The perception that one has on others and vice versa has always been interesting to me. Some people perceive me as being active & outdoorsy. I take this as a compliment, however, I sometimes feel that these adjectives are a facade. I am not as outdoorsy as I'd like to be nor am I that active. On the contrary, I lack physical activity in my life. Going to the gym is just not my thing nor is running. I do try to get out to the mountains as much as I can for hikes, snowshoeing and my new winter sport cross country skiing. One of the reasons I value these activities is that they are relatively cheap, easy and I am outside. I am of the philosophy of two birds with one stone when it comes to exercise. So I decided to take up a challenge from one of my social media friends, to try something new this spring. Today, I registered for a 5 week mountain bike course starting in May. I don't intend on becoming some hard core mountain biker but it would be nice to have some skills that I could use around the city and possibly in the mountains. Also this activity is Wednesday evenings outside!
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Words keep slipping away,
not knowing them, it is my first language & yet I stumble. Went or gone, affect...effect, mumbled, slurred, tongue seems tired. What do I need... books, conversations, to unearth this sloppy, inarticulate laziness. What an incredible month of daily blogging. I am so proud of myself for successfully completing the Slice of Life Month long challenge. I am definitely going to take part in this challenge next year but also ask my students to join me as well. One of the things that I noticed about myself as a writer, is that I tend to write from my mind, thoughts and ideas that just come to me. Likewise, other then poetry, I did not attempt to write any fiction. Procrastination and life getting in the way were other factors that hindered me from stepping outside of my comfort zone and pushing myself to write in different ways. In order to grow as a writer I am going to take part in the weekly blogging posts. Hopefully, just writing weekly will give me the time to mull ideas over, write them, revise them and polish them before posting. I will also be sharing my thoughts on this experience on my school boards collaborative blog platform. Similarly, I am also going to suggest that my student teacher think of writing a post for my boards platform too.
This writing challenge has led me to take on other things and push me to be more reflective in my teaching practices, in my observations of daily life as well as how I judge my students writing. The next challenge that I am going to embark on is #100dayproject (the100dayproject.org/). A physical goal that I am going to set for the rest of the school year is to ride my bike to work once a week. I look forward to continuing writing weekly and getting ideas from fellow bloggers, as well as taking the time to comment on their posts. Thank you to the Slice of Life team for creating this community of writing. Positivity
I'm normally a positive person. I see live as the glass half full. But sometimes I feel this negative person creeping in. It's amazing how difficult it can be to push a niggleing of negativity away, especially if you don't catch it at the beginning before it over takes you. This negativity can consume me where I perseverate on why I don't want to be doing something as opposed to just doing it or rather finding something positive in it. What are my limiting beliefs? How do they show up? Excuses, negative thought patterns, justifications, worries, repeating thought patterns, stuck in past failures, fear, perfectionistic thinking/self-defeating thinking. The fact that I am questioning things is a shift, a shift toward growth, reflection. I know that it is natural to not always be positive. To feel beauty in the world one must see the dire. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't want to be a negative person & the idea of writing about it today is one more step toward keeping and maintaining a positive mindset. Likewise, continuing to foster the things that bring me joy. Choir Practice:
Teachers are a busy bunch, we have lives outside of school, families, friends, and other commitments. We also don't have many opportunities to spend time with staff members outside of our areas of expertise. Today we went for drinks (choir practice), a perfect break finishing PD & just before spring break. It is so nice to get to know your colleagues on a different level. To relax and converse about whatever it is that comes to mind. Inevitably, the conversations lead back to school in one form or another. But this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It gives us time to reflect as teachers, to learn about our successes, failures, ask for advice or even just vent. One of the things that I take away from these get togethers is the little glimpse into my colleagues lives. Learning things I didn't know. Other careers they've had, where they grew up, places they've travelled to. Journaling:
