Oh, Missouri Writing Project, even when we're finished I find myself stopping during the packing, moving, and decorating room craze to write poetry. Thank you for reminding me to slow down and giving me permission to write...I think today is evidence that this summer was more than just a retreat, it has prompted a lifestyle change.

Saying Good-bye

In my desk hides
7 of the flashy earrings TayVian left behind
9 unclaimed plastic multi-colored barrettes.
A picture of my first class...23 tan, wiggly bodies and a very different
person than the one I see in the mirror now.
Notes of encouragement
From Linda Wy after my first day of first grade tears spilled over
From Sally after good and bad days alike
From Jenine the bittersweet day she left the classroom
From Kay when my 2007-2008 mirrored her 2003-2004
5 stray unifex cubes
Countless half used pens and pencils
26 cents...all in pennies minus one stray nickel.
Half a dozen plastic counters
Germ-X
Paperclips
Crayon drawn materpieces
Post cards from Kris' European Adventure
Jordan's sweet thank you, "For teaching me how to believe in myself
and become a poet."


In Room 108 are 4 white walls
With tears that match the effect
They had on me only two short Augusts ago.
In these white walls hide stories
Of head lice, of snake book reading miracles
Of tantrums and laughter
Of "I no can do this" and of "That's what good writers do."
Of Criss Cross Applesauce and "Oh What a Beautiful Morning."
And of more tears that no one saw but me.
In these white walls hide the
Memories of cricket and vomit debauchles
But also
The secret to lives well lived
Sung by first graders gone by.

On these white walls hide a clock, that once again taunts me
To hurry up, to push forward, to get back to the "To do list."
But even though they are bare,
These white walls
And the voices that stand behind them
Pull me back
Reminding me to drink in this moment
To feel the pain mixed with excitement,
And yes, a little fear.
They remind me to say good-bye
To the room itself
But not to the most intangible things
That fit not in a moving box
But in the teacher I am
And the person I will become.

Not just lifelong learning, but a learning lifestyle...

Thank you, David Warlick for opening perhaps one of the most important dialogs we can have as educators. I'm not just talking about a dialog concerning technology, I'm talking about a dialog concerning literacy and democracy. What is our ultimate goal as educators? Among other important things (considering the fact that we must teach the WHOLE child) is the fact that I want my students to lead more literate lives. Notice I said, literate lives, not a _____ score on the DRA. I think this is an area, that as a profession we need to examine much more closely. We like to section things out into nice neat categories, the only problem with that is the simple fact that real learning is messy and nice neat categories just one work or fit. Comprehension for example, isn't just about "literal retelling" it encompasses so much more because making meaning and understanding is so much more complex. It's also not about throwing a few buzz words in a program and calling it a day. Life is not a multiple choice or fill in the blank test. If we want our students to be prepared, not for our future, but for their future, as Warlick explains, we must create an educational system that values critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. Case in point, prescripted programs aren't going to cut it (sorry to all the textbook companies out there making the big bucks, if I had my way, your days would be numbered.) We need Edupunks, teachers who take their students needs, interests, schema, and motivation into consideration. This issue goes far beyond to use technology or not to use technology because it's more about philosophy than any gizmo or gadget. Since the issue is deeper, technology in and of is not going to make the difference if our philosophies remain unchanged. How many meetings have I sat through where a SMARTboard or computer or game is really nothing more than a worksheet on a screen? Using technology for the sake of using technology is not going to work. Using technology as one tool of many to construct understanding and create new outcomes is.

I also must close by saying that I am slightly afraid and nervous about some things that I will ponder with you, dear reader, later. Case in point, I would like Mr. Warlick to put the chair back in his presentation because regardless of how advanced we become, to me there will always be a need for personal communication. But as a whole, I am grateful for the issues he is raising. So, thank you, Mr. Warlick!

Announcements...We Love Announcements

So I have news...big news...big bursting at the seams, call yo momma collect (do people still do that anymore?), bake your cake and eat it too, drum roll please, Give Me 5, repeating clap NEWS!

I am no longer displaced...I will be teaching 5th grade next year. Exciting stuff minus the moving all my junk upstairs and the fact that my "Tuck and Cover" story time will probably have a slightly different tone.

My Found Poem--From Better Homes and Gardens

self-portrait no. 5

Just what the world needs
The real you
Turn off
Tradition
(And no, that's not a misprint.)
STOP struggling to live
Come alive
Raising your voice
No shrinking
A million good ideas welded together
Reveal commentary
Worth sharing
Creating a better view
Formerly known as YOU.

The Caterpillar: Alice's Anti-Drug

Political?

O.k. my blogging buddies. I have a question for you to ponder because it's replaying again and again in my mind. In Arizona, a session I attended sited Carole Edelsky's statement that everything is political. For example, they said that when you choose to read a book with issues like homelessness, segregation, etc... you are making a political choice. When you choose not to read books with these issues you are making a political decision.

The word "politics" quite honestly leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth (worse than orange juice and toothpaste...yeah that bad), but it's made me think. One of the ladies at the table (who by the way is writing her dissertation on politics and the classroom) said that she would define "politics" as anything you use to get something you want or need. So are the decisions we make always political? Can politics in schools actually be a good thing?

Agree? Disagree? Thoughts? Feelings? Complaints?