Ten Lessons from a Five Year Old

My sister, Phala, is great at capturing and celebrating the moments in her children's lives. She is also great at sharing these moments caught on film with our family.
I love when I receive these photo gifts in my email inbox, and I especially loved the recent pictures she sent of Anna Madelyn.

Anna Madelyn is my adorable five year old niece.
She loves.....
strawberry Capri Sun
vegetables dipped in Ranch dressing
field trips to the pumpkin patch
Barbies
anything pink
visiting and eating lunch with Nann and Papa
playing with her big brother, Jack
preschool
drawing and coloring
great clothes and "high shoes"
books
Mama and Daddy
and her Aunt Ree (that's me) And boy do I love her!

She is also very wise for her age.
Anna Madelyn has no idea, but today's lessons for life and teaching come from her. (in no particular order)

1. Celebrate growth.

2. Be yourself. Wear pink high heeled shoes when you want.

3. Hold on tight to those who support you, love you, and believe in you. Do the same for them.

4. Read every chance you get.

5. Feed others, but don't forget to feed yourself.

6. Enjoy time with your friends.

7. Help out.

8. Enjoy the beauty of the day.

9. Remember that your story matters.

10. Take flight toward your dreams. Be the person, the teacher, the friend, the leader you were born to be.

Getting The Word Out

I feel fortunate to be a part of a profession filled with brilliant people who truly stand up for what's right for children and teachers. Below, I'm attaching important information from five amazing educators I've become inspired by via email, Twitter, Facebook, or latest book published---Lynn Stoddard, Anthony Cody, Donalyn Miller, Susan Ohanian, and Linda Darling Hammond. Whether I know these people personally or not, I'm a teacher who continues to be thankful that I can call them some of my new "social media mentors".
Lynn, Anthony, Donalyn, Susan, and Linda have reminded me what teachers can do to change the face of education today. They have reminded me what children and teachers deserve. Read their words, and take action. I certainly will.

1. The first message comes from Lynn Stoddard, author of Educating For Human Greatness, a reform plan that restores teaching as a respected profession.

I begin with a quote from his book:



2. Next, read the message from Anthony Cody, who's leading the charge to get teacher voices to the national government through his "Teachers Letters To Obama".
To members of Teachers' Letters to Obama

Anthony Cody September 18 at 6:47pm Reply
Dear Members of Teachers' Letters to Obama,
This next week is a critical one with some important opportunities for our voices to be heard on education issues. Please take part in these activities.

First of all, NBC is promoting a week of programming devoted to familiar "experts" on education reform -- but teachers are nowhere to be seen on the main stage. Teachers are given a separate town hall on Sunday, Sep. 26, but will be lectured from on high by Bill Gates, Michelle Rhee and the like. Please register to participate nonetheless at www.educationnation.com, and let them know what you think!

This Monday, Oprah will have as guests Michelle Rhee and Bill Gates. But Oprah has issued a call to Chicago area teachers as well for a special show devoted to giving teachers a voice, for Friday, Sep. 24! Please sign up here if you can go. https://www.oprah.com/ownshow/plug_form.html?plug_id=4683574

Teachers' Letters to Obama is hosting our next Round Table, "Stop Griping, Start Organizing," on Tuesday, Sep. 28, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm Pacific time, 8:30 to 10:30 pm Eastern time. Guests will include Lily Eskelson of the NEA, Jesse Turner -- who just completed a 600 plus mile walk from Connecticut to DC to protest federal education policies, and Chris Janotta of Million Teacher March. We will discuss ways teachers are taking a stand and ways you can make a difference. Please register here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/StartOrganizingRoundtable

Lastly, many of us wrote letters this summer addressed to members of Congress, aligned with the seven principles to guide reauthorization of NCLB. These letters are now posted and available for downloading. Please download them and share them with your Congressperson and Senator. http://www.edweek.org/media/tloletters910.pdf

Now, when all the media seems to be fixed on promoting the same convergent message about school reform, it is crucial that teachers speak out and be heard. Please do not allow us to be silenced.
Anthony


3. Next, in yesterday's blog post by Donalyn Miller (aka The Book Whisperer), she speaks loudly for one of my favorite authors, Laurie Halse Anderson, and for why it's important to fight against banning books. In her own words in the blog post, "banning books increases ignorance and closes dialogue about these issues", and I wholeheartedly agree. I'm blown away by Donalyn's knowledge of books, social media, teaching, learning, and children, and her ability to share that knowledge with a global audience.
Read Donalyn's post here

4. Susan Ohanian, longtime teacher and author, fights daily for us as teachers, and does the hard work to get out information about what's going on with education in our government, our cities, and our schools across the nation. Send her an email to start receiving these important messages about how we can fight for what's right for our children, our teachers, and our schools.
http://susanohanian.org/

5. Finally, I'll end with a quote from Linda Darling Hammond's latest book, The Flat World and Education: How America's Commitment To Equity Will Determine Our Future. I'd love to have a book talk when you're done reading it and will still dream of her being the Secretary of Education one day.
I read this quote from Martin Luther King at the end of the acknowledgements in her book:



Take action because Conscience tells you it's right.