I have been writing in journals for as long as I can remember. I can't remember exactly when I started or how I started but journaling has been a joyful practice in my life for awhile. It has been the sister I never had, my confidant. One of the things I've always cherished about journaling is that it is something that is all mine on its own. My mom made a point to let me know that it was private and that she would never read it. This really resonated with me and allowed me to use journals as a sanctuary, a meditation in my life. Journals as a physical object bring me joy. Writing the first entry, saying goodbye to the old one are moments that I hold dear to me. I tend to always have something to write with on me, pens, paper, and a journal if there's room in my purse. I've tried using my phone to write but its not the same feeling, when I do, I usually transcribe it into my journal afterwards. There have been times that I haven't written in months. I am not a stickler to it. A lot of the times that I do write is when I am upset, frustrated, and goal setting. Mostly, its a retelling of events. Some fond memories of when I journaled were travelling. I sometimes like to reflect back on events on my life and laugh, smile and see how I've grown and what things I still may need to work on. One thing that I am working on adding to my journals is using pictures to express my thoughts. I can do this more fluidly when I'm taking a course and writing notes but less so when I'm just writing in my journal. This is something that I am also trying to elicit in my students when they are writing. Giving them the option to use whatever means of expression that suits their needs or the particular item they are working on. One more thing that I'd like to add is an awesome podcast/show in Canada called Grown Ups Rad Things they Wrote As Kids. The show has adults read excerpts from their childhood and teenage writing. What these strangers share with the audience is moving, emotional and often hilarious. You will be nodding your head in recognition as well as crying tears of laughter. They also have live shows across the country, check them out online or live if they come to your city. grownupsreadthingstheywroteaskids.com/ Join me on this 31 day journey for the month of March with twowritingteachers.org and their 10th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge. #sol17 I have a problem. I absolutely love books. Likewise, bookstores are an oasis to me. My ideal day would involve spending time in a bookstore, purchasing a new book, going out for a nice lunch on a patio and enjoying a scrumptious meal & glass of wine with said book. Today was a gorgeous spring day, so at lunch I walked over to the University to grab some food and of course found myself pulled toward the Campus Bookstore. So many books, yet so little time. I had a stack but settled on the one pictured above. Looking forward to delving into it over Spring Break. Join me on this 31 day journey for the month of March with twowritingteachers.org and their 10th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge. #sol17 I have a part time job as a produce clerk in a grocery store. I don't work as much as I did when I first started teaching. But I worked tonight. It always seems like a good idea to take an extra shift, no one complains about extra money. Even when I start my shift, I seem to have the energy that will last through the evening. However, the thing that always gets me is my feet. Wow, do they ever get sore. Sore feet is one of the worst feelings in the world. I'm absolutely exhausted and was hoping to write my blog post earlier today but of course was preoccupied with other things. The extra money is always nice but I don't know how people work two jobs. I'm glad that I have this other job as a backup, but also glad that it is not a necessity in my life.
Join me on this 31 day journey for the month of March with twowritingteachers.org and their 10th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge. #sol17 Music...how do you use music in your classroom?
When I'm at home, I automatically turn on the radio, I always have music on in the background. But it's funny as a teacher I tend to only listen to music with my students during art. I would like there to be more music but it seems to be always an after thought. Sometimes, I'll play songs associated to our read alouds. A song mentioned in the story so the students feel the mood that the author is creating. I remember vividly my junior high math teacher played music while we were working, one week would be our choice and the other her choice, as long as nobody complained. I'm excited that our school recently found portable speakers that we have placed in the gym. I plan on using this as a transition piece during stations and other activities. The idea of integrating music into my classroom on a more regular basis is an idea that I'm going to explore in the next few months. To see how to incorporate it more and see what my students think. Do they like it? Does it help their learning? Is it distracting? What are your go to, soundtracks for the classroom? Youtube, CD's, playlists, google play? Join me on this 31 day journey for the month of March with twowritingteachers.org and their 10th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge. #sol17 |
AuthorI am a grade 3/4 teacher in Calgary, AB, Canada. This is a space for my reflections as an educator. ArchivesCategories |