Kudos to you, and more importantly kudos to the kids. I’m sure they’ll have a great time.

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You are giving those 4th graders a leg up on life that will resonate within them for years. Awesome gift to give!

SpaceAgeSage — Lori’s last blog post..Are you just a skipping stone?

Of course the fact that she was incredibly cute might have had something to do with why I wanted to impress her with my poems.

Great idea you have both started! Kudos!

Chris: Model, teach and practice. If children do not experience language through discussion, sharing great literature, and putting pen to paper we cannot expect miracles. All learners need to have great reading and writing modeled and the process of thinking out loud to understand text. It is shocking how many parents stop reading out loud to their children once they enter the intermediate grades. Listening comprehension is a great skill to stay sharp and engaged with language. I love NPR for that very reason. It is awesome to hear a story out loud. The words come to life, our imaginations are stirred and then we pour our minds onto the paper.

Friar: Very funny and true. That’s why my second best friend is hand sanitizer. The mind movie I made in my head of a ‘Glazed Donut Monster” kept me in giggles the whole day. Thank you.

Corey: True that. It would be easier if everyone did a little something rather than the same dependable handful of volunteers that do everything. In Houston my school was sandwiched in between 2 housing projects. I was the teacher responsible for parent involvement and workshops/trainings. I started getting a cart out in the mornings with donuts, coffee, hot chocolate etc and stood outside the school by the curb inviting parents to chat. Word and buzz started to spread that I had free breakfast. Then I started creeping the cart closer to the entrance of the school and eventually into the cafeteria where I would have my parent workshop set up and ready to go. Once the trust was established for this particular neighborhood, parents started to feel empowered and part of the learning process rather than tourists watching everything go by.

Vered: I do love to write. It is easy to be inspired with Writer Dad by my side. He is so confident and encouraging. I look forward to sharpening my skills and keeping up with the pack.

Janice: Nurturing creativity and in middle school? You must be an angel. How fortunate for the girls to have the opportunity to tap into that part of their brain. Creative blocks of time do have a way of lowering the affective filter so that we can receive the must do’s along with the may do’s. We forget to just stop and be playful. Young people haven’t lost touch with that part of their spirit and thank goodness for people like us that haven’t either.

Jamie: Thank you for being my cheerleader. We use a lot of cooperative learning strategies so that everyone is involved before the actual writing process. If you can say it, you can write it. No free rides. Everyone is involved and expected to discuss, write, and share. We work in teams and with partners. My favorite is when students cannot edit their own paper, but if they partner proofread or do a 2 minute edit on the teacher’s intentional mistakes they are all over like white on rice.

kittytown: It’s fun, productive and free! We had a blast and Max and Mia participated also. I think Mia may have written better sentences than some of the 4th grade gentlemen at her table.

Trina: Love the triangle image. It is so obvious, but I never made that geometric connection. Thursdays are early dismissal days. It was pretty amazing that the students were willing to give up an hour of extra play time on the playground to write with us. They were so jazzed.

Leslie: It was a pleasure to share with you yesterday. Our little ones have been together since they were babies. The reciprocity that we share in our learning community is priceless. Looking forward to more projects and coordinating it with you and yours. You are a talented teacher and artist. That pretty much surpasses the two great tastes that come together in a Reese’s peanut butter cup or Skippy.

B J: Talk the talk and walk the walk. Skipping and smiling children after an hour of writing is all the fuel we need to repeat the process. Service with a smile.

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I’ve often thought that “someone” needs to teach students how to think on their feet, how to persuade verbally and in writing, and how to work as a team all skills necessary in life, but not traditionally taught in schools). I’m sure your new “students” will learn all three in the next 10 weeks. You’re braver than I am, I wouldn’t dare tackle 30 fourth graders; they’d eat me alive! :)

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