To the possibilities of a great future for our nation's children...
AM

The Rest of The Story....What I'm Learning As a Stepmom

I dropped off the face of the blogging Earth for several days.
Three words for you.
Stepmotherhood to teenagers.
Married life is quite an adjustment, and I don't think I had a clue how much of an adjustment it would be with a 14 year old stepson and a 15 year old stepdaughter in the house. My sweet husband and I are doing our very best and learning lots these days about how to "blend" this two month old family.

A few weeks ago, I had begun to write the stories of my top ten favorite picture books, started by Cathy Mere and Mandy Robek on August 10th.

Just this morning I decided to take a different look at my last four favorites, re-reading them all through the eyes of a teacher AND a stepmom.
So finally, here's the rest of the story.....

Cynthia Rylant's All In a Day is one of my favorites, and in my opinion, it is THE book to start your day. This book started every single school morning for my first graders and me. I love it because it sets the tone for the day and gives children (and adults) a sense of what's possible...."a day brings hope and kindness too...a day is all it's own, you can make a wish, and start again...".
"Rain could show up at your door and teach you how to dance...." Yes,there may be tough times and obstacles in our way, but those rainy days and tough days are opportunities for growth, learning, and dancing.
It invites children (and adults) to start fresh and make the most of the day that's been given to us..."this day will soon be over..and it won't come back again...So live it well, make it count, fill it up with YOU...the day's all yours, it's waiting now...see what you can do."

Words to live by for the teacher and the stepmom.


My Duck by Tanya Lynch is a light and humorous picture book with a powerful message. "At school my teacher told us to write a story. My story was about a duck who wanted to leave home. I drew a picture of him and gave him little shoes to wear to help him on his way. DUCKS DON'T WEAR SHOES, my teacher said. GO AND START AGAIN!" And so the story goes, with the child starting new stories and putting his voice and imagination on paper. And the teacher continues to disapprove. The teacher imparts her rules of "what's right and true" to the young writer rather than hearing and appreciating the passions, the creativity, and the voice of that child.
It's an important message for classrooms with rooms of children just aching to tell their stories and have their creativity embraced and voices heard. Same goes for me, the stepmom. I need to take a deep breath, and listen closely and carefully what my stepchildren are saying (and what they aren't), and put my "rules for what's right" aside.

Lester Laminack is a wonderful friend, and an amazing writer and teacher. His book, The Sunsets of Miss Olivia Wiggins, has been a favorite of mine for years, and is especially touching to me because I've watched the journey and cared deeply for family members and friends with Alzheimer's.
This book has also taught me to be the "keeper of happy memories" for my students and now my new family. It's my job to remember all those glorious, groundbreaking, "ah ha", extraordinary moments in the classroom (and in the home). Not every day will be perfect, but it's my job to see past the not-so-great moments and be the keeper of the glorious ones.

Walk On: A Guide For Babies of All Ages was a gift from Debbie Miller. Debbie and I read this to a group of teachers at a workshop we presented together several years ago. It was to help those teachers see that change isn't easy, and that doing what's right can be difficult and feel a lot like learning to walk. Sometimes I feel like a baby in the classroom, fumbling and finding my way slowly(and with a lot of mistakes) with the students entrusted to my care. And hell yes, I feel this same way multiplied by a thousand as a stepmom. Thank you, Debbie for giving me this book to remind me to quit being a big baby and just WALK ON! I can do it!

To the possibilities of this new day...
love,
AM

Why?: The Story of WHY The Gift From Mary Virginia Mattered So Much

I know it's the beginning of wonderful new school years all across the country, and as I sit here at my computer thinking about it, I can feel the excitement and promise a new class of students and a new school year brings.
I also know that if you're a teacher like me, you know about those "long after Christmas is over and long before Spring Break is in sight school days." The days that can sometimes seem endlessly long and mundane. The days when we wonder if what we're doing is really making a difference with the kids in your classroom. The days when we might seriously ask ourselves, "WHY did I go into this profession?"
It was a day like this that I got a gift one day from Mary Virginia, a very special first grader. She bounded into our first grade classroom one morning with the book, Why? by Lila Prap. If you don't know the book it's one filled with the answers to "why" about all kinds of animals....like "Why do zebras have strips?" or "Why do kangaroos have pouches?" It's a book that begs to be read and studied by the eager and inquisitive kids that fill our primary classrooms.

