive. If it wasn't for failure we wouldn't learn and we wouldn't improve. It's an essential part of life and I wish I wasn't so afraid of it. This is a lesson I want my own kids and my school kids to understand as well!

Because of this challenge I feel like I am better connected to my students and I better understand them as writers. For the last 31 days I was a student and now I get it more than I have in years past.

Thank you Tenille for encouraging me to "slice" and thank you to all of the comment-ers, you have really encouraged me!!

Monday, March 30, 2015

I Feel Proud!

Today I shared the SOL challenge with my 3rd graders. I told them how it works and showed them a couple of my post. I explained that I have to go through the whole writing process every day, edit, revise, add details, and so on. I also told them how scary it was for me to start writing and I was worried about what others might think.

I think they thought it was cool! They loved that I wrote about them. They said things like, "I like your opening, it really made me want to keep reading" and "You are brave just like Desperaux(our current read aloud)."

It was fun to share with them. I want my kids to know that I am not only a reader but also a writer, just like I want them to be!

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Girl Time!

After my husband returned from a 2 week work trip he surprised me with a girls night. He booked a hotel and had arranged for my two friends to join. I have been friends with these two girls for OVER 20 YEARS! We all have babies under the age of 1(9, 10, and 11 months) and we were in much need of some girl time. We enjoyed pedicures, dinner, and great conversation. It was an unexpected and very appreciated surprise.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Snaggle Tooth!


Our house was visited by the Tooth Fairy for the first time last night!! Tyler lost his first tooth. During dinner he told me it was loose. I didn't believe him because I didn't think there was any way he could already have a loose toooth. I even text a kinder teacher friend and asked if that was normal. She assured me it was! Then, after bed time stories with daddy they were in bed and Tyler just pulled it out! 

I thought for sure the idea of pulling a tooth out of his mouth would freak him out, but it didn't. He was SO excited.  What a fun unexpected milestone!


Friday, March 27, 2015

BIG Slice Of My Life!!!

Daddy is home. It's been 12 LONG days. We are all so happy to have him home! He is the slice that makes my pie complete! 






Thursday, March 26, 2015

TWITTER!

I just finished another Twitter chat tonight and it made me love Twitter even more. I have really learned so much from Twitter over the last few years. It's a great way to connect with other educator, share ideas, and LEARN!!


Wednesday, March 25, 2015

I Used to HATE, "I Don't Know What to Write About!"

I don't feel like I have ever understood my students as writers more than I do now. Because of SOL I feel like my students,  who are faced with the task of writing every single day. It makes me understand the oh so frustrating statement, "I don't know what to write about." There have been days during SOL that I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT! I am writing for 31 days and I expect my kids to write for 187 days. Of course there will be days they don't know what to write about!

There are plenty of days when I have given a prompt or we are writing about specific topics and each child has a "topics" lists in their journal. These things help. 

What are other ways to motivate kids to write when they are stuck and don't know what to write about??