It's also a book that made me think about the importance of asking and answering articulately the whys in our profession..... and question my own professional "why"?
Why am I a teacher and why do I do the things I do each day in my classroom?

And as you all know, one good book and one big question leads to other great books and other big questions, and my "why" question led me to this book:


I'm only on chapter 4, but I'm finding (and agreeing) that there is compelling evidence of how much more we can achieve if we start everything we do by first asking why.

So, thanks to Mary Virginia (and her wonderful avidly reading parents, Cameron and Jay),
below dancing at my wedding this summer!

Below are my reasons why your gift that day meant so much.


Also cheers to books that lead to new thinking and understanding (thanks Lila Prap and Simon Sinek),
here are my big professional "whys".


WHY do I teach?
....because I believe in both hesitant and eager learners (young and old)
....because I believe in standing up for what is right for children and for our profession
....because I believe in celebrating the differences in each child that enters my classroom
....because I believe in taking children where they are and moving them forward as learners and as people
....because I believe in slowly growing and not racing to the top
....because I believe in giving children the time they need to grow, learn, explore their passions, find their strengths, learn from and conquer their struggles.
....because I believe that one size doesn't fit all and all sizes matter.
....because I believe that children matter more than test scores.
....because I believe in always having an answer about my teaching when asked the question "Why?"

Ordinary Things: The Story of Ellie's "Stuff That Nobody Thinks About"

One morning in my first grade classroom in Alabama, little Ellie Friedman walked up to me with Ralph Fletcher’s poetry book, Ordinary Things, in her hand. Ellie couldn’t quite read the poems yet, but she could read the word “ordinary”. “Miss Corgill, what does ‘ordinary’ mean?” My best six year old explanation to Ellie was “It’s stuff that nobody really thinks about. Stuff that’s not so special—just normal. Just……ordinary.” That answer seemed to satisfy the little writer as she bounded back to her workspace to continue writing for the day.
The primary writing workshop is the place for some pretty extraordinary things to happen, and this “ordinary” day was the day that I got extraordinary writing from a six year old. At the end of our writing time, Ellie wanted to share the poem she had written, using Ralph’s Ordinary Things as her inspiration. Below, you’ll find Ellie’s poem titled, “Stuff That Nobody Thinks About”

“Stuff That Nobody Thinks About”
by Ellie, Age 6
The warm feeling
Butterflies in your tummy
The smell of breakfast
The sound of pencils sharpening
The sound of birds chirping
Books talking.
The look of funny faces.
The taste of melting chocolate in your mouth.
The feeling of dirt under your fingernail.
The sound of music in your ear.
Stories ringing in your head.
The feeling of tears rolling down your face.
The soft feeling of your mom’s hand.
The end.

Ellie was a child, a primary writer who lived and saw the "stuff that nobody thinks about" in an extraordinary way.
Ellie is now in college, but her first grade writing will always remind me to give children open classroom spaces where their voices are heard and their abilities are trusted. Her extraordinary poem reminds me to always give students the tools they need to work and create (books as models and inspiration, paper, pencil, crayons, and all the tools a writer might need). She reminds me to keep giving my students time to write and daily moments to read and honor that writing. We need to trust that those ordinary moments in our classrooms can quite quickly become extraordinary if we will just believe in our students and in ourselves.

Below are photos of the writing supply area, table supplies, and writing share/meeting area

Sometimes we forget that these elements of our teaching are just as critical as the articulation of a focus lesson or the manner in which we lead a writing conference.
As we begin a new school year, let's celebrate the ordinary moments in our daily routines and create spaces in our classrooms for extraordinary work to happen.

Nature's Paintbox: The Story of Phyllis Faust

Yesterday, I had the privilege of working with the teachers at my old school, Hewitt Trussville Middle, and yesterday I was reminded why the book Nature's Paintbox, by Patricia Thomas is on my "Top 10" list.
If you don't know the book, it's a must have for writers and artists and anyone who loves playing with language and dwelling in its beauty. But all of my reasons for loving this book reach far beyond its pages.


It was just an ordinary day in my classroom last year. I was sharing the amazing language in Nature's Paintbox with my sixth grade writers. And my instructional leader, Phyllis Faust, was there to listen in on the lesson.
There's a part in the book where author, Patricia Thomas, describes the colors of autumn in this way: "bluegray smoke, bluepurple haze.... curled, whirled, brushed in a rush of scarletorangebluegray...purplebrowntanyellow...sandtan....unending blendings....Autumn colors are never known to play alone."
As I read this part of the book aloud, one of my writers exclaimed, "Wow. I never knew that was possible.....to do that with words...what Patricia Thomas just did!"
And in the background as she watched closely and listened carefully, Phyllis said, "Anything is possible....when you're a writer."
I can guarantee you that she won't remember this moment, but I can guarantee you that I won't ever forget the power of those words.

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.
Those three simple words spoke volumes to my students and to me. The idea of "anything is possible" coming from the mouth of your boss is empowering, and better yet, can transform school communities. You will notice that I didn't call Phyllis my principal, but rather my instructional leader. She made it her job to know her teachers, know her students, and support them in their learning journeys in every way imaginable. She opened the school building long before sunrise to prepare for us. She visited classrooms to learn alongside us. She sat in on parent conferences to support us. She questioned us, challenged us, pushed us, and expected the best of us. She believed that anything was possible because she trusted us to be the best teachers (and learners) for and with our students.


(Phyllis introducing her amazing custodial staff on the first day of school this year)


Even though I don't get to work at HTMS this year (marriage and a home in a new city sometimes make changes inevitable), I get to experience her leadership from time to time when I visit the school. I watched her in action yesterday as she facilitated staff development all morning with her sixth, seventh, and eighth grade teachers. I smiled when she pulled students aside in the hall to have conversations and simply to check in and ask how things were going. I watched her hug the custodians and laugh with the office staff, prepare for an evening parent meeting, and make time just to visit with me.

New school years are beginning all over the country, and there are many lucky teachers and students out there who will get to work under true leadership. I know this for a fact because I've worked for some of those great people in New York and in Alabama.
It would be my hope for ALL teachers, students, and staff members to live in a school, for a 180 days a year, with a leader like Phyllis Faust who believes (and lives) "anything is possible."

To the possibilities of this new day.... wonder where I got that line?? :)
love,
AM

Days Like This: The Story of Dibels, A First Grader, and The Department of Education

I have a p.m. instead of an a.m. post today--all because I got to spend a glorious morning with my "Everybody Needs a Rock Friend" at her baby/adoption shower this morning at HTMS.
This summer Karon and her husband John adopted Isaac, an amazing three year old from China. Below is a picture of Karon ("Mommie") and her two adorable sons, Emerson on the left and Isaac in her lap. Yes, she's an amazing friend AND mother!
So happy for them all!











Now for today's "10 for 10" picture book story...

Poetry is my most favorite genre to teach--especially in writing, and for years I have read and discussed with my students the collection of poems in the book Days Like This by Simon James.
On page 10 in Days Like This, there is the poem, "A Lazy Thought" by Eve Merriam.





There go the grownups
To the office,
To the store.
Subway rush,
Traffic crush;
Hurry, scurry,
Worry, flurry.

No wonder
Grownups
Don't grow up
Any more.

It takes a lot
Of slow
To grow.


That last line....."it takes a lot of slow to grow" is a message I live by every year in my classroom. It's a message that frees my students to be the children they were born to be and to grow at their own pace. This message also frees me to teach and learn alongside them, and "grow" them forward as learners and as people, patiently and steadily. Children deserve only the best teaching we can give them, and testing them to see who's top won't get us very far.

It is my hope that one day our government (both state and national) will see that it isn't the "racing to the top" that gets children where they need to go to be successful. Faster isn't better. Racing to the top to be a winner or a loser only makes us breathe harder, not learn more.
It is our job as educators to give our students quality teaching and learning experiences, and give them a place where their voices can be heard.

I live in a Dibels state. (Alabama offers much to be proud of in our schools, but this isn't one of them). Even first graders figure out quite quickly that this "assessment race" called "fluency with nonsense words" interferes with their independent reading time. Because I respect my students, value their voices, and won't give up until our voices are heard, I encouraged my students to write about their feelings when asked to miss reading workshop to take the Dibels test.
Below is a letter to our state department of education from Ella, a first grader.





















It's days like this when I'd like to hug Simon James and Eve Merriam.
You go, Ella! Alabama Department of Education..... United States Department of Education.... Are you listening?